With the holidays in full swing, many people around the world will be gifted an Amazon Alexa speaker for the first time. Amazon's lineup of Alexa-enabled smart speakers has become wildly popular for their combination of affordability and features. While the initial setup is a multi-step process, it's really quite simple to get an Alexa speaker up and running.
Amazon's first Echo speakers were released in 2014, introducing the world to the Alexa voice assistant and its many capabilities. In the more-than half-decade since then, millions of users have utilized different editions of Alexa speakers to play music and podcasts, set timers and reminders, control the other devices in their smart home and so much more. Amazon has continued to foster this popularity with different sizes, prices, and variations of the popular smart speaker, ranging from a wall plug-in Alexa speaker to the classic Amazon Echo Dot.
Regardless of what Alexa speaker someone receives over the holidays, the setup process is fairly streamlined. Users will first need to plug their Alexa speaker into a power socket, then download and open the Amazon Alexa app. Under the 'More' tab, users will be able to select the option for 'Add Device.' They'll then be able select the Amazon Echo option, which is followed by a prompt to choose which Alexa speaker they are setting up. From there, it's just a matter of following the on-screen instructions to complete the setup.
For many users, the initial setup process may be as far as they need to go in order to enjoy the benefits of their new Alexa speaker. The speakers are outfitted with Wi-Fi capability and users can simply ask Alexa to do things like play music or look up the weather. There are certain Echo products, however, that don't have powerful enough built-in speakers to provide adequate sound for music listening. In those cases, being able to pair an Alexa device with a separate Bluetooth speaker or soundbar would definitely come in handy.
To accomplish that, users need to first put their Bluetooth device in pairing mode. Just like before, they'll need to open the Alexa app, then toggle over to their 'Devices' tab. Selecting the 'Echo & Alexa' option will pull up the device they want to pair. After that, they'll be able to choose the 'Bluetooth Devices' option, then 'Pair A New Device.' Once the pairing process is complete, users will be able to speak commands to their Alexa speaker and hear the response through the connected Bluetooth device.
The added perk here is that after pairing to a Bluetooth device for the first time, users will just need to tell the Alexa Speaker to 'Pair Bluetooth' the next time they want to connect. With this Bluetooth functionality, Amazon provided users with a great way to turn older speakers and soundbars without Wi-Fi into a capable smart setup that combines the intelligence of Alexa and the sound quality of more capable products. In other words, it's the best of both worlds.
Source: Amazon
