Alexa App on iOS, displaying its -All Devices- page, with an Echo Dot 3rd Gen speaker in the list highlighted.
This piece demos how to connect Echo Dot to internet. It lists what you’ll need to get your new Dot speaker up and running on the internet. You must do this when…
We show how to connect the Echo Dot to the internet, using Amazon’s latest version of the Echo Dot (the 3rd Gen Dot).
None of the Echo Dot devices built up to now has an Ethernet RJ45 port. So, you may only connect them to Amazon’s Alexa service via an in-range wireless network. Also, that network must have internet access. Furthermore, note that Alexa on your Echo Dot will not operate without first linking it to a functioning internet connection.
If you do not already have an Amazon account, create a new one at https://amazon.com/ . Follow the prompts there to set one up.
Or, when you run the Alexa app in Step 2 under How to Connect Echo Dot to Internet, Step-by-Step below, and you’ve never signed into the app with a valid account, the app will ask you to sign in, as shown next.
There, the app lets you create a new account if you need one. If you do, then press the Create a New Amazon Account button in the lower center of the login screen. Then Alexa walks you through that account setup prompts.
At any rate, be sure you have a working Amazon account before proceeding.
You must run the Alexa app on a smart phone or tablet computer. For this demo, we run it on an iPad Air tablet.
Download this app from the Google Play (Android) store, or the App Store (iOS), depending on what type of mobile device you have. Install the appropriate version on your tablet. Then and log into it with your Amazon account credentials.
Don’t forget to turn Bluetooth on on your mobile device. Why? Because the Alexa app uses Bluetooth to find Echo Dot speakers close by in some situations. So, switch on Bluetooth on this device on when connecting an Echo Dot to the internet.
Skip ahead to the next step if you already unboxed your Echo.
Now all of the Dot speakers come in a small blue box, as pictured in the last shot above. For new Echos, the box itself arrives in a clear plastic bag. Remove that, and slit the tape securing the box top closed with a sharp knife.
Open the box lid, take out all contents and spread them on a floor or table. You should have the Dot Echo, the AC adapter, and some pamphlets.
Remove any clear plastic protectors on the Echo from the side and top. This exposes the DC power input and audio output (headphone) cable ports (side). It also grants access to the Volume Up, Volume Down, Mic Mute, and Action buttons (top).
Then, unpack the wall adapter and cable.
Find the Alexa app on your mobile device, as we did on our iOS based iPad Air tablet, as shown in the next picture.
Tap the Alexa app icon to run it. If this is your first time using this app, it will prompt you for your Amazon account and password.
Further, if this is your first Echo device, the app prompts you to set up a new device.
Should the Alexa app prompt, enter your Amazon account credentials. Follow the directions above to set up a new Amazon account if you don’t already have one.
Then Alexa signs you in.
Finally, the app remembers your Amazon account info the next time you run it. This way, you won’t have to enter this data every time.
If this Echo Dot is not that first Echo device connected via your Amazon account, the app displays its Home screen.
Find this called out by the green arrow in the last picture.
Hitting the menu button brings up the Alexa app’s main menu, as shown next.
Visit the Settings page by tapping the Settings menu item (left side of page), highlighted by the green arrow in the last picture above.
The Settings screen then displays as follows.
Get to the Device Settings page by tapping the Device Settings menu item (left side of the Settings screen, near the top), highlighted by the green arrow in the last screenshot.
Tapping Device Settings brings up the All Devices screen, which lists all your currently registered Echo speakers and other devices. Shown next.
Bring up the Set Up New Device menu by tapping the Plus button in the top right corner of the All Devices page, as highlighted by the green arrow in the last photo above.
The Set Up New Device menu then pops up as shown in the next screenshot.
Touching the Add Device option brings up the Setup->What type of device are you setting up? screen, as shown next.
Tapping the Amazon Echo item brings up the first Setup screen for Echo devices, as shown next, where you pick which model of the Echo you’re connecting. Here, we’re connecting an Echo Dot device to new WiFi. So, we’ve pointed out the Echo Dot option with a green arrow in the next screen shot.
Touching the Echo Dot device brings up the Which Echo Dot are you setting up? screen, as shown next.
If your Dot is powered up, as it ought to be if you did Step 2 above, it’s probably displaying its orange light ring. If so, then skip ahead to Step 14. Or if not, then run through this step.
If this is a brand new Echo, just plug it into AC power. Then after ten to fifteen seconds, it automatically enters Setup mode and announces this.
But, if this is not a brand new Dot, it may not go into Setup mode on its own. For that case, you must factory reset it. See our Factory Reset Echo Dot 3rd Generation Instructions, How To post for details. That piece shows how to reset a Dot. In short, to reset, press and hold the Action button until the unit starts resetting. After a hard reset, the Dot automatically enters Setup mode.
Anyway, however you get there, once you have the Echo in Setup mode, proceed onto the next step.
Next. pick up your tablet / phone again and go back to the Alexa app. You should see the screen pictured in Step 12 above.
Since we’re connecting an Echo Dot 3 here, we touch the topmost speaker in the displayed list of Dot versions shown there.
This starts the Alexa app scanning for new Dot devices to connect, as shown next.
Now at this point, the Alexa app is waiting to hear from the Echo you’re setting up. It will hear it when your Dot Echo is in Setup mode.
If your speaker is indeed in Setup mode, then after a brief pause, Alexa should find it, as ours did, shown next.
If Alexa does not find your Echo, check that you have Bluetooth turned on on your mobile device that’s running the Alexa app. Check also that your Dot is flashing its light ring in orange. Note that the speaker only stays in Setup mode for several minutes. Then, it times out and goes to sleep.
If timeout happens, then unplug the Dot from power for a few seconds and plug it back in. This should re establish Setup mode. If not, then hard reset it.
This brings up the Select your Wi-Fi Network page, as shown next.
Just prior to Alexa showing this screen, it runs a WiFi scan from your selected Echo Dot speaker, for in-range WiFi networks that your Dot sees. Then, it’s this list that the app displays for you.
Tap the network you want your Dot to log into. In our case, we choose the 937T681J4059H_2G_Guests network. That one is pointed out by the green arrow in the last picture.
We call this a new WiFi network, because its login data is not currently saved to Amazon. But If we had connected any Echo devices to this network before, and opted at that time to save the login credentials, then later models of Echo Dot speakers would automatically connect to it, without us having to manually enter the network info.
Tapping a network may prompt you to enter the password for that network. Skip to Step 18 if you don’t see this prompt.
Should a password entry screen pop up, type in the correct network password for the one you picked. Then move on to the next step.
While your Echo Dot establishes a connection to the network you chose in Step 15 above, the Alexa app shows the Connecting your Echo Dot to Wi-Fi screen, as pictured next.
After some seconds, and if all goes as hoped, you see the following screen. This shows that the Dot successfully connected to your internet network.
Also, the Echo then makes a rising chime sound, and says in its female voice that it’s ready for use.
But if your Dot does not connect and you get errors, follow any tips the app displays. If you typed in the wrong password, the system prompts you to re-enter it. But if the problem connecting is internet related, you may have to investigate and resolve that on your router. In that case, once you’ve fixed that issue, try rerunning this connection routine again. We suggest that you close the Alexa app and start it fresh, first. Then, be sure that your Echo Dot is in Setup mode before starting anew.
Hitting the Continue strip then invites you to choose which speaker your Echo Dot will play through, as shown next.
In our demo, we chose the internal speaker.
Then, tapping this choice takes you to the Where is your Echo Dot screen, as pictured next. This screen allows you to name the place in your home where you will place your Dot.
Pick the name of your desired location from the list displayed, as shown in the last picture. In this demo, we tapped Bedroom, as shown in the last photo. Note the check mark that appears when you make a choice, as pointed at by the green arrow in the next shot.
Once you bump the Continue strip, your Echo Dot has successfully connected to the network, and can now answer voice requests.
Then, the Alexa app takes you back to its Home screen, as shown next.
You may now close the Alexa app if you so desire.
With your Echo Dot now connected, try asking it some queries like:
… and so on. Of course, precede each question with the wake word. The default word is Alexa. Or it could be Computer, Amazon, or Echo if you changed it.
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