Doubling up on Alexa: How to use multiple Amazon Echo devices together

(Pocket-lint) - The Amazon Echo got disconnected to a flying start, establishing itself arsenic 1 of the hottest astute location devices, assisted by the smaller Echo Dot, a susceptible sidekick that brings its connected skills successful a smaller package. Amazon hasn't slowed, expanding its scope of speakers - arsenic good arsenic the functions they offer.

We're diving into what it's similar surviving with Alexa connected galore devices, with aggregate Echo oregon aggregate Dots dispersed astir your location and whether there's immoderate large benefit, particularly with Black Friday deals offering tempting prices connected each Amazon's devices.

Setting up aggregate Amazon Echo devices

Adding a caller Echo oregon Dot to your location is straightforward, pursuing the aforesaid steps arsenic erstwhile you setup your archetypal device. Open the Alexa app, pat the devices icon successful the bottommost barroom and past deed the "+" icon successful the apical close corner. Then travel the process arsenic you did before. (You tin execute the aforesaid effect with your Alexa relationship connected a desktop PC if you prefer, nether the settings section.)

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It's truly arsenic elemental arsenic that. As it links to an existing account, it adopts the skills of the existing device(s), truthful there's nary request to acceptable up each the idiosyncratic elements again.

The adjacent determination is wherever to spot your caller Echo. Amazon built the Echo to beryllium astute capable to respond to your commands crossed the room. The devices marque usage of "Echo Spatial Perception" which means the Echo that is closest to you should beryllium the 1 that responds. That's existent whether you're utilizing the archetypal Echo oregon 1 of the caller procreation of devices.

In the aboriginal days, you could confuse the strategy wherever much than 1 instrumentality tries to respond, but arsenic the strategy has matured, that nary longer seems to beryllium a problem.

Setup is easy, truthful what tin and can't you bash with aggregate Amazon Echos?

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Multiple Echo functions and features

In reality, determination isn't that overmuch that changes by having much Echo devices - extracurricular of stereo pairing and Alexa Home Theater/Cinema, which we'll speech astir below. The halfway functionality of Alexa and the Echo (whether that's the Dot oregon not) doesn't truly alteration erstwhile it's doubled up, with minimal syncing betwixt the two.

There are a fewer areas wherever each the Echos volition sing successful harmony, but for the astir part, each works arsenic an individual. 

Music successful aggregate locations: Multi-room groups

Amazon lets you to make a multi-room setup wrong the Alexa app that volition let you to play euphony crossed aggregate Echo devices successful your home. It's the simplest mode to usage aggregate Echo devices.

We've covered how to acceptable up this multi-room euphony enactment before, but what this means is you tin easy get tunes thumping passim your house, without having to put successful a strategy like Sonos.

You tin play euphony from Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Amazon Music oregon TuneIn vigor connected aggregate Echos, truthful you tin precise easy person synchronised audio successful a fig of locations. 

Unfortunately, you cannot usage an Echo Dot to link to different Bluetooth talker portion portion of a multi-room group. If you had an Echo Dot successful the surviving country that connected to an amplifier with Bluetooth, for example, you couldn't support that transportation portion besides playing connected the larger Amazon Echo successful the room oregon bedroom. 

Multi-room grouping besides doesn't enactment with third-party speakers utilizing Alexa (like Sonos One), it lone applies to Amazon's ain speakers. While there's a scope of speakers successful that group, it doesn't springiness you the flexibility that Apple AirPlay 2 does erstwhile it comes to grouping.

You tin play euphony from antithetic sources connected antithetic Echos whenever you like. For example, you tin play TuneIn Radio successful the chamber and Spotify successful the kitchen. Which is simply a useful mode to support the household happy.

• How to acceptable up and play euphony connected aggregate Amazon Echo devices

But you tin besides inquire immoderate of your Echos to play immoderate euphony connected different Echos you have. For example, you tin inquire your Echo Show successful the room to play Spotify euphony connected your Echo Plus - and this is simply a large mode to power euphony astir your home.

Stereo pairing

Stereo pairing is simply a diagnostic that arrived successful 2018 with the Echo Plus second-gen and the Echo Dot third-gen, and works connected much caller Echo devices. Pairing is simple: conscionable similar creating a multi-room group, there's the enactment to make a stereo pair.

The caveat present is that you'll person to person the aforesaid benignant of speaker: truthful 2 Echo, 2 Echo Plus, 2 Echo Dot oregon 2 Echo Studio. With the accomplishment of the Echo third-gen the rules changed slightly, due to the fact that the third-gen Echo volition stereo brace with the Echo Plus second-gen, but that's the lone exception. The 2020 Echo (the sphere) volition lone stereo brace with the aforesaid model. 

You tin find afloat details connected what tin beryllium stereo paired with what close here.

Once paired, however, you person overmuch amended euphony strategy - and with the enactment to include the Echo Sub successful the mixture, a 2.1 strategy is imaginable - and it sounds truly good. Adding the Sub is via the aforesaid process arsenic above.

Alexa Home Theater/Cinema

This volition let you to make a dependable strategy that volition enactment with your Fire TV. Again, you'll person to person the close speakers arsenic good arsenic a compatible Fire TV Stick oregon Fire TV Cube, past you tin make a location amusement setup for your TV.

We've elaborate however this works and what devices are compatible here. 

This is simply a large mode to usage your Echo devices to boost the dependable of your TV, but it lone works with audio coming from your Fire TV instrumentality - it won't use to contented from different sources (a tuner oregon cablegram container for example), truthful this setup mightiness lone enactment if you're a dense streamer.

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Playing euphony from aggregate accounts

This is 1 country wherever the Echo isn't truthful good. Because each the devices are signed into the aforesaid Amazon account, they each effort to play euphony from the aforesaid account, arsenic it thinks everyone is the aforesaid user. That means you can't play antithetic euphony connected devices from the aforesaid source. For example, if Spotify is playing successful the kitchen, if idiosyncratic asks to play Spotify successful the bedroom, it volition power from 1 determination to the other.

However, immoderate household accounts enactment aggregate streams - some Apple Music and Amazon Music bash - which means signing up for a household relationship with those services volition fto you watercourse antithetic euphony connected your Echo devices astir the house. There's the added vantage that if each the household members privation euphony connected their phones retired of the location past they get that too. 

If you don't person a household account, your Echo volition astir apt power the watercourse from 1 instrumentality to another, truthful it's lone playing done one.

Bluetooth connections are separate

Bluetooth connections are treated separately and not communal betwixt your Echo devices, which makes consciousness arsenic you mightiness not privation the devices interfering with each different oregon connecting to a Bluetooth talker successful a antithetic room.

We've recovered Bluetooth connectivity connected the Echo Dot to beryllium seamless and erstwhile it's initially acceptable up it is casual to archer Alexa to "connect to my speaker" to re-establish the transportation - though arsenic we said, it doesn't enactment multi-room successful that guise.

Synced calendars, buying lists and to-do lists

Some things are synced to your Alexa relationship and those are truthful accessible connected the assorted Echo devices you mightiness person scattered astir the house. Add thing to your to-do database oregon buying database and it's instantly disposable elsewhere too.

The buying database is useful due to the fact that it's stored wrong the app, truthful you tin verbally adhd things to your database done immoderate Echo instrumentality to cheque connected your telephone erstwhile you're adjacent retired shopping.

Of course, things similar synced calendars oregon accusation from Skills you person setup are disposable connected each your Echo devices.

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Setting timers and alarms

The Echo is large for mounting timers and alarms, whether that's for waking you up successful the greeting oregon arsenic a reminder for erstwhile nutrient volition beryllium finished cooking oregon the washing instrumentality needs emptying.

Timers and alarms should lone dependable connected the instrumentality they are acceptable on. However, Alexa knows what timers you person set, truthful you tin inquire however agelong is near and you'll get a tally down of each the timers you person acceptable connected immoderate of your Echo devices. 

You tin besides cancel a timer from immoderate different instrumentality - truthful if you perceive the timer sounding and you're successful a antithetic room, you tin conscionable inquire the section Echo to cancel the timer.

Household Profiles and aggregate accounts

Within the Alexa app, you tin adhd different Amazon idiosyncratic to your Household Profile. This is beneficial successful respective ways, archetypal and foremost successful that it gives that idiosyncratic entree to their ain contented (music, audio books and Google Calendar).

It's besides worthy doing if you person an Amazon Prime relationship but the different idiosyncratic doesn't, arsenic adding them to the Household Profile allows them to instrumentality advantages of Prime benefits too. You tin find retired more astir the benefits here and manage yours here.

You tin besides usage this to take who sets up the Echo devices and which relationship they are assigned to. You request to get the different radical successful the location to download the Alexa app and motion the presumption of agreement, past erstwhile accounts are connected you tin archer Alexa to power betwixt the profiles which is useful for managing content, placing orders and more.

What you tin bash with a profile, however, is guarantee that an Echo Show connected 1 broadside of the furniture is customised to the idiosyncratic who sleeps closest to it, for example, showing their calendar details.

Individual profiles are becoming much important and you tin present bid Alexa to recognise idiosyncratic voices - called Alexa Voice Profiles - truthful you Alexa knows who is asking and tin amusement details applicable to that user. With the motorboat of the Echo Show 15, this volition grow to Visual ID too, truthful that the idiosyncratic tin beryllium recognised by the camera, and ocular contented changed to suit them.

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Using aggregate Echo devices arsenic intercoms

Having aggregate Amazon Echo devices successful your location besides gives you the quality to usage them arsenic intercoms astir the house. If you spell into settings successful the browser oregon Alexa App, you tin sanction your devices according to the country they're successful to marque it elemental to telephone that room.

You tin accidental "Alexa, telephone my Echo Show" connected different Echo elsewhere successful the location and it volition telephone the Echo Show truthful you tin talk to whomever is successful that room.

You tin besides bash this from your telephone by opening the app and clicking the "drop in" fastener past selecting the applicable Echo you privation to speech to. This past fundamentally calls that instrumentality from your phone.

You tin already spot the possibilities with this strategy - whether it's buzzing the room to inquire if meal is acceptable oregon calling up to your children without having to outcry up the stairs. It works truly good excessively - conscionable marque definite you sanction the devices logically.

It's worthy noting that you tin besides spot calls to Echo owners successful your interaction database utilizing your Echo device. This volition let you to spot calls for escaped to radical successful different households, which is useful too. 

• Amazon Alexa calling and messaging: What is it, however does it work, and wherever tin you usage it?

There's besides a broadcast function: accidental "Alexa announce" oregon "Alexa broadcast" and you tin nonstop a connection crossed the full web successful your house. It's perfect for getting radical to the array for dinner, with Alexa recognising definite messages and adding other sounds.

Distinguishing betwixt users

Alexa has a quality to recognise antithetic dependable profiles, truthful it knows who it is talking to. This tin marque the results much precise, tailoring the responses to the idiosyncratic talking to it. As of September 2020, you've been capable to setup dependable profiles for some adults and children, meaning that Alexa volition cognize who is asking and tin supply a amended response.

Here's a afloat usher to mounting up dependable profiles connected Alexa.

If you person a fmaily relationship connected Amazon Music, utilizing dependable profiles tin mean it volition play you your preferences alternatively than idiosyncratic else's, oregon you tin bounds buying to lone peculiar voices, for example.

Are aggregate Echos worthy it? 

The vantage of having entree to Alexa's features doesn't hinge connected gathering immoderate benignant of ace Echo web successful your house. Being capable to usage the Echo's astute dependable controls crossed your location is the existent advantage: you tin power your lights oregon heating via dependable from upstairs oregon downstairs. If you person a loft room, the Dot oregon Flex volition bring dependable power that's extracurricular the scope of your Echo downstairs and truthful on.

With multi-room audio support, there's surely thing to beryllium said for owning aggregate Amazon Echo devices successful adjacent proximity.

With the Dot being truthful affordable, if you're a instrumentality of the Echo past it's surely worthy the expansion, adjacent if that's conscionable to springiness you dependable power implicit your astute lights oregon heating from much rooms successful the house.

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Writing by Adrian Willings. Editing by Chris Hall. Originally published connected 8 December 2016.