Alexa is my go-to when I’m in need of a voice assistant.
Every time I have a question, I simply ask her.
But then I suddenly thought…
“Does she need to be plugged in all the time?
What will happen if she’s not?”
Well, I found some interesting answers.
Read on to find out:
- If Alexa has to be plugged in to work.
- How you can use your Echo without WiFi.
- Which Amazon device has a built-in battery.
- If you can use a battery base with Echo speakers.
- And that’s only the beginning…
Does Alexa have to be plugged in to work?
Alexa needs to be plugged in in order to work. But on some Amazon devices, like the Echo Dot 5th Gen, you can use it with a battery base. And with an Amazon Tap that has a built-in battery, you don’t need Alexa to be plugged in to work.
What happens with Alexa if you unplug the speaker?
Alexa is the voice assistant from Amazon.
She’s part of all Amazon Echo devices, such as the Echo Dot, Echo Show, Echo Plus, etc.
All these devices need to be plugged into the electrical socket to work.
But what happens if you unplug these devices?
Will Alexa still work?
Well, unfortunately not.
They need to get their juice from a source, and they don’t have a built-in battery to keep working.
Therefore rather, keep it plugged in if you want to make use of Alexa.
You might also want to know: 3 Easy Steps To Play SoundCloud On Alexa
Can you use batteries with Alexa?
I live in a multi-room smart home, and I placed my Echo in the kitchen.
This is the place I like to spend my time the most, so it makes sense to put her there as well.
But here’s the thing: when I’m in the bedroom and I want to ask Alexa something, I have to run all the way back to the kitchen.
You see my super-duper-huge problem?
I might be a bit dramatic about it, and it’s not a huge problem.
But it isn’t very convenient as well.
Luckily, I found a simple solution: a battery base.
See, there are third-party companies that understand this dilemma.
That’s why they created these battery bases.
Now I made my Echo mobile and simply take it where I am.
But it’s not for all the Amazon devices available.
‘So, which Echo speakers can have a battery base?’
Well, I listed some Amazon Echo models that can work with a battery case:
| Model | Battery base | Features |
| Amazon Echo Dot 2nd Gen | Fremo Evo Plus Battery | 5200 Mah battery 6 hours of playtime |
| Amazon Echo Dot 3rd Gen | Blanou Dot3 Battery | 10400 mAh battery 6 hours of playtime |
| Amazon Echo Dot 4th Gen | Made for Amazon | 4000 mAh battery 5 hours of playtime |
| Amazon Echo Dot 5th Gen | Made for Amazon | 4000 mAh battery 5 hours of playtime |
| Amazon Echo 2nd Gen | Ninety7 SKY TOTE | 8800 mAh battery 8 hours of playtime |
| Amazon Echo 3rd Gen | Mission Cables Portable Battery | 5 hours of playtime |
| Amazon Echo 4th Gen | Made For Amazon | 4000 mAh battery 5 hours of playtime |
| Amazon Echo Plus 2 | Mission Cables Portable Battery | 5 hours of playtime |
| Amazon Echo Show 5 1st & 2nd Gen | Battery Base for Show 5 | 10000 mAh battery 11 hours of playtime |
| Amazon Echo Show 8 2nd Gen | Liboer Battery Base | 15600 mAh battery 9.5 hours of playtime |
So, if you have one of these Amazon Echo devices and you want to make it mobile, then use a battery base.
Note: In order to use Alexa, she still needs to be connected to the internet.
If you need a visual guide, here’s a helpful video on how to set up an Echo 4th Gen with a battery base:
Do Amazon Echos have a built-in battery?
The majority of Amazon Echos don’t have a built-in battery.
But in 2017, Amazon released the Amazon Tap, which had a built-in battery that made it portable.
It was practically the same version of the Echo and had a playtime of up to 9 hours.
But it also had a few limitations.
For example, no streaming music as part of a group of Amazon devices.
And to activate Alexa, you first had to tap a button. That’s why the name Tap.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t a very profitable product.
Long story short, in 2018, Amazon stopped producing it, and is now currently unavailable.
You might also want to know: Alexa vs Echo: What’s The Difference & Do You Need Both?
Does Alexa work without WiFi?
Alexa needs WiFi to work and activate her voice assistant features.
As said before, this is her source of information to make your life easier.
But what if you lose your WiFi?
This could be due to reasons such as:
- ISP issues.
- You’re at a place where there is no WiFi available.
Then you’re in bad luck because, without WiFi, Alexa can’t work.
But wait, there’s a fix for this.
Simply connect Alexa to a mobile hotspot from your phone.
Most of the time, you’ll have it with you anyways.
First tip?
Create a mobile hotspot with your smartphone by taking these 3 simple steps:
Android smartphone
- Go to Settings.
- Select Portable Hotspot.
- Toggle on Portable Hotspot.
Apple iPhone
- Select Settings.
- Go to Personal Hotspot.
- Enable Allow others to join.
Tip: Get a piece of paper and write down the network name and password from the personal hotspot. This can be asked later in the Alexa app.
Second tip?
Connect Alexa to the mobile hotspot
Here’s how to do that:
- Go to the Alexa app on your smartphone.
- Select Devices.
- Choose Echo & Alexa.
- Select the name of your Amazon device.
- Choose Change (next to WiFi network).
- Select the mobile hotspot from the list of available networks.
- Go down and select Use this device as a Wi-Fi hotspot.
- Tap on Start.
- Enter the name and password from your mobile hotspot.
- Choose Connect.
Alexa will confirm the connection, and you’re done!