What the Echo buttons mean.

(Video coming soon.)

Here is a schematic of what the buttons mean on the Echo Dot.

The plus and minus buttons increase and decrease the volume.

(You can also say, Alexa:

• volume up, volume down,
• volume 10, volume 2

to increase and decrease the volume.)

The button with the microphone turns the microphone off and on. In other words, if you don't want Alexa to hear you, then you turn off the microphone. (If you do, there will be a red ring so you know that she can't take input.)

The action button, the small dot, enables Wi-Fi set up mode after you press and hold until the light turns orange. You can also turn off a timer or alarm, but you can also just say, "Alexa, stop" to turn off anything.

The Light Ring flashes different colors. I'll just focus on the important colors right now:

Light Ring Explanation

Light Ring Status	Description
Solid blue with spinning cyan lights	The device is starting up.
All lights off	The device is active and waiting for your request.
Solid blue with cyan pointing in direction of person speaking	Alexa is busy processing your request.
Solid red light	You have turned off the microphones on your device. Press the Microphone button to turn on the microphones.
White light	You are adjusting the volume level on your device.
Pulsing yellow light	A message or notification is waiting for you. Say, "Play my messages" or "What did I miss?" To learn more go to About Alexa Messaging.
Pulsing green light	You are receiving a call or Drop In on your device. To learn more go to Answer or Ignore Calls on Your Echo Device.

 

The Micro usb port is where you connect the power plug.

The Aux audio output is where you can plug in a speaker. (Or you can use a modern bluetooth speaker or a bluetooth cable to hook up to an older stereo system to get more sound. We will have a separate post on audio.)