Alexa – the “smartest” personal assistant of the decade. People have them in their homes, offices, kitchens, and now you can have them in your semi-truck! The good news is it’s not as complicated as it sounds. You don’t have to have the latest and greatest vehicle in order to have Alexa in your truck. If your vehicle isn’t made with the Alexa program already installed, you are not out of luck.
There are just four simple steps to set up Alexa in your truck:
- Plug Echo Auto into car USB and mount it to an air vent
- Use Alexa App for setup
- Set your vehicle’s stereo to Bluetooth or aux
- Voice-activate Alexa for whatever you need!
From there, the process can be as simple or as complicated as you would like. You can use simple inbuilt commands to access your phone handsfree, or you can look into more powerful tools like IFTTT if you want more possibilities. Read on to find out more about how Alexa can simplify your trucking life!
Why Do I Want Alexa in My Truck?
Alexa provides another measure of safety when you’re driving your vehicle, especially if you don’t already have a hands-free device installed. Alexa can provide navigation, answer questions you have, look up nearby gas stations, make phone calls, and more without you having to try and multitask looking at your phone while driving down the road.
Alexa is also more intelligent and nuanced than normal smart phone voice-activation. It has more features and is a better over-all option for smart-speaker driving. Combined with a handsfree HUD, like we’ve covered before, it opens up a lot of possibilities!
Amazon’s Echo Auto
It used to be that would-be Echo users would have rig a regular household Alexa device into their car, but thankfully Amazon saw the need and developed a device specifically for use in automobiles.
Amazon’s Echo Auto Hands-Free Alexa is an extremely affordable tool to get Alexa into your truck. This device connects to the Alexa app on your phone and plays through your car’s speakers either via aux or bluetooth connection. It comes with a car charger, 2 USB ports, and a micro USB port. It simply mounts on your air vent for easy accessibility.
The Echo Auto is a cheap, simple, and easy way to add massive functionality to your current rig setup. If you integrate it into a larger ecosystem of smart controlled devices within your cab, you can essentially turn any truck into a voice controlled smart system.
If you have some technical skill with computers and want an even more powerful device, the Echo Auto can be linked with IFTTT, a powerful home automation (and general automation) tool that gives you an incredible array of possibilities, including doing things like turning the heater on at home when you are on your way back after a long haul.
In addition to everything household Alexas can do, the Auto includes the enhanced ability for Alexa to hear you over music, A/C, and other outside noise (so you can avoid the frustrating back and forth of yelling the same request into your phone over and over again). It also connects with several music streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon music, SiriusXM, and more.
Alexa’s Features and How It Works
If you weren’t sold before, let us give you a comprehensive list of Alexa’s features. By using this product, you’re basically able to turn your phone into an echo device. You use the wake word “Alexa” instead of pressing any buttons. From there, you can begin the voice activation.
Some of the things you can ask for include:
- Streaming music
- Navigating to any location
- Making Phone Calls
- Connecting to your smart home devices at home, so as you pull up to your home you can do things like adjust your thermostat or turn the lights on/off
- Checking the news
- Adding items to your amazon shopping cart
- Jotting down reminders
- Making grocery lists
- Answer any burning drive-home questions
- Playing road trip games like “heads up”
- Help you find the cheapest gas station en route
- Help you find parking
- Help you get roadside assistance in case of emergency or unexpected flat tire/accident
Alexa is also constantly learning and getting smarter, so the features are endless. By the time you buy it, it could have even more options!
The Echo Auto Is Well Loved
Don’t just take it from us. Amazon’s Echo Auto has over 50,000 5 star reviews. Buyers have raved about how this product is the perfect piece of equipment for long hauls, commutes, or for being in traffic. Multiple reviews include descriptions about how this product made their life easier and more pleasant. And many explain that just adding this one simple product made them feel like they updated their vehicle to a brand new one!
Conclusion
Overall, there really is no downside to having an Alexa in your truck. It’s clear that it can provide tons of value, not just for vehicle owners but specifically for truck drivers. The ease of the hands-free function is tough to top.
Being able to drive more safely, with better tools, simpler navigation, and overall have a more enjoyable ride is priceless.