How To Set Up Alexa Home Hub

An Alexa smart speaker has the power to control your lights, plugs and other devices – and it'south so piece of cake to prepare upwards.

Showtime, you're going to need some Alexa devices, which including smart bulbs, continued plugs, followed by smart dwelling hubs, thermostats and security cameras.

Buying a connected bulb is the simplest way to get Alexa to control your home lighting, but it tin be a little impractical if you lot had scores of bulbs effectually the room.

• Best Alexa uniform smart home devices

We unremarkably suggest newbies just to cull some mood lights to start off with, and so you tin trick out the residual of your domicile lighting after.

And don't forget, lighting tin can also be controlled vis smart plugs for lamps – and you tin even make the lite switch itself connect to Alexa and leave the bulbs well alone. Read our guides for that, for more than ideas.

In this guide we look at how to connect your devices up with Alexa and how to control them.

Why connect your dwelling house with Alexa?

And so first of all, why bother to go to the effort of buying Alexa-compatible devices? Well, to put information technology succinctly, Alexa really starts to make sense in your dwelling house when controlling smart dwelling tech from an Echo device.

Alexa is extremely adept at making smart domicile tech piece of work together. It's like shooting fish in a barrel to gear up single command groups that tin command multiple lights, plugs and other devices together – which means a single command tin can ready the mood in your unabridged house, be it walking in the door, getting set up for some TV time, or just switching everything off before bed.

How to set up smart habitation devices in Alexa

The first fleck comes downwardly to following the instructions of the specific device. We'll take Philips Hue lights as an example. Earlier you lot get started you'll brand sure the Philips Bridge is installed, that your lights are plugged into fittings and they're working properly within the Hue app.

That goes for any device that'southward not Amazon-made – y'all'll need to install it properly offset within its own app and ecosystem earlier you lot go going with Alexa.

Use the Echo Zigbee smart home hub

The exception to this rule is if you're using the new 4th-gen Echo, Amazon Echo Plus or one of the newer Echo Prove models. These Alexa smart speakers double up equally smart abode hubs and accept the power to detect some smart home devices, if they use the Zigbee protocol.

While this will need a little investigation on your part, Belkin WeMo, Honeywell thermostats, Ikea Tradfli, Philips Hue and Yale locks are all Zigbee compatible.

Instead of needing to employ an Alexa skill, y'all can search and find devices when they're plugged in. You lot might not go full functionality, however. For example, you might not get all colour shades of a smart bulb.

How to add together devices to Alexa

Unless y'all're using a Zigbee-enbled Echo speaker (detailed above), you're going to need to install Alexa skills for the devices you desire to Alexa to discover. This isn't a complicated procedure, but you volition need the login info for each of the smart device ecosystems you're going to add.

That'southward considering an Alexa skill effectively links your Amazon account to that of Lifx, Philips Hue, Hive, Nest or whatever service you lot're using. The easiest way to install the Alexa skill is to go to the app, open the side bill of fare and select Skills & Games from the list, then search. The app will accept you lot through the process of adding your login details.

In one case you've set your devices up in their ain ecosystems, it's time to claw them upwardly with Alexa. You lot can practise this ii ways:

1. Just ask an Alexa-enabled speaker: "Alexa discover my devices"

2. Or, head to the Amazon Alexa app, tap Devices on the bottom right of the screen then press the + button at the top right (see above).

Alexa will scan your domicile network and also utilise the pre-installed skills to locate devices you might desire to add together.

Whatever y'all've named them in your app volition be the default name when it's sucked into the Alexa app - but those names can ever be inverse...

Rename your devices in the Alexa app

Alexa will take the proper name of a device, establish in its native app – but this tin atomic number 82 to clashes between devices, if for example, you have two different manufacturers of smart bulb, which have both defaulted to "lounge light".

The result tin be chaotic and you'll find you'll accept some Alexa housekeeping to practice.

However, y'all can name devices in the Alexa app separately, and so you'll want to become through and give them all like shooting fish in a barrel-to-remember and logical names. Also, avoid clashes in Alexa between even random types of device. Having a "lounge" Sonos speaker and "lounge lamp" tin play havoc with Alexa, so endeavour and go on things separate.

To rename, follow the steps below:

one. Open the Alexa app

2. Tap the Devices tab at the bottom

3. Choose the type of product from this screen, which makes information technology easier to discover the exact device

4. Tap on a device and select the Settings cog in the top-correct corner

5. Tap Edit Name.

Set up upward Alexa smart home groups

From within the Smart Domicile menu of the Amazon Alexa smartphone app, you can add any device into a single grouping, which can exist controlled by voice. For example, you lot may want to group all lights on your ground floor into a single "Downstairs lights" group.

That way, it'll exist much easier to integrate the devices into routines, or command multiple devices with a single vox control.

Exercise and so using these steps:

i. Open the Alexa app

two . Tap Devices

three. Press the + button in the top right

4. Tap Add Group

5. Choose Smart Home Group and requite it a proper noun that yous'll remember. This could be "main lights" or "downstairs lights" for instance

6. Tap the devices you desire from within the list, and then you're done

Import scenes from tertiary-party apps

If y'all've designed scenes inside apps such as Philips Hue, Alexa will also discover and import them. During a scan of your network, scenes will be added to the Alexa app.

You just need to have installed the relevant skills. In one case registered in the app, you tin can and then ask Alexa to control them.

What Alexa commands can I use?

And so y'all have your habitation lighting, cameras, plugs and more than prepare with Alexa, and your scenes and groups, likewise. Hither'south some ideas to become you started.

"Alexa, lights on."

"Alexa, lights off."

"Alexa, dim main lights to 50%."

"Set the lite to blue."

"Set the calorie-free to soft white."

"Brand the calorie-free warmer/cooler."

"Alexa, set up the temperature to 21."

"Alexa, it's Bedtime" [to activate a Scene].

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What happens if Alexa can't find your device?

If you've gone through all these steps and Alexa isn't seeing your device, there's some steps you can take. For brevity, here'south your essential Alexa troubleshooting checklist

• Check it'southward a Works with Alexa product
• Is it powered on and prepare to be discovered?
• Delete and reinstall the Alexa skill, and sign in
• Check your phone, Alexa and this device are all connected to the same Wi-Fi network
• Plow Alexa off, the device and bank check how to do a hardware reset
• Update your router settings

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How to delete smart home devices from Alexa and remove duplicates

If you're ill and tired of hearing Alexa say, "A few things share that proper name, which i did y'all desire?" or "Please try again using 'percentage' for effulgence or 'degrees' for temperature" after you requite a basic smart habitation phonation command, and then have a wait at our guide on deleting devices from your Alexa smart home.

More than Amazon Alexa how-tos

• How to command Sonos with Alexa
• How to play podcasts with Alexa on your Amazon Echo
• How to change the time on your Echo speaker
• What Alexa'due south dissimilar colored rings mean
• How to change Alexa's proper noun and voice
• Alexa Care Hub guide: How to set up
• How to control Amazon Burn down TV using your Repeat speaker
• How to use your Amazon Echo with Alexa every bit the perfect alert clock
• How to fix up and use Alexa Routines for a smarter home
• How to set up and utilize Alexa Drop In and Calling on your Amazon Repeat
• Alexa and Spotify guide: How to connect and utilize with your Amazon Repeat

Source: https://www.the-ambient.com/how-to/how-to-set-up-your-alexa-smart-home-415

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