This article explains how to use Alexa without a Wi-Fi internet connection. You'll also learn what Alexa can do offline and how to use Alexa with mobile data.

The processing power and storage available on Alexa devices are very limited, so most of Alexa’s functionality relies on an internet connection provided over Wi-Fi. This could be a standard Wi-Fi network like the one you have at home that uses your home internet connection, cellular data from a dedicated hotspot device, or a phone set up to act as a hotspot.

When you ask Alexa a question or ask Alexa to perform a task, your voice is recorded and sent over the internet to Amazon’s servers for processing. Without an internet connection, Alexa can’t understand your commands and wouldn’t know how to respond even if she did. This means that your Alexa loses almost all functionality when disconnected from the internet.

Alexa doesn’t care how it’s connected to the internet. All that matters is that it has an internet connection. The connection must be over Wi-Fi, since Echo devices don’t have Ethernet ports, but Alexa works just as well on cellular data as it does on your home internet connection. The easiest way to use Alexa with cellular data is to install the Alexa app on your phone. When you’re out of range of a Wi-Fi network and you go to use cellular data, the Alexa app will work just fine on your cellular connection.