Can Your Amazon Echo Auto Connect to Wi-Fi?

Evan Gower February 5, 2020

The question in the title is tricky. Echo Auto can connect to Wi-Fi, but only with the help of your smartphone or tablet. By itself, it can’t, unfortunately, even connect to your car’s Wi-Fi. Therefore, to make the most out of Echo Auto, you need a smartphone or tablet with the Alexa app.

Can Your Amazon Echo Auto Connect to Wi-Fi?

Basically, that’s how you can connect Echo Auto to Wi-Fi, but there’s a lot more besides that to discuss. Read on to find out more details, tips and tricks, and instructions for connecting your Echo Auto to the internet. And yes, it can also use your mobile data when you don’t have Wi-Fi.

Getting Started

Let’s talk about the requirements for the Echo Auto to be able to connect to your car’s Wi-Fi. These light and practical devices fit easily into any car. All that you need to make the most out of it is the Alexa app which you can download for free on the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store

You also need to have an aux-in port in your car. Then you can connect your Echo Auto to the car’s audio system using an aux-in cable. If your car has Bluetooth, even better, you can use a wireless connection.

The way you’ll be using this setup is easy. Just put your phone or tablet in the dash mount and switch your car’s stereo to the aux input. The Echo Auto has eight microphones, so it will easily pick up your voice commands.

The device has no button for power, it starts automatically when you start your car. In many ways, Echo Auto is just like any other Echo device, you use the same Alexa commands to control it.

How to Connect Echo Auto to Wi-Fi

Connecting Echo Auto to Wi-Fi is really easy. Follow the instructions:

Start the engine and turn on your car’s stereo. Set the input mode to AUX or Bluetooth, depending on what you have. If you have the AUX input, use the cable you received with your Echo Auto.
Make sure you brought your smartphone or tablet with you. Enable Bluetooth and start the Alexa app. Make sure to update the app prior to using it. You can use the links provided above.
In the Alexa app, select Devices, and tap the Add button in the top-right corner. Tap Add Devices, and choose your Amazon Echo Auto. Follow the instructions on the screen to connect to Wi-Fi.
Give the app permission to access your messages, calls, cellular data, etc.
Wait for a while until the connection is made. Echo Auto will light up blue when it’s connected to Wi-Fi. It can also use your cellular data, but be careful and ensure that you have enough data.

Obviously, if you’re going to use cellular data, you need to get a package with a lot of data from your carrier. You can use the app to connect to your car’s Wi-Fi, but the Echo Auto can’t do it alone. If your car has Alexa built-in, that’s great.

The Alternatives

There are viable alternatives to Echo Auto. You can actually use an Echo Dot instead, or the Alexa app on your tablet or smartphone. Of the two, Echo Dot is the better option. Here’s what you need in order to make it work in your car:

Echo Dot.
A mobile device.
A micro USB cable, AUX cable or Bluetooth receiver
Car USB or charger port.

There are multiple ways of making your Echo Dot an Echo Auto replacement. You can use the car’s AUX port, Bluetooth speaker, Wi-Fi, mobile hotspot, etc.

If you have a built-in network in your car, then you have it easy. You can connect your Echo Dot to it like you would connect it to a home network. Otherwise, you can use a mobile hotspot, but it will use your cellular data.

Finally, you can use an external Bluetooth speaker, or a Bluetooth receiver to connect your Echo Dot to your car, and enable the internet via your mobile device. If your vehicle’s speaker doesn’t support Bluetooth, just use an AUX cable instead.

Was It All Worth It?

Echo Auto is supposed to have all the features of an Amazon Echo device, only it’s designed specifically to be used for cars instead of homes. From what we hear, the device has its flaws and is not without its issues.

You can still use an Echo Dot as a nearly perfect replacement for Echo Auto. It’s just up to you whether or not you’ll make the switch. What’s your opinion? Are you satisfied with Echo Auto? Let us know in the comments section below.