Connect and control Amazon Echo Plus with Zigbee
If you want to connect the Amazon Echo Plus directly to smart sockets or lamps, you can do it with Zigbee. This practical tip shows you exactly what Zigbee is and how to establish the connection.
Connect Amazon Echo Plus to Zigbee: which devices are compatible?
- Zigbee is a protocol for data exchange between smart home devices. In contrast to the Amazon Echo and Echo Dot, the Echo Plus is equipped with Zigbee.
- This allows the Echo Plus to communicate directly with some smart lamps and sockets and other devices that also use Zigbee. Without a Zigbee, a so-called bridge or base station must always mediate between the lamp and the echo.
- Compatible Zigbee devices include Philips Hue lamps and Osram sockets. Here you will find a list from Amazon.
- If the connection is established directly via Zigbee and not via the bridge or base station, often only the basic functions are available. The bridge is usually required for complex tasks and update functions. However, this should change in the future.
- If you have the right bridge, it is currently advisable to run the connection between Amazon Echo Plus and the smart device via the bridge and not via Zigbee. To do this, you must first connect the smart device to the bridge and then connect the bridge to the Echo using a skill. Here you will find a sample setup for the Philips Hue lamps.
- If the basic functions are enough for you, you can choose the quick setup via Zigbee. You can find the instructions in the next paragraph.
Instructions: Connect and control Zigbee devices with the Amazon Echo Plus
- First connect the smart devices, such as a socket or lamp, to the power.
- Open the Alexa app on your smartphone and select the "Smart Home" category from the menu.
- The "Add device" is now used to search for the smart device. If that doesn't work, bring the Echo Plus as close as possible to the device.
- Once you have selected the device in the app, you can add and set it up. The most important thing is a suitable name.
- You can now control the device with a voice command. Every voice command begins with "Alexa".
- Possible voice commands would be "Alexa, switch on the light in the living room" or "Alexa, switch off the socket".
In the next practical tip, we will show you how buggy Alexa really is.