15 of the best Amazon Echo accessories for your home
Echo lets you play music with your voice - but you can also control a lot, lot more with these Amazon Echo accessories.
Amazon's Echo speakers have proven to be quite the hit, revolutionising music playback and alarm setting for millions.
However, Alexa can do far more than play music - with these Amazon Echo accessories you can control every aspect of your smart home with your voice alone.
From the usual smart bulbs and thermostats to even smart plugs and clocks, there's no shortage of clever tech you can boss about with your voice.
There's also more Alexa-compatible devices than ever before, and we've picked out our best Alexa speakers. To see how Amazon Echo speakers compare to others, read our Google Nest Mini vs Amazon Echo Dot explainer.
So to turn your home into a hands-free, voice-controlled tech paradise, here are the very best Amazon Echo accessories:
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Smart Plug
Yes, that's right - even plugs can listen to you now. What makes this so useful is that you can plug all sorts of gadgets into it - such as a light or coffee machine - and then turn your device on or off simply using your voice. You can also set up schedules to only keep your appliances on for a specific time.
Echo Wall Clock
For those after more than a digital clock on their Echo Dot, this old-fashioned analogue design has a nice twist - it has a 60 LED screen that will show timers from your paired Echo devices. Better yet, despite being an analogue clock, it will automatically adjust for daylight savings. Nifty.
Echo Sub
For audio enthusiasts, this will make a big difference to the already impressive quality of the Echo speakers. The hefty Echo sub delivers down-firing, 100W deep bass sound through a 6" woofer so that you can really feel the music fill the room. If you have two Echo devices, you can even pair all three to create distinct left/right stereo sound.
Echo Link
With a focus on audio quality, the Echo Link essentially lets you stream hi-fi music to your stereo. The many inputs and outputs provide compatibility with existing audio equipment - so simply connect the Echo Link to your amplifier or receiver, connect it to the app, and then you can stream high-quality music to your stereo with Alexa control using your existing Echo device.
If you don't have a stereo you can use the Echo Link Amp instead:
Google Nest Learning Thermostat
It may have a similar name to Echo's rival Google Nest, but don't let that worry you - this smart thermostat works just fine with Echo speakers. This handy little device lets you change your temperature with your voice alone through your Echo speaker, or you can use your smartphone. But that's not all - the thermostat will adjust the temperature within your preferences depending on the weather, use sensors to avoid heating an empty phone, and comes with a smart hub.
Phillips Hue Smart Bulb
Controlling the lights with your voice is easily one of Alexa's most convenient features - and now you can make this a reality with a par of Phillips Hue Smart bulbs. These bulbs can be turned on and off, dimmed, or timed at your voice command or with an app – wake up to a gradual increase in light, and never come home to a dark house.
Alexa Smart Dimmer Switch
Alternatively, instead of buying smart bulbs, you can choose this middle option and buy a smart dimmer switch instead. While your bulbs will still be normal un-smart tech, this smart dimmer is compatible with Alexa to change the brightness or turn the lights on and off with your voice. You can set schedules too so your lights turn on at a specific time.
Ring Doorbell
One of the best-selling Echo accessories, this clever doorbell lets you see, hear, and speak to people on your doorstep using your phone, tablet, or PC. Connection with select Echo devices adds voice control and an announcement when the doorbell is pressed or motion is detected, and you can see your doorstep footage with an Echo Show.
Blink XT2 security cameras
Another popular Echo accessory, the Blink security cameras boast 2-year battery life, two-way audio to talk to visitors, customisable motion detection, and cloud storage. You can turn the system on and off using your Echo speaker, and use the Echo Show to watch security livestreams and motion clips.
- Buy 1 camera setup for £74.99
- Buy 2 camera setup for £134.99
- Buy 2 camera setup with Blink Mini for £214.98
Amazon also announced two new Blink cameras at their annual announcement event, which are available to pre-order now:
Ring Alarm System
Not content with just revolutionising the doorbell, Ring also provides smart alarms. As well as sending smartphone notifications to your phone, the alarms are also compatible with Echo speakers - you can arm, disarm and check the status of the alarms with your voice, as well as receive low battery announcements and set up smart battery orders.
Ring has also announced a security drone that will fly around your house when you're not there - the future is well and truly here.
- Buy Ring Alarm contact sensor for £29.99
- Buy Ring Alarm 5 piece kit for £249
- Ring Alarm 5 piece kit with Ring Indoor cam for £298
Amazon Eero Mesh
Always the innovators, Amazon has introduced the Eero Mesh: a collection of routers that work together to bring you hyper-fast, stable wi-fi all over your home. It, of course, is compatible with Alexa, so even your internet can have voice control.
Echo Flex
If you want another Alexa device but don't need music playback, this is the device for you. Letting you get Alexa control in more areas of your home for a cheaper price, this plug-in has all the functions of Alexa minus a speaker optimised for music, but can connect to other speakers via Bluetooth or aux cable. It can also connect to other Echo speakers like an intercom, allowing announcements and voice messages between rooms.
Echo Auto
If you miss your Echo speaker while on a long commute, the Echo Auto essentially adds Alexa to your car. Designed for the road, the Echo Auto can still hear you over road noise and air conditioning - perfect for safely changing the music without fiddling with the radio.
Echo Buds
If having Alexa in your car and at home isn't enough, you can take them everywhere you go with Amazon's answer to AirPods. With premium speaker drivers and Bose Active Noise Reduction Technology, the earphones have great sound quality as well as all the Alexa benefits - and can even access other assistants such as Siri or Google Assistant.
Bovon Table Holder for Echo Dot 3rd Gen
For a more stylish and customisable Echo setup, this Bovon stand keeps the charging wire tidily in the base and boasts 360-degree rotation – perfect for exposing the speakers for better sound quality.
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