Amazon Alexa is Amazon's voice assistant and smart home platform. It is controlled through the Alexa app and Alexa-enabled devices, mainly Echo speakers and displays, and some Echo and eero models double as the local hub for Zigbee, Matter and Thread devices. Third-party makers connect through Amazon's developer programs.
Alexa is both a cloud platform and a local one. Devices from other brands can be linked through cloud add-ons that run on the manufacturer's servers, or connected directly to an Echo over Zigbee, Bluetooth mesh, Matter over Wi-Fi or Matter over Thread. Amazon's developer documentation says the local connections keep voice control working when the internet is down.
That suits households already using Echo devices that want one app and voice control across many brands, with Matter and Zigbee devices handled locally. It is weaker for anyone who wants a self-hosted controller or open automation tooling: the platform is run by Amazon, the app is the main control surface, and Amazon's own pages describe local Zigbee and Bluetooth mesh control as limited to basic functions such as on and off.
Source: Alexa Matter documentation
The main control app. The App Store listing says it sets up Alexa-enabled devices, checks and controls compatible lights, locks and thermostats, and creates routines. Published by AMZN Mobile LLC, free with in-app purchases, and requires iOS 17.0 or later on the version we read. Amazon's help page says to search for the Amazon Alexa app in a mobile app store. A Google Play listing could not be verified, so no Android link is given.
Web access to Alexa+, including a free text-based chat version with usage limits, according to Amazon's announcement. It does not describe smart home control on the web.
Official supported by the brand Community built by someone else Not found searched, nothing found Unconfirmed sources conflict or could not be opened
| Platform | Status | What it means | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardware, editions and installation | |||
| Alexa app | Official | The app is installed from a mobile app store and signed in with an Amazon account. Amazon's help page names no specific stores or Android versions. The App Store listing describes device setup, control of lights, locks and thermostats, and routines. | Amazon help: download the app App Store listing |
| Echo devices as Matter controllers | Official | Amazon's developer page says the Echo is the Matter administrator that discovers and connects Matter devices to Alexa locally. It lists Matter-supported Echo models, among them Echo (2nd Gen and newer), Echo Dot, Echo Dot Max, Echo Flex, Echo Hub, Echo Input, Echo Plus (2nd Gen), Echo Pop, Echo Show 5, 8, 10, 11, 15, 16 and 21, Echo Spot, Echo Studio and Echo Time. The page states the Echo devices support the Matter 1.5 SDK, a subset of Matter 1.5 and lower device types. It carries a last-modified date of 30 October 2026. | Alexa+ developer docs: Matter Alexa developer docs: Matter |
| Echo and eero devices as Zigbee hubs | Official | Amazon's Zigbee page says Echo and eero devices have built-in smart home hubs for Zigbee and supports Zigbee 1.2 and 3.0, but the model list did not load on the copy we read. Another Amazon page names Echo Show 10 and Echo Plus with a built-in Zigbee hub, and Amazon's Echo Hub article lists Zigbee for Echo Hub. Which other models include Zigbee is unconfirmed here. | Alexa Zigbee documentation Alexa Zigbee resources Echo Hub article |
| Echo devices as Thread border routers | Official | Amazon says Thread-enabled Echo and eero devices act as Thread border routers, supporting Thread 1.1, 1.3 or 1.4. The page refers to a Thread border router device list that did not load on the copy we read. Amazon's May 2023 post names Echo (4th Gen) as a Thread border router, and the Matter page names Echo (4th Gen) and several eero models. The full current list of Echo models is unconfirmed. | Alexa Thread documentation Build Matter with Alexa Matter update, May 2023 |
| Echo Hub | Official | A wall-mounted smart home control panel. Amazon's article says its built-in hub supports Zigbee, Sidewalk, Thread, Bluetooth and Matter plus Wi-Fi devices, runs over Wi-Fi or Ethernet with a PoE adapter, and that select lights, switches and plugs can keep working when the internet is down. Article published 21 February 2024, updated 11 June 2026. | Amazon: Echo Hub tips |
| eero devices | Official | Amazon's Matter documentation lists eero 6 and 6+, eero 7, eero Beacon, eero Max 7, eero Outdoor 7, eero PoE 6, eero PoE gateway, eero Pro, Pro 6, Pro 6E and Pro 7 as Matter-supported eero models. Which eero models are Thread border routers is not shown on the list we could read. | Alexa+ developer docs: Matter |
| Alexa Built-in devices | Official | Devices with Alexa built in, such as TVs, speakers or vehicles, need no add-on or cloud infrastructure from the maker and support simple controls such as toggles, modes and ranges. | Smart home development options |
| Protocols and ecosystems | |||
| Wi-Fi | Official | Matter over Wi-Fi connects to Echo locally. Wi-Fi is also the route for cloud add-ons, for Alexa Connect Kit devices, and for Wi-Fi Simple Setup and Matter Simple Setup in Frustration-Free Setup. | Smart home development options Understanding Frustration-Free Setup |
| Bluetooth | Official | Amazon lists BLE mesh as a local connection to Alexa-enabled devices such as Echo and says it supports only basic functions like power on and off. The Echo Hub article also lists Bluetooth. | Smart home development options Echo Hub article |
| Zigbee | Official | Local Zigbee control through an Echo or eero with a built-in Zigbee hub, 2.4 GHz, Zigbee 1.2 and 3.0. Amazon says Zigbee supports only basic functions such as power on and off. Customers ask Alexa to connect their devices, and they appear in the Alexa app. Amazon's 2018 article describes this as the "Alexa, discover my devices" request. | Alexa Zigbee documentation Smart home development options Amazon 2018 article |
| Z-Wave | Not found | No Z-Wave support appeared on the Alexa Zigbee, Thread, Matter, Echo Hub or development-options pages we read. We could not confirm either way; Z-Wave devices would need a cloud add-on or a separate hub. | Searched, no source |
| Thread | Official | Thread-enabled Echo and eero devices act as border routers. With customer permission, an add-on can use shared Thread credentials so a Matter-over-Thread device does not need them entered again. Thread 1.1, 1.3 and 1.4 are named. Page last modified 5 November 2026. | Alexa Thread documentation |
| Matter controller | Official | The Echo is the Matter administrator for local control over Wi-Fi and Thread. Amazon says this lowers latency and improves reliability, and that cloud-connected devices with a Matter connection can still be controlled locally during an internet outage. Supported categories include lighting, plugs, buttons, sensors, locks and window coverings, thermostats, fans, air purifiers, room air conditioners, dishwashers and robot vacuums. Amazon's Matter page also lists Matter Multi-Admin and the Alexa Connect Kit SDK for Matter as connection options. | Alexa developer docs: Matter Alexa+ developer docs: Matter |
| Matter bridges | Official | Amazon's documentation covers non-Matter devices exposed as bridged devices through a Matter bridge, and says customers can set up bridges and hubs with Alexa. The page does not say whether an Echo itself can act as a bridge, and we could not confirm that from official pages. | Alexa developer docs: Matter Build Matter with Alexa |
| Local control | Official | Amazon lists four local connection types to Echo: BLE mesh, Zigbee, Matter over Wi-Fi and Matter over Thread. It says they keep voice control working with low latency when the internet is down, and that local control can be combined with cloud add-ons or Alexa Connect Kit. Cloud add-ons alone work through the manufacturer's cloud. | Smart home development options Alexa developer docs: Matter |
| Frustration-Free Setup | Official | A setup system that reuses nearby devices or apps to share network credentials, register the device and link skills. Zero-Touch Setup is for devices bought on Amazon.com and opted in; Light-Touch Setup covers smart plugs, lights and soundbars over Matter Simple Setup or Wi-Fi Simple Setup; Barcode Setup applies to ACK and AVS devices. Page last updated 8 April 2024. | Understanding Frustration-Free Setup |
| Hunches | Official | Alexa can generate hunches from usage patterns and, for devices connected through the Smart Home Skill API, act on them: turning off lights left on when it thinks nobody is home, setting a thermostat to an away or sleep temperature, or switching a water heater to energy saver. Customers choose whether Alexa may act. Amazon's developer blog post is dated 10 December 2020. | Alexa developer blog: Hunches Amazon: smart home with Alexa |
| Alexa routines | Official | Amazon's 2022 article calls routines shortcuts, with ready-made Featured Routines enabled in the Alexa app. The App Store listing says routines can automate smart home devices, and the Echo Hub article says Routines and Scenes start with one tap. Developer documentation says each routine has one trigger, either time of day or a voice phrase, and smart home devices can also activate routines. | Amazon: smart home with Alexa App Store listing Alexa developer: routines |
| Alexa+ | Official | Per Amazon's announcement, Alexa+ is available to all US customers, free with Prime, otherwise $19.99 a month, with a free text-based chat version at Alexa.com and in the app. Published 4 February 2026, updated 1 September 2026. The article describes smart home use only through an example with Ring cameras and does not state how Alexa+ affects control of third-party smart home devices. | Amazon: Alexa+ available in the US |
| Works with Alexa | Official | A certification program that verifies smart home products for responsiveness, functionality and compatibility. Testing is by an independent third-party facility for a fee, and Amazon says to allow at least one month. Certified products may show the badge on packaging and Amazon product pages. | Works with Alexa overview |
| Philips Hue | Official | Amazon's Matter page says Philips Hue uses the Commissionable Endpoint feature to connect its bridge to Alexa. The Alexa Matter page is the only Amazon page we found naming Hue. | Build Matter with Alexa Works with Philips Hue |
| SmartThings | Not mentioned | Amazon's Zigbee page notes that other Zigbee Certified hubs, such as SmartThings and Wink, can also connect Zigbee devices. We found no official Amazon page describing a SmartThings integration with Alexa. | Alexa Zigbee resources |
| Google Home and Apple Home | Unconfirmed | The Alexa Matter page lists Matter Multi-Admin as a connection option, which is the Matter feature for sharing a device between ecosystems. We found no official Amazon page that names Google Home or Apple Home. | Alexa+ developer docs: Matter |
| Home Assistant and Homey | Not found | No official Amazon page found that mentions either platform in the pages searched. | Searched, no source |
| Apps, integrations and developer access | |||
| Alexa app and Alexa.com | Official | The Alexa app is the consumer control surface on iPhone and Android. Alexa+ is also available through Alexa.com and the Alexa app according to Amazon's announcement. | App Store listing Amazon: Alexa+ available in the US |
| Smart home add-ons (cloud-to-cloud) | Official | Amazon's current documentation calls these smart home add-ons. They are built with the Alexa Smart Home API, run on the maker's own cloud infrastructure (an AWS Lambda function in the guide), handle discovery, account linking and directives, and send events back. The pages we read do not use the phrase cloud-to-cloud, but describe this cloud-connected path. Add-ons receive directives to change device state through the maker's cloud or a local connection. | Smart Home API documentation Smart home development options |
| Smart Home Skill API | Official | Amazon's Smart Home Skill page says Alexa handles the voice interaction model, with built-in support for many device types through capability interfaces. A Custom Skill API and Multi-Capability Skills extend this. Example skills named: iRobot, Smart Life (Tuya) and Sonos. | Smart Home Skills |
| Alexa Connect Kit (ACK) | Official | A managed service where Amazon runs the cloud, security, certification and updates, so the maker builds only the device application. Variants are the ACK Module, the ACK SDK and the ACK SDK for Matter. Amazon's development options page says the ACK SDK for Matter currently supports Matter over Wi-Fi for lighting devices. Pricing is described only as a low or fixed per-unit cost. | Alexa Connect Kit Smart home development options |
| Works with Alexa certification | Official | Covers add-ons, ACK, Matter, local control (hubs) and Alexa Built-in products. The badge is requested in the Alexa Certification Console. | Works with Alexa overview |
| Number of compatible devices | Unconfirmed | No official page we read states a current count of compatible devices or add-ons with a date. The only number found is that over 100 million Echo devices across 20 models could be updated to support Matter (2 May 2023 post). Amazon's October 2026 devices article mentions thousands of compatible devices for a new Echo Dot hub without a date-stamped count. | Matter update, May 2023 Amazon: new Alexa devices 2026 |
| Community tooling | Not found | No official Amazon page describing Home Assistant, Homey, openHAB, Node-RED or IFTTT integrations was found in the pages searched. | Searched, no source |
Checked 11 November 2026 against the brand's own pages, app store listings and each project's own page. “Not found” means we searched and found nothing, not that it is impossible. Compatibility changes often. Spot an error? Tell us and we will fix it.