Smart speakers are getting more and more popular today, especially Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, made smart home control much easier and convenient. You can control your smart home devices either from their apps or say to their speakers. This is a real incentive to smart home market. Most people feel it’s easy to use but sometimes it’s not easy to set up a device to be used in Alexa or Google Home app – this most painful process is called account linking.
Today, we are going to talk about how account linking works, why it is painful to set up device previously and how this process is improved in BroadLink app.
How account linking works?
Theoretically, when a user enables a skill in Alexa App, it takes you for an authentication process. Alexa asks the user to input the third-party credentials and the third-party verifies the credentials. Then Alexa asks the third-party for an access permission initiated by the user and it will be granted as the account has been authenticates. After account linking, usually the user asks Alexa to discover devices and Alexa will refresh the list of available devices from third-party. But how this is done on our phone?
Before What you do previously?
Firstly, let’s see how we do it previously. Remember, before adding device to Alexa or Google Home, you need to make sure the device is connected to Broadlink cloud. So, we test it through another Wi-Fi network or 4G.
Step 1. Open Alexa app and search the skill “Broadlink”.
Step 2. Enable the skill and confirm your region. Then select Broadlink account.
Step 3. Input your Broadlink account and password and link it.
Step 4. Discover devices. This process may take long time and you need to wait until it completes.
Step 5. The devices are discovered and now you can control them in Alexa app.
Isn’t it complicated? Indeed, Yes.
Don’t worry, we already noticed your pains and now this process has been improved. Let’s see how your setup journey is simplified.
Now What is improved now?
Alexa App-to-App Account Linking
Now what you need to do is：Just go to “Me” page and tap “Add voice assistance”. Then choose Alexa and tap “Link now” at the bottom. Broadlink App will automatically call Alexa App and what you need to do is just a simple tap of “Link” button. Alexa App will help you link your account without any attendance. Your devices will automatically show up and accessible.
Super easy!
Alexa current doesn’t support Android phones for this quick account linking. But Broadlink offers another quick method to accelerate the setup.
Still go to the same place and tap “Link now”. Broadlink will redirect you to an Amazon sign-in page. Please sign in with your Amazon credentials same as you used for Alexa. If this is the first time you use this in Broadlink App, an extra OTP authentication will be required. Check your email and input the OTP to proceed. Then open Alexa App and refresh it. The device will show up automatically after some time.
For Google Home, It’s almost the same.
Your life will never be the same with Broadlink Smart Home.