Can It Be Done? How Is It Done?
To answer your question as quickly as possible, yes; I’m happy to report that you can indeed set up your Amazon Echo Dot without ever having to dip into the Alexa app — awesome!As long as you have a computer and an internet connection, you can fire up that new smart device of yours and welcome your first AI family member into your home.
However, even though it is possible to set up the Echo Dot without the Alexa app, it has to be said that the app does streamline the process, making it much easier. But hey, if you don’t want the app, you don’t want the app, and that’s totally fine.I’m going to guide you through this alternative method step by step, but before we get cracking, I’ll run through a brief Echo Dot overview for those of you that aren’t sure what they are.
If you’ve got your Echo Dot sitting in front of you, feel free to skip this section and head straight to the guide.
What is the Echo Dot?
The Echo Dot is a smart speaker device developed by Amazon. It’s a hands-free, voice-controlled device that acts as a vessel for Amazon’s infamous AI personal assistant, Alexa.The original Dot looked like a large hockey puck. It could do everything the Echo could, but arrived in a smaller package and could be connected to an external sound system.It’s capable of setting alarms, playing music, answering questions by searching the internet, keeping you updated on current events, reading audiobooks to you, and tons more. Speaking through the Echo Dot, Alexa can even crack a few jokes (don’t tell Alexa, but they’re terrible).Amazon isn’t the only company dipping its fingers into the AI pie, so to speak. Google, Apple, and Sonos have all joined the smart speaker arms race, but Amazon’s products stand out above the rest due to their user-centric ethos.The Echo and the Echo Dot are just so easy to integrate into your smart home system, and that’s partly because of the Alexa app. It acts as a one-stop hub for organizing all your smart devices. But there’ll always be some users out there who want to do things their own way, which is why I thought this would be a helpful article.
Setting Up Your Echo Dot Without the Alexa App – A Step-By-Step Guide
Right then. That’s enough chit-chat for now. You’re excited to get your Echo Dot up and running without the Alexa app, and I’m here to tell you how it’s done.Even though there are a few Amazon smart products that can be set up without the Alexa app, sometimes, the app is still necessary to access their advanced settings. Luckily for us, that’s not the case with the Echo Dot. Once you’ve completed the following steps, your Echo Dot will be fully functional and ready to mingle…with your other smart devices, that is.There’s some more good news as well, it’s actually a really easy process, but bear in mind, this guide is for the Windows 10 operating system only.
Echo Dot (4th Gen)
1. Visit alexa.amazon.com
First thing’s first. You need to open up the Alexa zone of the Amazon domain. There are no restrictions on which web browser you use, so just pick your go-to service. I’m a Google Chrome person myself.
2. Log in or Create a New Amazon Account
I’m assuming that if you’ve forked out for an Echo Dot, you already have an Amazon account, seeing as that’s mostly where people order them from. Just type in the normal details that you’d use for your Prime or standard Amazon account, and you’ll be welcomed by the portal.On the off chance that you don’t currently have an Amazon account, it’s no problem, just click the large “CREATE A NEW AMAZON ACCOUNT”, and follow the on-screen instructions. You may be asked to respond in some way to a confirmation email, but after that, you’re in!
3. Fire up Your Echo Dot
Once you’ve signed in to your Amazon account, you’re free to turn on your new Echo Dot. After a few moments, the Dot will respond with an orange ring of light.The orange ring signals that it has been registered by your computer as a device.
4. Navigate to “Settings”
There will be a side menu on the Amazon account page. Select “Settings.
5. Select “Set up a New Device”
This should be the very first option at the top of the page under the heading “Devices”.
6. Select Your Device
A list of Amazon smart devices will appear. Find the one labeled Echo Dot, and click it.
7. Sign Again (Again)
I’m not sure why Amazon makes you sign in again at this point. Perhaps it’s just an extra security measure. Perhaps it’s so you can make sure you’re signed in to the correct one. Whatever the reason, click “Continue” in the “Please Sign in Again” dialogue box, then, once more with feeling, sign in.
8. Connect Your Echo Dot to Your Wi-Fi
A prompt will appear telling you that you need to get your Echo Dot hooked up to your Wi-Fi so you can use it.To do so, turn away from the screen for a moment and eye up that beautiful Echo Dot of yours. Do you see the button with the small dot on it? That’s the action button. You need to hold it down for 6 seconds. A spinning orange light will appear, signaling that the Dot is in Setup Mode. A voice will also sound, telling you to follow the instructions in the Alexa app to complete the process, but seeing as this is a guide on how to set up a smart device without the app, we’re going to go ahead and ignore that.Return to your computer screen. It should be a setup page. Click “Continue”. You’ll then be directed to an instructional page asking you to connect your computer to your Echo Dot.You can do this by clicking on your Wi-Fi devices menu. Your Echo Dot will be listed. Click on it, then press “Connect”.You’ll then hear another voice once again telling you to refer to the Alexa app, so we’re politely going to tell our Echo Dot to ignore it and that it doesn’t know what it’s talking about.
9. Continue with Setup on Computer
You’ll notice a “Continue Setup” screen on your computer. Click “Continue”. You’ll then be guided to a Wi-Fi selection screen. Find your Wi-Fi signal from the list, click on it, and voilà!Wait to hear Alexa chime in saying, “This device is ready”, and that should be the job done.
Success!
Well done, everybody. We did it! You just successfully completed the Echo Dot setup without using the Alexa app once.I hope the process went smoothly for you. You might want to challenge your Echo Dot with some easy questions, such as asking it the time, just to make sure it’s working as it should be.
If it responds promptly with the correct information and that signature spinning blue light, it means everything worked out peachy keen — hurray!