Getting your Amazon Alexa speaker set up and ready to go is pretty hassle free. Just follow these steps to getting Alexa set-up.
1. Download the Alexa app on your smartphone or tablet. It's available via iOS/Android and of course there's a Fire OS version if you own one of Amazon's own devices. You'll need to log in with your Amazon ID (we're assuming you have one, or you'll need to create one), and this will now be your account for Alexa. Naturally, if you have an Amazon account with Prime, make sure you use that for the set-up.
2. In the app go to menu > Settings > Set up new device. When that's done, choose the type of Amazon Echo you're going to be adding.
3. Now just plug in your Alexa device and sit back and wait. It will go through its cycle, displaying a spinning blue light before changing back to orange. This means it's in pairing mode, so in the Alexa app feed it your Wi-Fi settings. You can opt for these to be stored and used by future speakers at set up.
4. If you need to put your speaker back into pairing mode then just press the button on the top.
5. You're now good to go – just say "Alexa" and look below for some cool things to ask.
There are so many Alexa commands for so many types of people, it would take an entire feature to list the best – and luckily, we’ve done just that in our essential guide. But if you’ve just fired up your Amazon Echo for the first time, don’t be dumbstruck.
"Alexa, play [artist] name."
"Alexa, set timer for [xx] minutes."
"Alexa, what's the weather today?"
“Alexa, set alarm for 7.30am” and then “Alexa, snooze!”
"Alexa, play [radio station]."
“Alexa, volume 4” (choose number between 1-10)
"Alexa, what will the weather be like tomorrow?"
"Alexa, what's in the news?"
While these are some simple ideas to get started, check out our full guide to how to Setup Echo and Echo dot setup to become a power user.