This piece describes how to connect an Amazon Echo speaker to WiFi. We give and the steps to follow to complete speaker set up on a new WiFi network. This applies to the Amazon Echo series 3rd generation speaker, released in 2019.
Before you Start How to Connect Echo to WiFi
1. A Compatible Mobile Device
You’ll need to run the Alexa app on a compatible mobile phone or tablet computer. For this demo, we’re using an iPad Air tablet.
2. A WiFi Internet Connection
None of the Echo devices built to date has an Ethernet RJ45 port. So, you may only connect them to the Alexa service through a WiFi network. That network must have internet access. Also note that Alexa on your Echo will not work without this.
3. The Alexa App
Get the Alexa app in the Google Play (Android) store, or the App Store (iOS). Download and install the right version for your device, and then log into it with your Echo account credentials. If you just created an account, be sure to use those credentials.
4. An Amazon Account
If you do not already have an Amazon account for your Echo, get one at https://amazon.com/ . Follow the prompts there to set one up.
Or, when you run the Alexa app in Step 2 under the How to Connect Echo to WiFi: Step-by-Step Instructions below, and you’ve never signed into the app with a valid account, Alexa will ask you to sign in, as shown next.
There, the app lets you create a new account if you don’t already have one. If you do not, then press the Create a New Amazon Account button in the lower center portion of the login screen. Then, the app walks you through that account setup procedure. Note that you must have an account to proceed past this point.
5. Bluetooth
Turn on Bluetooth on your mobile device. Why? Because the Alexa app uses Bluetooth to detect nearby Echo speakers in some situations. Connecting the speaker requires this.
How to Connect Echo to WiFi, Step-by-Step
1. Connect your Echo Speaker to AC Power
2. Run the Alexa App
Find the Alexa app on your mobile device, as we did on the iPad Air tablet, as shown in the next picture.
Tap the Alexa app icon to run it. If this is your first time starting the app, it will prompt you for your Echo account and password. Again, if you just set up a new account above, log into the app with those account credentials.
Plus, if this is your first Echo smart speaker, the app will ask you to set up a new device.
3. Enter Account Id and Password to Continue with How to Connect Echo to WiFi
Should the Alexa app prompt, enter your Amazon account credentials. Then you’ll be signed in via the Alexa app. The app then remembers your account information whenever you run it again, so that you won’t have to enter this data every time.
4. If you are Not Prompted to Set Up a New Device…
If this Echo is not your first device, the app displays its Home screen. We got the Home screen right away, since we have other devices on our Echo account.
5. Tap the Menu (Hamburger) Button
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.
6. Go to the Settings Screen
Visit the Settings page by tapping the Settings menu item (left side of screen), highlighted by the green arrow in the previous picture.
The Settings the screen displays as follows.
7. Visit the Device Settings Page to Continue with How to Connect Echo to WiFi
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 picture above.
Tapping Device Settings brings up the All Devices screen, which lists all your currently registered Echo speakers and other devices. Shown next.
8. Go to the Set Up New Device Menu
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 picture above.
The Set Up New Device menu then pops up as shown in the next screenshot.
9. Tap the Add Device Option
Touching the Add Device option brings up the Setup->What type of device are you setting up? screen, as shown next.
10. Tap the Amazon Echo Device Type
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. In this case, we want to connect and Echo device. So, we’ve pointed out that option with a green arrow in the next picture.
11. Tap the Echo Device Type Item to Continue with How to Connect Echo to WiFi
Touching the Echo device brings up the Echo Set Up screen, as shown next.
12. Now Put your Echo into Setup Mode
If your Echo is powered up, as it should be if you did Step 2 above, it’s probably displaying its orange light ring, as shown next. If you see the orange light, then skip ahead to Step 13. Or if not, then work through this step.
If this is a brand new Echo that you just took out of the box, just plug it into AC power. Then after a a quarter minute it automatically enters Setup mode and announces this.
On the other hand, if this is not a new speaker, it may not right away go into Setup mode. So in that case, you must reset it. In short, to reset, press and hold the Action button until the unit starts resetting. After a hard reset, the smart speaker then enters Setup mode.
At any rate, how ever you get there, once you have the speaker in Setup mode, move on to the next step.
13. Tap the Speaker in the List that Matches the One you’re Connecting
Next. pick up your mobile device again and go back to the Alexa app. You should see the screen pictured in Step 11 above.
Tap the blue Yes bar shown there.
This starts the Alexa app scanning for new Echo devices to set up, as shown next.
Now at this point, the app is waiting to hear from the speaker you’re connecting. It will hear it then, when you place your speaker into Setup mode.
If your speaker is indeed in Setup, then after a brief pause, Alexa should find your new speaker, as ours did, and display it in a found-devices list, as shown next.
If Alexa does not find your speaker, make sure you have Bluetooth turned on in your mobile device that’s running the Alexa app. Turn that on, and then check again that your speaker flashing its light ring in orange.
Note that the Echo only stays in Setup mode for several minutes, and times out after that. If timeout occurs, then unplug the speaker from power for a few seconds and plug it back in. This should re establish Setup mode.
14. Tap the Listed Amazon Echo to Set Up to Continue with How to Connect Echo to WiFi
In this demo, we tap the Echo-50U speaker, pointed at by the green arrow in the last picture above.
This brings up the Select your Wi-Fi Network page, as shown next.
Just prior to the app showing this screen, it runs a WiFi scan from your selected speaker, for in-range WiFi networks that the speaker sees. Then, it’s this list that the app displays for you.
15. Choose the WiFi Network To Connect your Echo Speaker With
Tap the WiFi network you want your speaker to log into. In our case, we’re choosing the 937T681J4059H_2G_Guests network. That one is pointed out by the green arrow in the last picture.
16. Enter the Password for That WiFi Network
Tapping a WiFi network may prompt you to enter the password for that network. Skip to Step 17 if you don’t see this prompt.
The app may not prompt you, if you’ve previously saved this network’s information to your Alexa account. This is true for us in this scenario. So Alexa did not ask us for the password.
But if a password entry screen does appear, type in the right WiFi password for the WiFi network you chose, and then move ahead to the next step.
17. Wait for your Echo to Connect to Chosen WiFi Network
While your Echo tries to connect to the WiFi network you picked above, the Aapp shows the Connecting your Echo to Wi-Fi screen, as pictured next.
After some seconds, and if all goes well, you see the following screen. This shows that the speaker successfully connected to your WiFi network.
Also, the Echo then makes a sound, and announces that it’s ready for use.
But if your speaker does not connect and you get errors, follow any directions the app displays give. If you entered the wrong WiFi password, the app prompts you to re-enter it.
Now if the problem connecting is network related, you may have to investigate and resolve that issue on your router. In that case, once you’ve fixed that issue, try rerunning this routine again. We suggest that you close the Alexa app and start it anew first. Then, again, be sure that your Echo is in Setup mode before doing the setup routine again.
18. Choose the Room Where you will Place your Echo
When the speaker connects successfully, the app then takes you to the Where is your Echo screen, as pictured next. This screen allows you to name the location in your home where you will place your speaker.
19. Tap your Desired Location for your Speaker, to Continue with How to Connect Echo to WiFi
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.
The system then prompts you for the street address where you’ll be using your speaker, as shown in the next screenshot.
The default address, which is filled in, and which we covered up in our demo, is shown here.
Review this address, and if correct, move on to the next step. If the address is not not the one you want, then tap the Enter a new address link on this screen, and follow the directions to type in the street address you want. Once done, the system returns you to this screen, except that now, the correct street address for your speaker should be listed.
20. Tap the Listed Street Address to Set it as the Echo’s Default Address
When you touch the address you want, a check mark appears to the right of it, as shown in the next picture.
Move on to the next step once you’ve checked the correct street address for your Echo.
21. Tap the Blue Continue Bar
Once you bump the Continue strip, your Echo has been connected, and is now ready to accept voice commands. Then, the Alexa app takes you back to its Home screen, as shown next.
You may now close the Alexa app if you wish.
22. Test Out your Echo Speaker
Once you’ve finished the setup procedure described above, your speaker is ready to receive and respond to commands and questions once the orange light ring darkens. Try asking it some questions like:
- What’s the weather?
- What time is it?
- Give me my flash briefing.
- How are you today?
- Sing happy birthday.
- Tell me a joke.
… and so on. Of course, be sure to precede each question with your Echo wake word. The default is Alexa. Or it could be Computer, Amazon, or Echo if you changed it.
23. Done with How to Connect Echo to WiFi !
Enjoy your Echo speaker by Amazon. It’s a truly great sounding mid-sized speaker, with its improved bass and volume, belying its small size!
Other Posts About Echo Speakers
- Spotify Setup on Echo Alexa
- Update Echo Firmware Instructions
- Echo Spotify Commands List for Echo Speakers
- Factory Reset Echo Instructions, How to Hard Reset
- Echo Reset Button, Where to Find It
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References for How to Connect Amazon Echo to WiFi
- 3rd Generation Amazon Echo Dot Product Page at Amazon.com
- Amazon Alexa Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Amazon Echo Help Pages
Revision History
- 2021-08-25: Updated the tags and internal links lists.
- 2020-08-03: First published.