RNIB Echo Dot Smart Technology User Guide

RNIB Echo Dot Smart Technology

A Technology for Life guide

This guide explains how you can set up and get the most out of your smart speaker with Alexa: Echo Dot, Echo and Echo Show. The Echo Dot and the Echo are set up in the same way and do the same things, but the Echo Show has a different set up and some extra functions. Accordingly, you will find the Echo Dot and the Echo instructions at the start of this document and additional details on the set up of the Echo Show at the end.

Setting up Echo Dot (4th Gen) and Echo (4th Gen)

Plug in your Amazon Echo device

• Choose a suitable location for your Echo device. It must always be plugged in and connected to the internet. You should be careful to position your device somewhere where you can hear it, and it can hear you speak.
• Plug in your Echo device using the supplied power adaptor. There are two ports on the back of the device – the pin will only fit into the port on the right-hand side. Gently push the pin into place.
• The Echo’s light ring will spin blue around the base of the device, and then turn orange for setup mode.
• Don’t worry if you can’t see the coloured ring.
• A sound will indicate that the device is in  setup mode.
• Note: Screen reader users should wait to plug in their device until they have completed Point 4 in this guide.

Orientation: Hold the Amazon Echo in your hand. The power cable should extend out the back of the device, away from you. There are four buttons on the top of the device.

1. Action is at 12 o’clock
2. Volume Up is at 3 o’clock
3. Microphone Mute is at 6 o’clock
4. Volume Down is at 9 o’clock

Download the Amazon Alexa app to your smartphone or tablet
Go to your app store on your smartphone or tablet and search for the Amazon Alexa app. The app is free on iOS, Android and comes pre-installed on Amazon’s Fire Tablets. Newer Fire tablets should have the Alexa app installed already.

Log in to your Amazon account
You need an Amazon account to use the Amazon Alexa app. If you already have an Amazon account set up (on a computer or on your phone) just log in using your existing email address and password for Amazon.

• If you don’t have an Amazon account already, click “New to Amazon? Create an Account”.
• This link takes you to the “Create an Amazon Account” screen, with fields for entering your name, email address, and password (which you must retype to confirm).
• If you find entering information on a smartphone tricky, you can set up the Amazon account on a PC or Mac and then log in to the app on the phone.
• Enter payment information for your new Amazon account or click “Cancel” to bypass this stage. Card details are required to download paid-for apps and skills, or to purchase goods using Alexa, but they can be added at a later date.

Add your Amazon Echo

• Open the Alexa app you downloaded earlier on your phone or tablet, then tap the “More” icon in the bottom right.
• Tap the first option, “Add a device” to start the connection process. Once you have done this your Echo device will connect to your wi-fi automatically and you should not need to do it again.
• You are asked, “What type of device are you setting up?” Here you can add any number of smart home devices to your account, from smart lights to home heating controls. Tap “Amazon Echo”. Select your Echo device from the selection in the list and tap to select it.
• Note: Screen Reader users should now plug in their device. The light ring will spin blue around the top of the device, and then turn orange for setup mode.

Enter setup mode

• The next screen on the Alexa app asks you, “Is your Echo plugged in and displaying an orange light?” Note: If the light ring is not orange, press and hold the Action button for five seconds.
• Tap “Yes”.
• Alexa will speak to tell you the device is “Now in setup mode”.

Connecting to wi-fi

• Select “Connect to Wi-Fi” from the next page to continue the setup process and get connected.
• You’ll be directed to close the Alexa app and open your phone’s Wi-Fi settings.
• Turn on wi-fi (if it’s not on already), then select the Amazon Echo device from the list of access points – the Echo’s name should start with the word “Amazon”. Tap “Connect”.
• Once connected, go back into the Alexa app. It should now say it is connected to the Echo. Tap “Continue”.
• Back in the Alexa app, you’ll see a list of available wi-fi networks. Select your home wi-fi. Enter the wi-fi password when asked.
• Note: Your password is most likely printed on a sticker on your router. It is useful to keep a note on your phone password keeper so that you can easily copy and paste the wi-fi details when required.
• Tap “Connect” in the app once the password is typed in.
• It might take a few moments for the device to connect, but once it has done so, you should be taken back to the settings menu, with your Amazon Echo now listed as being online. On the device itself, the light ring should turn off and Alexa will say:
• “Your Echo is ready”.
• Note: If you’re having problems connecting to wi-fi, try performing a factory reset. While the device is switched on, press and hold the Microphone Mute and Volume Down buttons simultaneously for 20 seconds to do this.

Getting started with Alexa

• Your Echo device is now fully set up, connected to your wi-fi, and ready to start providing assistance and entertainment on just using your voice.
  If you want a test to make sure that it’s working, you can try out a few simple commands. Your device responds to the wake word, which by default is Alexa but can be changed to Amazon, Echo or
• Computer. Try saying “Alexa”, followed by “hello”. If everything’s working as expected then your Amazon Echo should say “hello” back.
• Here are some useful things to try with your Amazon Echo.

Radio and music

• Your Echo device will play many radio stations without having to be tuned in or set up. Simply say, “Alexa play [name the station]” and if it is a compatible radio station it will start to play. Lots of the big commercial stations as well as many small local ones are set up. Your favourite FM or digital radio station should be there.
• One of the Amazon Echo’s most popular benefits is playing music. By default, Alexa will play from Amazon Music (Free Tier).
• Amazon Music is available free, but has a limited music library. To find an artist simply say, “Alexa play music by Elvis,” or for a specific track say, “Alexa, play Jailhouse Rock by Elvis.”
• For a wider selection of music, you can link your device to a paid for service like Amazon Music Unlimited or Spotify.

Alarms, timers and lists

• You can use your device to set alarms and timers by saying, “Alexa, set an alarm for [time]”, “Set an alarm for [time] every [day of the week]” or “Set a five-minute timer.”
• You can set up reminders. Say, “Alexa, set a reminder”. Alexa will ask what you want reminded of (e.g. going to the hairdresser), and when you want notified (e.g. 10.30am tomorrow).
• You can create and update lists by saying, “Alexa, create a list.” Give your list a name, then add things to it by saying, for example, “Alexa, add dog food to my shopping list.”

News
You can simply say, “Alexa, what’s today’s news?” or you can set your device up to give you news from specific sources by creating Flash Briefings. To set up a Flash Briefing:

1. Open the Alexa app on your smartphone
2. Tap the “More” icon in the bottom right corner
3. Tap “Settings”
4. Scroll down to tap “Flash Briefing”
5.  Tap+ to “Add Content”
6.  Search for a Flash Briefing by tapping the magnifying glass in the upper right corner
7. Tap “Enable To Use”.

You can add as many different Flash Briefings as you like. Open them by saying, “Alexa, play my Flash Briefing from [name of news service, e.g. BBC].”

Weather
Simply say, “Alexa, what’s the weather like today?” to hear the weather in your location. You can also ask to hear what the weather is like in other places, or ask if it will rain or if the sun will shine.

Recipes and conversion

Your Echo device can be very helpful in the kitchen. As well as setting timers and alarms, Alexa can provide recipes, step by step cooking instructions and weights and measurement conversion. You can look at what ingredients you have in your fridge and just say, “Alexa, give me a recipe for chicken and baked beans” and the device will give you three options and ask you to choose or hear more. You can say “Alexa, what should I have for lunch?” or, “Alexa, give me a recipe for chilli con carne.” You can then have the cooking instructions read aloud to you or sent to your phone to read later. Alexa can also convert measurements from a recipe if you aren’t sure. Just ask, “Alexa, how many tablespoons are in a half cup?” or more complex conversion questions, like “Alexa, how much does one cup of flour weigh?” or, “What is 120 grams in ounces?”. Alexa can also tell you nutrition facts and cooking times.

Communications
You can make free calls to people you know who also have an Amazon Echo device. Calls are made using your internet connection. You don’t have to add contacts manually.
To set up communications using the Amazon Echo:

1. Open the Alexa app on your smartphone or tablet
2. Tap “Communicate” (the second icon along the bottom)
3. Verify your mobile phone information
4. Grant permissions for calling and messaging.

Optional: Import your mobile phone’s contact list when prompted.

• You should now be able to ask Alexa to make calls or send messages through your Echo. Just say, “Alexa, call [Name]”. The recipient’s Echo will tell them who is calling and they can choose to accept or reject the call by saying “Answer” or “Ignore”.
• Remember, your Amazon Echo is a hands-free device with a speaker and microphones. This means anyone nearby will be able to hear your conversation.

Bluetooth

• All Echo devices have built-in Bluetooth. This makes it a Bluetooth speaker, so you can play music or any other audio from your phone. You can also use the Bluetooth connection to pair a Bluetooth speaker or Bluetooth headphones with your Echo.
• The easiest way to pair a phone with your Echo is to say, “Alexa, pair”. The device will then look for Bluetooth devices that are discoverable. So make sure Bluetooth is turned on in your phone’s settings and that it is also set to be discoverable by other devices.
• Alternatively, go to your phone’s Bluetooth settings and look through the list of available devices for your Echo (after saying, “Alexa, pair”). When the Echo shows up in the list of discovered devices, tap it and then tap “Pair” when prompted.
• You should hear a chime and then Alexa will say, “Now connected to [your device name]”.
• To stop streaming over Bluetooth say, “Alexa, disconnect Bluetooth.” Or just turn off Bluetooth on your device.

Smart Home

• The Amazon Echo is compatible with a range of smart home devices including smart lights, locks, speakers, TVs, and more. When you set these up you can control them all using Alexa.
• These devices are purchased separately and are add­ons that can increase the number of things you do with your device and even make your home safer and more comfortable.
• Smart lights are amongst the best value smart home devices. Smart lights are special bulbs that you connect to your Echo device and once they are set up you can simply say, “Alexa, turn on the [name of the smart light],” and it will come on or go off. You can use the Alexa app to switch your lights on when you are away from home and even set up special routines that will switch your smart lights on and off at certain times.

Smart home devices include heating controls, televisions, home security systems, sound systems and door locks. Many are easy to set up, but some can be more complicated, so knowing which are right for you can be tricky. Before spending a lot of money:

• Make sure the device is compatible with Alexa
• Make sure the design is right for your household (not too big, fits your light socket, works with your heating system)
• Check some reviews online to see how other people rate the product
• Check it is well made and good quality -sometimes the cheapest devices available online may not be the best for your needs. Make sure whatever you buy meets relevant UK Safety standards.

You can always call the RNIB Helpline on 0303123 9999 and ask to speak to one of our technology experts for advice about choosing a smart home device and get help setting it up.

Change the wake word

By default, your Amazon Echo device is set to activate when it hears the word “Alexa”, but you might want to change this if one of your family members is called Alexa, or similar, and you don’t want your smart speaker to activate whenever you’re talking to them.

1. Go to the Alexa app
2. Tap the “More” icon in the bottom right
3. Go to “Settings”
4. Tap “Device Settings” and select your Echo device
5. Scroll down to where it says, “Wake Word”
6. Tap this to get four options: “Alexa” (the default), “Amazon”, “Echo” and “Computer”.

Whatever you select now is the word you use when you speak to the device.

Change the device sounds
You can ask Alexa to make a sound before and after the wake word, so you always know that Alexa has heard you speak.

1. Go to the Alexa app
2. Tap the “More” icon in the bottom right
3. Go to “Settings”
4.  Tap “Device Settings” and select your Amazon Echo device
5. Scroll down to where it says “Sounds”
6. Scroll to “Request Sounds” and tap “Start of Request” and “End of Request”
7. Here you can also change the default volume and the alarm sounds.

Sight loss advice
RN I B and Amazon have worked closely together to make information and advice about living with sight loss accessible using your Echo device.
You can now instantly hear RNIB-verified information using voice commands such as, “Alexa, what assistive technology do blind people use?”,

“Alexa, how do I register as sight impaired or severely sight impaired?” or “Alexa, what should I do if I think I’m losing my sight?”

Alexa Skills
Alexa skills are how you enable your device to help you perform more voice-activated actions. Skills add new functions to your experience with Alexa. They are available in a variety of categories, such as:

• Education & Reference
• Games & Trivia
• Health & Fitness
• Kids
• Productivity
• Shopping
• Smart Home
• Sports

You can discover skills by voice or in the Alexa app. By voice, try saying, “Alexa, discover skills.” The device will then list the three most popular skills, tell you a little about them and ask you if you want to enable them. You can say Yes or No or ask to hear more.

In the app, tap the “More” icon in the bottom right. Select “Skills and Games”. “Discover” lists popular skills. “Categories” breaks skills down by use or subject area. You can select the magnifying glass icon to search for a skill. If you know the name of the skill just type it here, or if you want to view options, scroll through the results. When you select a skill, more information will appear. Tap “Enable” to install the selected skill, then simply ask Alexa to open the skill when you want to use it.

Echo Show 

There are three different sizes of Echo Show devices available with varying screens, speakers and cameras.

Features

• Echo Show 5 {2nd Cien)
• Screen: 5.5″ with 960 x 480 resolution
• Speakers: 1 x 1.7″
• Camera: Two Megapixel
• Echo Show 8 {2nd Cien)
• Screen: 8.0″ with 1280 x 800 resolution Speakers: 2 x 2.0″
• Camera: 13 Megapixel
• Echo Show 10 {3rd Cien)
• Screen: 10.1″ with 1280 x 800 resolution
• Speakers: 2 x 2.2″
• Camera: 13 Megapixel

How to set up an Echo Show 

• Orientation: On the top of the Echo Show from left to right are:
• Microphone/Camera button: Tap this to turn off the microphone and camera (privacy mode). A long press of this button brings up a “Power Off” option.
• Volume down and volume up.
• A sliding camera cover: The camera cover enables you to cover the camera if you do not want the camera on.
• Between the three buttons are small holes.
• These are the microphones.

At the bottom, on the protruding back, are:

• Power socket
• Micro USB socket

Set up 

1. Plug your Echo Show into the mains and wait until you hear a musical tone.
2. Turn on VoiceView by pressing and holding the Mic/Camera button.
3. When you hear an alert, place two fingers slightly apart on the screen for five seconds. You will hear VoiceView is turned on.
   Note: Don’t worry – when you press the Mic/ Camera button a “Power Off” message is displayed. When VoiceView is enabled this disappears
4. The VoiceView tutorial will start. You can do it now or later by listening to the instructions.
5. Now select a language.
6. Select your wi-fi from a list and then add your wi-fi password.
7. Select “Done” and then “Connect” to connect to your wi-fi network.
8. Next you need to sign in to your Amazon account (see Point 3 on page 5 above).
9. The device will then register itself and a welcome screen with your name will appear.
10.  Tap “Continue” and select your time zone.
11. Confirm your address for any orders you make on the device. You can skip this for now if you prefer, and return to it later.
12. Select which room the device is in, or skip for now. You can choose a room to distinguish between similar devices in your house.
13.  Now name the device or keep the default name and tap “Continue”.
14.  Choose a wallpaper from a selection of image categories.
15. The device will update itself and a welcome screen will appear. There may then be a brief introductory video to play.

Your Echo Show will speak the time so you know that it is now set up and ready to use.

Settings

1. Either say, “Alexa, Open Settings,” or drag down with three fingers from top of screen if using VoiceView.
2. The menu items from left to right are “Home”, “Display brightness”, “Do not disturb” and “Settings”.
3. Home: Returns you to the home screen
4. Display brightness: An adjustable slider with dimmest on the left and brightest on the right. With VoiceView on, swipe up or down to adjust.
5. Do not disturb: Blocks notifications, except timers and alarms, and can be scheduled for particular times e.g. overnight.
6. Settings: In “Settings” you can customise many features of your Echo Show and add helpful functions.

Accessibility features
Go to “Settings” and tap “Accessibility”.

Voice View

1. VoiceView describes what you touch and interact with on the screen (for example, an item in a list).
2. In “Accessibility”, tap “VoiceView Screen Reader”.
3. Or say: “Alexa, turn [on/off] VoiceView.”

In the VoiceView settings you can adjust the reading speed and volume and the feedback tone volume.

The main gestures to navigate an Echo Show using VoiceView are: 

• Flick right to move to next item
• Flick left to move to previous item
• Double tap to activate an item
• Use three fingers to scroll a list

To learn more about using gestures, select VoiceView Tutorial.

More vision settings

• Screen Magnifier: Allows you to use gestures to magnify the screen
• Colour Inversion: Inverts colour values on all screens. For example, white text on a black screen becomes black text on a white screen.
• Colour Correction: Modifies the screen colours to assist with the following types of colour blindness:
  • Deuteranomaly (red-green)
  • Protanomaly (red-green)
  • Tritanomaly (blue-yellow)

Getting started with the Echo Show
The Echo Show has Alexa built in and you can use all the features that are listed on pages 7-14. Here are some other useful ways to use your Echo Show:

Bluetooth
You can use Bluetooth to connect, or pair, another device to your Echo Show. By pairing a speaker or a set of headphones, you can listen to audio from the Echo Show device where you are, or if you pair your phone to the Echo Show, you can play any audio that is on your phone through the Show speaker. Any music or audiobook you play on your phone can then be played through the Echo Show speakers.

To pair a phone:

1. Go to “Settings” on both the phone and the Echo Show.
2. Go to “Bluetooth”.
   Note: On the phone make sure Bluetooth is switched on.
3. You should see the name of your phone appear on the Echo Show screen.
4. Double tap on it.
5. A message will appear on your phone asking you to confirm that you want to pair.
6. Double tap to confirm and the two devices should connect.

Now when you play audio on your phone the sound will come through your Echo Show. To disconnect your phone, just say, “Alexa, disconnect from my phone.” Next time you want to connect your phone, just ask Alexa to connect.

Display contacts
See Communications on page 9 for information about how to give your Echo Show access to your phone contacts. Once you have done this, recent contacts are displayed in a list on your Echo Show screen. There’s a link at the bottom that you can tap to call that person.

Display lyrics
When playing a song via a compatible music service there is a “Lyrics” link. When activated, your Echo Show now displays the words of the song against a picture background.

Note: You can’t get VoiceView to read the lyrics if you wanted to find out what a particular word is, for example.
Make video calls and call other Echo devices You can use Skype to video call someone over the internet using your Echo Show and you can video call someone who also has an Echo Show of their own or through the Alexa app on their smartphone or tablet. Make a video Skype call by saying, “Alexa, Skype [name].”

Show and connect to video doorbell output
If your Echo Show is connected to a video doorbell or camera system the screen will show what is happening on the camera and allow you to speak to anyone at your front door.

Display timers
Simply say, “Alexa, set a timer for [time] minutes,” and the countdown is displayed in large characters on the Echo Show screen. The last few seconds are displayed as bouncing circles coming in from either side. Although the countdown appears visually on the screen, you have to ask Alexa how long is left on a timer to get it read out, as VoiceView doesn’t read it.

Display photos
You can display an album from your Amazon photos. Open “Settings” and find “Wallpaper and clock”. Then select “Amazon photos” or “Facebook Photos”. Choose the album you want displayed on the Echo Show screen.

Weather
When you ask what the weather forecast is, Alexa announces the current temperature and what you can expect in general, for example the max and min temperatures and cloudy or rainy weather. On the Echo Show a screen is then displayed with the hourly forecast which can be read out using VoiceView if you drag your finger over the display.

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