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What Happens to Alexa if the Power Goes Out? [Answered]

What Happens to Alexa if the Power Goes Out? [Answered]

In the United States alone, there are over 40 million Alexa users. The service has become increasingly popular, yet many people don’t fully understand how Alexa works.

In this article, I want to discuss a question that I get asked frequently: what happens to Alexa when the power goes out?

When power goes out, the Alexa service will remember its previous state before the power went out. When you switch Alexa back on, it will resume that state. However, it is essential to remember that your Amazon Alexa compatible device might need a little bit of maintenance, maybe even a reset.

So it’s somewhat similar to the Nest thermostat which can still work when the power goes out.

In today’s article, I want to answer a few related questions. I will also give you a few tips and tricks on dealing with Alexa and the device that it is installed on when the power goes out. Also, as a bonus, we will take a look at what happens when the network is down, so let’s jump into it.

Does Alexa Work Without Power?

amazon alexa

Alexa is a service or an app that works on specific devices. So, whether it works when the power goes out depends on the device. If you experience a power outage, it is likely; your Alexa-supported device will not work.

However, some devices have built-in batteries and can remain on even when your power goes out. If you can keep your network on and running, you will have no problems using Alexa.

How to Fix Alexa After a Power Outage?

As we have established, Alexa will return to its previous state once your power comes back on. For many people, this can cause a few problems.

It may seem like Alexa is out of sync, and to correct this, all you have to do is restart Alexa. If you are using Alexa on your mobile device, you can restart the service via the application.

If you are using an echo device, you have two options: You can review the settings and reapply them, or you can reset your echo device, but that means you have to set everything up again. The choice is yours to make, but if you don’t know how to reset your Amazon Echo follow these steps:

For 1st generation devices:

  1. Locate the small reset button at the bottom of the device. It is a tiny button in a hole.
  2. Straighten out a paper clip.
  3. Push the paperclip into the hole.
  4. Press down on the button using the paper clip for roughly five seconds.
  5. Power the device on and go through the setup.

For models newer than the 1st generation devices, you want to hold down the mute and volume down buttons. It takes a while, so be patient; you could wake up to 20 seconds, but once you see a flashing Amazon symbol, you know the device has been reset. You will need to go through all the settings again.

Related reading: Do smart bulbs use electricity when turned off?

Does Alexa Retain Settings When The Power Goes Out?

When you first get your Alexa device and set it up, you will remember that you had to sign in to an Amazon account to get Alexa to work. After that, you had to add your Alexa-supported device to your account. So, what does this mean?

amazon echo no power

All of your settings are stored on the Amazon cloud, so when your power goes out, Alexa will retain its settings from the local device that it is on. Also, it can pull the settings from the cloud.

So, yes, your Alexa will retain its settings if the power suddenly goes out.

Can A Power Outage Break Your Alexa Device?

A few years ago, many of our electronic devices could break if the power suddenly went out and we were busy using the device. It could also break if there were a lightning storm. While you still need to take precautions, times have changed quite significantly in recent years.

The chances of your Alexa device breaking if the power suddenly goes out are rare. It can still happen, though. So, if you are aware that a power outage is on its way, you might want to unplug your Alexa device 5 to 10 minutes before.

Other than that, once the power outage is over, your Alexa device will work, and the Alexa service will, as we mentioned, return to the state that it was in before it switched off.

How To Keep Alexa On During A Power Outage

Alexa is designed to make our lives a little more convenient. So, even during a power outage, you might want to use the service to play your music, continue with your alarms, or even control the devices around your house. Here are a few ways that you can keep your Alexa on during a power outage:

  • Connect the Alexa device to a UPS: The more substantial the UPS, the more time you get. Also, it would be best to connect your modem and router to the UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply), so you also have internet access.
  • Use a device with built-in batteries: In this case, the device will work, but with no internet, you will only have access to local-voice commands.

Curious to see if you could use your laptop without a battery? Make sure to read my previous article on this matter to find out!

What Happens To Alexa If The Network Goes Down?

Most people use Alexa for commands that require the Internet. For example, asking what the weather will be like, controlling their Spotify playlist, and much more. However, Alexa has a lot of local voice commands that you can use that don’t require Internet access. These include:

  • Any commands related to controlling your local smart home appliances.
  • Setting up or editing any alarms.
  • Playing locally stored media. (Must be stored on the same device)

Please note, you should use your phone to set up a local voice command. You can do this by going to your device list on Amazon and enabling the option from there.

How To Use Alexa If Your Network Goes Down

If your home network goes down, it shouldn’t be the end of the world, especially when it comes to using your Alexa. There are ways of making sure that you still have full access to all the services with these few tricks:

  • Use your mobile network: Go to your phone’s settings, open your mobile network settings, create a hotspot, and connect your Alexa device to it.
  • Have a mobile router: These are small routers that have a battery and use a sim card. They are often used when no other option is available.

If you rely heavily on Alexa or enjoy using it, these tricks will help you stay connected almost all the time.

Final Thoughts

My goal in this article was to give you more answers than you had questions. Hopefully, you now know everything you need to know about using your Alexa device during and after a power outage. Also, you now know what to do if the network goes down.