How to connect alexa speaker to wifi

Amazon's Echo Dot is a compact smart speaker that offers all the same features as its bigger siblings. It's fine if you just want to hear the latest news, purchase products, or play games and quizzes, but it lacks the booming speaker offered by the full Echo and the premium Echo Studio.

Table of Contents Show

Plug In a Speaker
Stream Via Bluetooth
How to connect Alexa to Wi-Fi with your phone or tablet
How to connect Alexa to Wi-Fi with a web browser
How to change Alexa Wi-Fi settings for an existing device
Why is my Alexa not connecting to Wi
How do I connect my Amazon Alexa to Wi

Fear not, though, because you can connect your Dot to an external speaker or connect one via Bluetooth to beef up the sound. (You’re able to set up an external speaker with virtually an Alexa-driven device, but the Dot is really the one that needs it.) Let's go over the steps for both options.

Plug In a Speaker

(Photo: Lance Whitney)

If you wish to plug a speaker in to your Echo Dot, you'll need a standard 3.5mm audio cable(Opens in a new window) with male connections on both ends. Plug one end of your audio cable into your speaker's Aux In connection and the other end into the Dot's Aux Out connection, right next to the power cable's connection. Power up your speaker, and it will now pump out the sound from your Echo Dot the next time you ask Alexa to play music.

Stream Via Bluetooth

Don't want to futz around with cables? You can instead stream the sound from your Dot to a Bluetooth speaker. Amazon certifies compatible speakers with the Works With Alexa(Opens in a new window) label, so you know which devices to buy. Once you have a Bluetooth speaker, make sure it's in pairing mode.

Fire up the Alexa app and open Devices > Echo & Alexa. Tap the name of the Alexa device that you wish to connect to your speaker. Select Connect a device under the Bluetooth Connections section. The Alexa app will search for nearby Bluetooth devices to pair with your Echo Dot. Tap the name of your speaker when it pops up.

After the pairing is successful, the speaker will show up in the Alexa app as a Bluetooth connection for that Echo device. Alexa also announces the successful pairing. You can now ask Alexa to play music and perform other tasks, and the sound is piped through your Bluetooth speaker.

If you wish to disconnect the speaker, tap the name of the speaker in the Alexa app and tap Disconnect. You can also say "Alexa, disconnect." Alexa tells you that your Echo Dot is now disconnected from your speaker. To re-establish the connection, say "Alexa, connect." Alexa will connect your Echo Dot to the last connected Bluetooth device.

You can permanently remove the entry for your speaker by tapping the name of the speaker in the Alexa app and selecting Forget Device. You will then need to go through the pairing process again to reconnect it.

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Smart speakers or displays with Amazon Alexa can be the foundation of smart home, but the first step is to connect an Alexa device like the Echo Dot to your home’s Wi-Fi network and the internet. Here’s how to hook up Alexa, whether you’re doing it for the first time or trying to reconnect after changing your Alexa Wi-Fi setup.

Read more: Everything you need to know about Amazon Alexa

How to connect Alexa to Wi-Fi with your phone or tablet

Open the Alexa app for Android, iPhone, or iPad. If you don’t already have it, you can download it from the Google Play Store (for Android) or the Apple App Store (for iPhone or iPad).
Make sure your Alexa device is in setup/pairing mode. This varies from product to product, so check its instructions, but typically this involves holding down a specific button or buttons until a pulsing light appears.
Back in the app, go to the Devices tab, and tap the plus icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
Within the list that pops up, tap Add Device.
Select the type of device you’re connecting. Amazon Echo hardware is at the top of the list, but you can find options for other products by scrolling down.
Follow prompts for the app to discover your device.
Once it’s successfully detected, you should be asked to choose your Wi-Fi network and enter the correct password if the app doesn’t offer a saved connection.
The app should then connect your Alexa device to Wi-Fi and the internet. If not, our Alexa troubleshooting guide may help.

How to connect Alexa to Wi-Fi with a web browser

Roger Fingas / Android Authority

Make sure your Alexa device is in setup/pairing mode. This varies from product to product, so check its instructions, but typically this involves holding down a specific button or buttons until a pulsing light appears. At the moment, you can only configure Amazon Echo products via the web.
Using Firefox, Safari, or Edge on your desktop or laptop, go to alexa.amazon.com and sign in with your Amazon account. Note that Chrome isn’t a supported browser, at least not for connecting Alexa to new Wi-Fi.
Click Settings in the left-hand toolbar.
Click Set up a new device.
Choose your device.
Your Alexa device should appear under its own custom Wi-Fi ID, for instance in the format Amazon-XXX. Select this.
Click Continue.
Select your home Wi-Fi network and enter your password. Your Alexa device should automatically connect to Wi-Fi and the internet.
If Alexa isn’t connecting to the internet, our Alexa troubleshooting guide may help.

How to change Alexa Wi-Fi settings for an existing device

Open the Alexa app for Android, iPhone, or iPad. Make sure your mobile device is on the same network as your Alexa device.
Tap the Devices tab towards the bottom of the screen.
At the top of the next screen, tap Echo and Alexa, then select your device on the list that appears.
Within a device panel, tap the gear icon in the upper-right.
Tap the word Change to the right of the device’s Wi-Fi Network listing.
Follow prompts to put your device into setup/pairing mode. The exact method varies from product to product.
A list of local Wi-Fi networks will appear. Select your new network, then enter your password. That should hook Alexa up to Wi-Fi and the internet.
If Alexa is not connecting to the internet, our Alexa troubleshooting guide may help.

Read more: How to reset Alexa devices

Why is my Alexa not connecting to Wi

If your Wi-Fi password recently changed, Update the Wi-Fi Settings for Your Echo Device or Update the Wi-Fi Settings on Your Echo Show. If your device is still having intermittent connection issues, Reset Your Echo Device.