As a growing number of people are giving Amazon Echo a try, they’re finding that the mobile app isn’t always user-friendly. What hardly anyone realizes is there’s an alternative. Amazon has set up a control panel you can access through a web browser. Going this route takes out a lot of the headache you normally deal with when managing Echo. Once you try this method, you will likely only use the app when absolutely necessary.
Voice Commands Vs Control Panel
Of course, the main way you interact with Alexa is through voice controls. That’s the whole point of the technology, because you can ask for different things while your hands are covered with olive oil or you just don’t feel like getting up to grab your smartphone. Echo makes smart home management so simple, even children can use the device for everyday tasks.
There are reasons why you need to tune Echo without using the voice commands. You can do this through the Alexa App for mobile devices. For whatever set of reasons, Amazon has been pushing people toward that route so much that most users have no idea there’s an alternative. The app isn’t all bad, because it allows for quick access to change a few settings on the go.
The control panel, which you can access through a web browser, really shines when you want to make big changes or read through larger sets of data. For example, going through multiple Echo information cards is faster and more manageable on a larger screen. This is especially usefully when users first buy Echo and are working on customizing settings, which is ironic since awareness of the option is especially low among newbies. As Echo users become more used to the tech, they will likely want to get under the hood and personalize the settings further, which is where the control panel is almost essential.
People who are constantly on the go will appreciate the fact that they can access the control panel from anywhere. All they need is a computer with a browser, and they can get in to change settings.
Requirements
While it’s easy to access Echo from a web browser, you need to do some specific things before gaining access. Your Echo needs to be set up, so no controlling it remotely straight out of the box. The device needs to be linked to the Internet through a WiFi connection, which is pretty common sense. And to gain access to the device’s control panel, you have to log into your Amazon account online. That means the Echo has to be tied to the account, so verify that’s the case first.
Going From There
Once you have all of that out of the way, simply navigate to alex.amazon.com. You’ll notice the layout is similar to the app, including the color scheme, only there’s more space and options. Using a full keyboard makes giving Alexa more complicated commands easier, because sometimes the voice communication can get a little dicey. The control panel also lets you access content like songs you’ve played in the past and settings for everything from movie show times to traffic updates.
