Today we are going to explain how to configure your Amazon Echo with Alexa for the first time. Amazon’s family of smart speakers with the Alexa assistant finally arrived in Spain in October 2018, and if you have decided to give it a try, you will have to go through the corresponding initial configuration of the device.
We are going to start by explaining how to link the device to the application that you must use to configure it, and once we have done it we will continue with the step by step of the configuration process in which you can choose to give Amazon some data such as your calendar so that the assistant can make calls or send messages for you.
Set up your new Amazon Echo
The first thing you have to do is connect to the Amazon Echo. Plug the plug cord into the slot on the back of the speaker, and then plug the cord into the power outlet. Amazon recommends placing the device in a central location, at least 20 centimeters away from any wall or window.
Now you must install the Amazon Alexa application on your mobile. It is available for Android and iOS on Google Play and the App Store. When you install it, sign in to Amazon Alexa using your Amazon credentials. When you start it for the first time, a Terms of Use window will appear, where you must click Continue to go to the main application window.
You will arrive at the main screen of the Amazon Alexa application. In it, you will see two options to configure your Echo or the application itself. First, click on the option Set up an Amazon Echo to proceed to link the device you just plugged in.
Next, you have to select the Echo device you are trying to pair from the list. To make it easier, in addition to their respective names, you will also have a drawing to be able to recognize them. Simply click on the one you have.
When you click on the device, a simple screen will first appear informing you that you are going to proceed to start its configuration. All you have to do on this screen is click on the Continue button at the bottom. You will have to be at home and with the WiFi network activated to be able to configure it.
When you plug in your Amazon Echo, after booting up it will wait for a few minutes in pairing mode. You will identify that it is waiting for you to pair it because its light will turn orange. In fact, on the mobile, you will have reached a screen in which you are informed of this, although it may vary depending on the Echo device you have, and you must click Continue when the Echo light is in the color indicated, which in this case it is orange.
You will arrive at a purely informative screen that tells you how to pair the device. Here you do not have to press anything, but simply do what they are asking you to do and connect to the WiFi that the Amazon Echo is generating to link your mobile to the speaker.
Therefore, and always following the instructions of the app, now you must access the WiFi settings of your mobile and connect to the device. You will recognize it because it generates a WiFi network called Amazon and is followed by some numbers. Tap to connect, and when you do, the mobile app will have connected to your Amazon Echo.
Back in the application, you will arrive at a screen informing you that you are linked, and you must click Continue to continue configuring. You will arrive at a screen in which you must now choose in the app which is the WiFi of your house. When you click on it, your mobile will reconnect, and the application will send that information to the Amazon Echo so that it does the same. And that’s it, when it’s finished you can start asking Alexa things.
Initial Alexa setup
When you’re done setting up the Amazon Echo by connecting it to your WiFi, the mobile app will go on to invite you to do the initial Alexa setup. To start with it, press the Continue button, and don’t worry because you will see that it is a configuration in which you will only be asked for two or three pieces of information.
First of all, you will have to tell Alexa who you are. Its application will communicate with the mobile one to obtain the main profile, and you will be able to tell if you are that person or another. In my case, in my Amazon account, I have the name Yúbal, so I only have to click on the option I am Yúbal to continue. For all the procedures, the Alexa assistant of your Amazon Echo will do with the account that you indicate.
Next, Alexa will ask you for your last name, so you only have to write it down so that she has a complete record of you. When you do, hit the Continue button.
Now Alexa will ask you for access to your contacts, and you can allow it or leave it for later by pressing the Allow or Later buttons. If you don’t give her access to your mobile contacts, Alexa won’t be able to perform actions like making calls or sending messages from your Amazon Echo.
Alexa will ask you to verify your phone number. To do so, type your phone number and press the Continue button. When you do, you will go to a screen where you will have to enter a code that will be sent to you by SMS to confirm that the number entered is yours.
Sharlene Meriel is an avid gamer with a knack for technology. He has been writing about the latest technologies for the past 5 years. His contribution in technology journalism has been noteworthy. He is also a day trader with interest in the Forex market.
