Alexa for Business now provides shared device connection status

Alexa for Business now enables you to view the connection status of your shared devices in the Alexa for Business console by showing whether they are online or offline. Shared devices can be placed in common areas, like conference rooms and building lobbies, and they are managed centrally using the Alexa for Business console. By monitoring the health status of these devices, you can quickly identify if any of them are disconnected and take corrective action.

There are two ways you can access the connection status of your shared Echo devices. First, you can navigate to the Alexa for Business console and choose Shared Devices in the menu. This page shows you all your devices, along with their connection status. Second, you can use Alexa for Business APIs to query the status of your devices. In both the options, the device will indicate one of 4 possible states:

• Online – The device is connected to the network and all skills and settings have been applied to the device.
• Offline – The device isn’t connected to the network. The device might be unplugged, or has become disconnected from the network.
• Sync in progress – The device is connected to the network, and Alexa for Business is applying skills and settings to the device.
• Sync needed –The device is connected to the network, but not all skills and settings have been applied to the device. This typically occurs when the devices are offline during a sync, and can be corrected by initiating a device sync from the console.

In addition to monitoring the status of individual devices, there are two ways you can track the overall status of all your shared devices. First, the dashboard in the Alexa for Business console shows you the total number of devices offline at any given moment, providing you with a quick snapshot of your devices. Second, you can use Amazon CloudWatch to set thresholds and configure alarms to alert you when a critical number of devices go offline.

Alexa for Business makes it easy for you to introduce Alexa to your organization, providing you the tools you need to manage Alexa devices, users, and skills at scale. You can view the connection status of shared devices in the Alexa for Business console in all AWS regions where the service is available. Visit the Alexa for Business website to learn more.