How To Connect Alexa To Non-Smart TV

How to connect Alexa to non smart tv

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Television sets have come in all sizes and shapes in recent decades. You can find the smartest TVs for sale in stores, and then there is your old TV at home seeking your attention. Just because it is not smart doesn’t mean it cannot be linked with Alexa. Thanks to technology, it is now possible to use the voice assistant Alexa to control even the old TV sets.

Similar to connecting smart TVs with Alexa, even the older TVs respond well to the voice requests we give. You can search for your favorite show, control the volume or switch the TV on and off.

Smart TVs, like smartphones, can connect to the internet, which is their biggest advantage. Once this is accomplished, they can browse the internet, stream video and do many other things, making them smarter than the normal TVs. On the other hand, normal TVs have no processing power, making them incapable of connecting to the internet.

In effect, these normal TVs act like a computer monitor that is larger in size. They cannot be used for net browsing or working with apps, and this is reason enough for many to switch to smart TVs. Even though smart TVs offer the convenience of accessing different media from a single screen, you don’t have to replace your old TV with a smart TV if it still works fine.

Further reading: How to connect Alexa to Smart TV

Old TVs and Alexa

Old models of TVs are not designed to work with Alexa-enabled devices like the Amazon Echo. Fortunately, they are not entirely incompatible with Alexa. Experts have found a way to use Alexa to switch on/off the TV, change channels and play and pause the older TVs. When you try to link Alexa with such TV sets, you will find that backward-compatible interfacing methods are missing.

You can connect the TV to a smart hub to overcome this challenge. A smart hub is a device that is compatible with other devices like Echo speakers. So, the hub can communicate with Alexa without any doubt.

Once the TV is connected to the smart hub, you may connect the hub to the Alexa-enabled device. The device has to be then updated with the most recent software so that there is no communication glitch between the two devices. Now the devices are properly linked and are ready to work together.

So the smart hub acts as a mediator between the old TV and the Echo device. When you now try giving voice commands to Alexa to change the volume level of the TV or change channels, it will successfully complete the tasks. The important thing is to update the software to the latest version for smooth functioning.

How To Connect Alexa To Non Smart TV
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Connecting Smart TVs to Alexa

If you own a smart TV, you have no reason to worry as there is more than one way to connect your TV to Alexa-enabled devices. Once this is done, it becomes so simple to manipulate your TV, and you can keep your remote away.

1. TVs with built-in Alexa capability 

If your TV has built-in Alexa capability, then half the job is done. Such TVs work seamlessly with all Alexa devices like the Echo speakers. When you connect a smart TV to the Echo speaker via Wi-Fi, the latter acts as a microphone as this is not built into a TV. Now the Echo device waits for all your commands, including changing channels or volumes.

Many famous TV brands have built-in Alexa capability. When Alexa is ready to listen to your voice commands, manually doing things with remote control is unnecessary. You can give commands like ‘Alexa, change to channel [channel number]’ or ‘Alexa, switch on the TV’ to see Alexa carrying out your orders.

2. Connect the TV to an Alexa Fire TV Cube

If your TV has an HDMI port, it can be connected to an Alexa Fire TV Cube. This makes it possible to control your TV with voice commands to Alexa. When you make this connection, your TV becomes one that has built-in Alexa capability to change channels or whatever request you give her.

Alexa Fire TV Cube can be connected to the TV’s HDMI port using an HDMI cable, and the device also has an IR repeater to convert your voice requests to remote control commands. This repeater thus changes a normal TV to a voice-controlled one.

When you buy an Alexa Fire TV Cube, you will also get a remote control that you can prefer to use or not use. Once this device is connected to your TV, it will keep listening to your voice commands and complete the tasks for you.

3. Connect Fire Stick 4K to the TV

Connecting a Fire Stick 4K to your TV again makes it compatible with Alexa-enabled devices. When the connection is done, the TV can be controlled with your voice, but the only requirement is to press the microphone button on the voice remote for your TV to listen to your commands.

If you own an Amazon Echo device, you will naturally connect it to the Fire Stick 4K via Wi-Fi, making a good connection. But experience says that using a Fire Stick 4K is not as easy as using an Alexa Fire TV Cube or working with a TV that has in-build Alexa capability. Even though the Fire Stick 4K is the cheapest option, there could be problems in syncing it with your TV.

If you are really determined, there is a way to connect your less smart TV to Alexa by using a smart hub. If there is no reason to exchange your old TV for a smart one, why take the pain? All you have to do is buy this smart device, sit back and give voice commands to Alexa to see her spur to action.