The Amazon Echo is without a doubt a great smart speaker. It is powered by Amazon’s Alexa and can perform many tasks such as ordering things from Amazon, calling a taxi, setting alarms and reminders, and more. Echo also has a rich ecosystem of supported Skills that it can integrate. These Skills unlock many extra potentials inside the Amazon Echo.
Recently, Plex also released a Skill for Amazon Echo. For those who don’t know, Plex is a media server app that you can use to create a central hub of all your media and access them anywhere over the internet. With Plex integration for Echo, you can now use Alexa voice commands to access and use your Plex media server. Well, Here’s how to integrate Plex with Amazon Echo:
Setting Up Plex Server
Before integrating Plex Skill with your Amazon Echo, you will need to set up a Plex server on your system. This can be done very easily and for free (in this case it’s $4.99 per month if you don’t want extra features), and if you don’t have a Plex server yet, just follow the steps outlined below:
- Visit Plex Web siteand become a member with your email. When you sign up, the web app will start searching for Plex servers. Click “Download Plex Media Server“.
- Select the download compatible with your operating system and click on it. “Download”.
- After the server is installed, just startand you will see a setup screen in the web app. Give your server a name and click “Next”.
- You will then be presented with the option select the Libraries you want to add to Plex. Here you can easily add or remove libraries. Once done, Click “Next”.
- If you want to download Plex apps for your mobile devices, now you can. Or just “Completed“.
- Plex will scan your libraries and import your media automatically enter the server.
Fantastic! You have successfully set up a Plex server on your system. Now, we just need to enable Plex Skill on Echo and we will be all set!
Integrate Plex with Amazon Echo
Integrating your Plex server with Echo is actually a very simple process. However, for the sake of clarity, I’ll do it step-by-step. So, to enable Plex Skill on your Alexa powered Echo device, you can follow these steps:
- Sign in to Amazon Echo Web site. Here, click “Talents” from the sidebar.
- To search “Plex” in skills search and press enter.
- Click and click on Plex Skill “Enable”.
- You need to verify your account by logging into the Plex website and clicking the icon. “Authorize” button.
Plex capability will now be enabled on your Amazon Echo and you can use voice commands to use your Plex server. Let’s talk a little bit about how you can use the Plex Skill with Amazon Echo, shall we?
Using Plex Skill on Amazon Echo
With the Plex Skill enabled on your Amazon Echo, you can do many things on your Plex server. You can do Ask Plex to play something Play a random episode from TV shows you own, recently added, or even get Plex to recommend something for you to watch. There are many different commands you will love to use on your Amazon Echo.
1. Change Default Player
If you install Plex exactly as I described, chances are your default Plex player is set to your web browser. However, if you have multiple devices connected to your Plex server, you can set one of them as the default player.
Just say “Alexa, ask Plex to change my default player“. Echo will sound all devices connected to your Plex server and you can change the default player to whatever you like.
note: If you only have one Plex player connected to your system, it will be automatically selected as the default media player.
2. Change Default Plex Server
If you’ve set up multiple servers on Plex and want to use one of them to work with your Echo, here’s how to do it easily:
Simply say “Alexa asks Plex to change my default server“. Alexa will tell you the list of available servers and you can choose the one you want and set it as default.
3. Basic Plex Commands for Alexa
Using your Plex server with Alexa is very easy. There is a full list of voice commands that Plex Skill supports and you can check it out on official Plex. Web site. However, here are some basic commands you can use with the Plex Skill:
- Play music: “Alexa, tell Plex to play some music“
- Control Play: “Alexa, tell Plex to play/pause/stop“
- Get Movies/TV Show Recommendations: “Alexa, ask Plex to suggest something to watch“
- Play a Specific Movie/TV Show: “Alexa, ask Plex to play The Big Lebowski“
- Continue Watching: “Alexa, ask Plex what I’m in the middle of“
SEE ALSO: 7 Cool Amazon Echo Tricks You Should Try With Alexa
Control Your Plex Server with Voice Commands from Amazon Echo
With the Plex Skill for Amazon Echo, you can now easily control your Plex media server from anywhere in your home. Ask Alexa to tell Plex what you want it to do. There are tons of commands you can use with Plex, and the Plex Skill is definitely a great addition to the Skills ecosystem that Echo already has. Plus, thanks to Alexa’s great voice recognition, you probably won’t need to repeat yourself either. So, have you used Plex with Amazon Echo yet? And excited about using Plex with voice commands? Let us know your thoughts on Amazon Echo, Plex, and Plex Skill in the comments section below.
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