Echo Dot Overview
What is an Echo Dot?
The Echo Dot is a compact smart speaker that is designed to make resident’s lives easier through the power of K4Community Voice. Our K4Connect team of experts worked closely with the Amazon Smart Properties team to curate an Echo experience fit for older adult users and a valuable asset for community teams.
What can Alexa do?
To interact with an Echo Dot, residents will use the wake word, “Alexa”. Alexa can provide a variety of built-in assistance from K4Community, such as Notices, event reminders, and much more. To learn how residents can call fellow residents or community numbers using their Alexa devices, click here.
If your community has deployed K4Community Smart Home, Alexa is an invaluable asset for residents. Residents can control their smart home devices simply by using their voice. This is particularly useful for residents who might have mobility impairments.
How do I install an Echo Dot?
When receiving Echo Dots directly from K4Connect, device setup is simple. Each box your community receives is labeled and programmed for a specific residence in your community, and therefore are not interchangeable with other rooms. There is an identical label on the bottom of the device itself. In each box there is an Echo Dot and a power cable.
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Take the device and the power cable to the residence. If you plan to provide each resident with a printed copy of the “Resident FAQ Flyer” and "Get To Know Alexa Flyer" (found below under Echo Dot User Guides), you should take that with you now.
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Find a location in the residence that is near a highly trafficked area, such as near the kitchen or the living room. If the apartment is a studio apartment, find a central location.
Note: it is best to avoid areas directly to next to a TV so that Alexa can clearly hear a resident speak even if the TV is on, but it is ok if next to the TV is the only option.
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Plug the power cable into the wall and then into the device. While the device is connecting to the internet, this is a great time to introduce Alexa to the resident using the Echo Dot Guides we have provided for you.
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Once the blue light ring is no longer visible, say a couple of commands to show the resident how Alexa works. Simple commands, such as "Alexa, what's the weather?" are a great place to start.
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Success!
Reminder!
Once an Echo device is installed in a residence, the device should NOT be moved to another residence. If a new resident is moving in and needs to be “assigned” a device, simply add the resident to the Resident Directory with the correct address. Once the “move in” is complete, the system will be assigned and the resident will be associated with the Echo device.
If the residence that a new resident is moving into does not already have an Echo device installed, please contact your Customer Success Manager.
Echo Dot User Guides
To better help support residents as they are learning to use their Echo Dot, or for those who might need the occasional refresher, we have included a variety of guides below. These guides are intended for either printing, or for publishing directly to the K4Community Plus App to enable easy access for everyone! To download a file, simply click on the photo of the guide to be taken to a preview and download page.
