Best answer: It depends on the size of your house, but three or four well-placed Echo speakers should give you decent coverage with Alexa throughout most homes. The choice then comes down to where you think you’ll best use Alexa. The most popular areas would be in the bedroom, the living room, and the kitchen.
- Smart Hub: Amazon Echo Plus (2nd gen) + Free Smart Bulb ($150 at Amazon)
- Ubiquitious Utility: Amazon Echo Dot (3rd gen) ($50 at Amazon)
- Light it Up: Amazon Echo Dot (3rd gen) Lighting Kit ($45 at Amazon)
- Hang it Up: Dot Genie Echo Dot Wall Mount ($12 at Amazon)
Finding the right Echo products for the rooms in your home
This is a very tough question to answer since every house is different, and everyone has a preference for where they want to put an Alexa device. There are a lot of Alexa-compatible devices, among other things, that you can choose to make your home a true smart home. An Amazon Echo Plus is a great place to start because it’s Amazon’s best-sounding speaker. It includes a built-in smart home hub that lets you easily add and control smart home products under Alexa. From there, an Echo Dot is your best bet for filling out other rooms in your home.
Some folks might be uncomfortable having a listening device in their bedroom, and that’s valid. However, Alexa really shines in the living room and kitchen, and an Echo Dot can be mounted anywhere there’s a wall outlet in your home.
In the living room
The living room is where the family gathers and is an essential space for entertaining guests. In a lot of ways, it’s the heart of the home, so placing an Amazon Echo in this space is a no-brainer. We recommend the Amazon Echo Plus, which delivers the best sound from an Echo speaker and also doubles as a smart home hub for easily adding smart bulbs, switches, sensors, plugs, door locks, and other connected devices.
Music lovers will love the improved sound and support for connecting other speakers. It’s also available as a stereo pair with an Echo Sub. So if you’ve been holding off on investing in Sonos or other high-end wireless speakers, this might be the option you’ve been waiting for.
Even a single Echo Plus will fill a larger room with sound. It can be connected to any existing speaker system you may own. Plus, depending on the layout of your home, Alexa might still be able to hear you from connecting rooms. Wherever you need a bit of extra coverage, there’s an Echo Dot.
In the kitchen
Once you’ve used an AI assistant in the kitchen, you’ll forget how you got by without one. Alexa can handle timers, read out recipes, and play music or podcasts as you prep ingredients and plate a home-cooked meal — or you can use Alexa to order a pizza instead.
An ideal kitchen setup involves an Echo Dot mounted on a wall outlet to free up counter space. Sound quality isn’t a huge priority in the kitchen, but the Dot’s microphone should pick up your voice from across the room or over a noisy food processor. For the latest Echo Dot, you can get a quality wall mount like this one designed to stay secure in place, although it does cover up the second outlet.
The kitchen is also a great place for the Echo Show 5. At just 5 inches, this smart speaker hardly takes up any counter space. You can ask it to display recipes from a nearly unlimited amount of Alexa cooking skills or show cooking videos on YouTube through its Silk internet browser or Mozilla’s Firefox browser.
In the bedrooms
Smaller side rooms are where the affordable Echo Dot truly shines. Alexa can be accommodating for setting morning alarms, giving you a morning rundown for news and weather, or playing music or podcasts while you unwind.
You can get a brand new Echo Dot (3rd gen) for just $50, and it’s a significant improvement in sound quality and design over the older style. Plus, you can pair it with a wall mount to keep Alexa available but otherwise hidden out of the way.
There are also bundles for the Echo Dot that include an Amazon Smart Plug, which is a great option if you’re buying for a specific room. You can set up a reading lamp or other appliance on a timed schedule, or use voice control to turn it on or off, adding a touch of smart home flair to any room in your house.
The Echo Show 5 is more suited to the bedroom than the bigger Echo Show. It features not only a physical mute switch but also a physical slider that covers the camera. These privacy features help to make the Echo Show 5 the perfect nightstand smart alarm.
Our pick
Amazon Echo Plus (2nd gen) + Free Smart Bulb
$150 at Amazon
The best place to start with Alexa
The Echo Plus (2nd Gen) speaker is shorter but manages to sound better than its predecessor. Don’t forget to select the option that comes with a free Philips Hue smart bulb!
The newest Echo Dot
Amazon Echo Dot (3rd gen)
$50 at Amazon
Friendlier design, better sound
The Echo Dot (3rd Gen) is softer around the edges with improved sound. Available in three colors, this is a great option for smaller rooms or the kitchen.
Great value
Amazon Echo Dot + two-pack of Sengled Smart Bulbs
$45 at Amazon
Get two smart bulbs for the price of one Echo Dot
For $45, you get the old style of Echo Dot and two smart bulbs. It’s a great deal if you’re just starting to build out your smart home.
Mount your Echo Dot
Dot Genie Echo Dot Wall Mount
$12 at Amazon
Keep your Echo Dot off the counter
This handy hanger is a great gadget that allows you to mount your Echo Dot nearly anywhere you have an available outlet.
