The phrase “quality over quantity” can be applied in numerous situations. When it comes to vacationing, it’s important to relish in the smaller moments of a long-planned trip. Enjoy your family’s reactions to scenery and new discoveries, as opposed to cramming in too many activities. The same can be said for a good meal. Instead of splurging on the biggest platter on the menu, maybe opt for a smaller-sized dish prepared with higher-grade ingredients.
When it comes to the average smart home, quality over quantity operates on both sides of the Internet-of-Things token. While in one respect, it may be better to own less “cheaper” hardware in favor of a singularly more powerful device with a greater set of features, there are often just as many benefits to owning several of the same devices — or at least more than one device under the same product suite. A perfect example of the latter is Amazon’s lineup of Alexa-powered Echo devices.
From smart speakers to displays, one Echo device is plenty capable of automating your smart home, streaming your music, and reading you the news of the day. But, when you combine more than one Echo device, you’re unlocking a whole new world of features that simply are not possible with only one product. To help shed light on this hidden territory, we’ve put together this guide to what you can do with multiple Alexa devices.
While first-party
Make announcements to the entire household
Screaming that dinner is ready at the bottom of the stairs may be the classic American way, but it can wreak havoc on your much-needed vocal cords. Thankfully, our Echo products will allow us to communicate in a much easier fashion.
If you’d like to make an overarching announcement throughout your home, you can effectively use all of your Echo devices as a multi-room intercom. You can do so in one of two ways. If you prefer to do the talking yourself, simply say, “
You can also type in messages that
Drop In on the whole family or one member at a time
This next feature is one of the most versatile from one Echo device to another. Using Alexa’s Drop In feature, you can use the
Say you want to get in touch with your significant other’s home office speaker. Pull your car over (safety first), open the
Say you’re in the kitchen and want to use your Echo Show to convene with the upstairs Echo Show. Simply say, “
Play your music in multiple rooms
Envious of your pal’s intricate
One great perk to owning more than one Echo device is the ability to group and play music across multiple devices. It’s a function in the
Once Multi-Room is live, you’ll be able to simultaneously stream music from services like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music throughout your Echo ecosystem. Better yet, you can individualize the listening experience by commanding one Echo device to play something on another. Say you’re in the kitchen and plan on heading upstairs for your before-bed yoga session. Simply command your countertop by saying, “
Elevate your home theater experience
Ever want the pulse-pounding sound of a top-notch home theater system but can’t shell out the thousands of audiophile dollars required? Not to worry. With just a few Echo devices, you can create quite a beastly cinema experience. Of course, the better your Echo speaker, the better the sound. Personally, we recommend the fourth-generation Echo, Echo Studio, or Alexa-powered soundbar. In order to use
To use your Echo products as home theater speakers, open the
Keep in mind that your Echo speakers will only play audio from the apps built into your Fire TV hardware. Ancillary equipment like cable boxes, game systems, and Blu-ray players will not be able to integrate.
Shared reminders and timers
Yes, you’re already familiar with
You can also cancel reminders and timers from any Echo device, whether or not it was initiated on said speaker or display.
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