Smart & Connected Life Smart Home How to Connect Amazon Alexa to SmartThings Use Your Echo to Control SmartThings Devices by Tricia Goss Writer Tricia Goss has been a writer and editor for 10+ years. She's written tips and tutorials for Microsoft Office applications and other sites. our editorial process Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Tricia Goss Updated on March 05, 2021 Tweet Share Email Smart Home Amazon Smart Home: Alexa & Amazon Echo Your Best Year Ever: College Tech Tips Appliances & Lighting Google What to Know After enabling the SmartThings skill, go to Settings > Connected Home > Link with SmartThings > Log In > Authorize > Discover Devices. To update devices, open the SmartThings app and go to Menu > SmartApps > Amazon Echo > MyDeviceList. This article explains what you need to know to get Alexa working with the smarthome platform SmartThings, which also runs bulbs, dimmers, and more. You'll need a compatible Amazon device to set this up. What You Need to Connect Alexa to SmartThings To use SmartThings with Alexa, you need to have an Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, or Amazon Tap. Alexa can be used to control SmartThings light bulbs, on and off or dimmer switches, thermostats, and locks, as well as routines with lighting, switch, and thermostat devices. You can use multiple Alexa devices on the same Amazon account to control SmartThings devices throughout your home. However, you can currently only control SmartThings devices at a single location. Amazon Alexa does not currently support the following SmartThings: Door locks Garage door openers Security systems and devices Cameras Smart cooking appliances. Set Up Alexa Before you begin the connection process, you will need to make sure Alexa is ready. If you have not yet done so, set up your Amazon Echo or another Alexa-enabled device. Downloading the Alexa app will also help you set up the connection and control your SmartThings products. You should also download the SmartThings mobile app and create an account. Finally, turn on Smart Home Skills in the Alexa app. Tap Devices in the bottom right corner of the Amazon Alexa app. Tap Your Smart Home Skills on the Devices screen. Tap Enable Smart Home Skills. The Smart Home screen will appear with a list of skills. Connect to SmartThings With the apps downloaded and your devices ready, you can connect SmartThings devices to Alexa. Open the Amazon Alexa app. Go to Settings and tap Connected Home. Tap Link with SmartThings under the Device Links. Enter your SmartThings account details and tap Log In. Select the location of your SmartThings device from the dropdown menu. SmartThings devices will appear in My Device List. Select the checkboxes for the objects you want to access through Alexa. Tap Authorize. The message “Alexa has been successfully linked with SmartThings” will appear. Close the window. The Settings page of Connected Home will open. Tap Devices and select Discover Devices. Alternatively, you can say, "Alexa, discover new devices." Wait while Alexa discovers your SmartThings devices. When the message Devices Discovered appears and your SmartThings items are listed in the Devices section, you can begin using Alexa with SmartThings. Update Devices Any time you add new SmartThings devices to your home, change the location or otherwise modify your SmartThings items, you can update the information with Alexa. To do so, you will need to use the SmartThings mobile app. Open the SmartThings app. Tap Menu > SmartApps > Amazon Echo. Check the devices Alexa has access to in MyDeviceList. Tap Done. Tap Next. The app will notify you if any further steps are required. SmartThings Routines Routines allow you to run multiple tasks using just one command. You can save time, automate things you do regularly, and simplify lengthy processes that might be difficult to remember. You can create a routine using the SmartThings app and then giving Alexa commands to run it. You can use the default SmartThings Routines, which are Good Morning!, Good Night!, Goodbye!, and I’m Back! You can also create your own custom routines. Create Routines in the SmartThings App Open the SmartThings app. Tap the Menu button. Tap Settings > Connected Services > Amazon Alexa. Toggle the switch for Routines to On and tap Next. Tap Done. Say, "Alexa, discover new devices" for Alexa to recognize the new routine. Create Routines in the SmartThings Classic App Open the SmartThings Classic App. Tap Automations. Select the SmartApps tab. Tap Amazon Alexa. Toggle the switch for Routines to On and tap Next. Tap Done. Say, "Alexa, discover new devices" for Alexa to recognize the new routine. To use a routine, tell Alexa to turn it on. For example, "Alexa, turn on I'm Back." Alexa will say, "OK," and run the routine. If you have set Alexa to Brief Mode, she may not say "Okay." Instead, you may just head a musical tone to indicate she has heard your command and taken the appropriate action. Edit the Devices Alexa Can Access By default, Alexa will have access to all of your SmartThings devices when you connect Amazon Echo and SmartThings. You can remove access to any device using the SmartThings app. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit