Works with Alexa Local Connection Requirements

If your device connects to Alexa through a third-party hub, bridge, or gateway, or through the built-in hub in Amazon Echo devices, you must meet the local connection requirements to receive Works with Alexa (WWA) certification. These requirements apply to devices that connect to Echo devices with local control, and to skill-enabled devices and Alexa Connect Kit (ACK) devices that also support local connection protocols.

Bluetooth mesh requirements

If your product connects to Alexa by using the Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) mesh protocol, your product must meet the following requirements before you apply for WWA certification. For more details about the BLE mesh protocol, see the Bluetooth Specification List.

  • Your product must support BLE Mesh v1.1 and the following specifications:
    • Mesh Profile 1.0.1
    • Mesh Model 1.0.1
    • Mesh Device Properties 1.1
    • Mesh Configuration Database 1.0
  • Your product must support Static Out-of-Band (OOB) data provisioning to add your device to the mesh.
    For details about Static OOB authentication, see Section 5.4.2, Figure 5.12, Option 3c in the Mesh Profile 1.0.1 specification.
  • You must complete Bluetooth SIG Qualification testing for your product.
  • Your product must have a company identifier from Bluetooth Specifications Company Identifiers and a 16-bit hexadecimal product number that uniquely identifies the product within your company.
    When a customer provisions your device with the Amazon Echo, the messages exchanged between your device and the Echo include these identifiers.
  • You must provide your product information to Amazon.
  • You must test your BLE-mesh integration with an Echo device.

Provide product information to Amazon

To display your device correctly in the Alexa app, provide the following product information to Amazon on the Alexa Developer Contact Us page:

  1. Your company identifier from Bluetooth Specifications Company Identifiers.
    Provide the value found in the Decimal column of the table.
  2. Your product identifier.
    Provide the 16-bit hexadecimal number that uniquely identifies the BLE-mesh device within your company.
  3. The manufacturer name that you want to display in the Alexa app.
  4. The model name of your device that you want to display in the Alexa app.
  5. The product description that you want to display in the Alexa app
  6. The display category to use in the Alexa app.

Matter requirements

If your product connects to Alexa with Matter, your product must meet the following requirements before you apply for WWA certification. For more details about Matter, see Understand Smart Home Matter Support. These requirements apply to native Matter devices that connect directly to the Matter fabric and non-Matter devices exposed as Bridged devices through a Matter Bridge.

  • Your product must support the Matter 1.3 specifications or below, defined by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA).
  • Your product must be from one of the device categories supported by Alexa. For more details about devices in these categories, see Matter Device Library Specification, Version 1.3.
  • Your product must implement the Matter clusters for your device category. When you register for WWA certification, select the Alexa capability interfaces that correspond to these clusters as a supported capability. Also, if your product supports any of the optional features and implements the associated Matter clusters, specify the corresponding Alexa capability interfaces when you register your product. For details about Matter clusters and the corresponding Alexa capability interfaces, see Supported device categories and clusters.
  • Your product must have a valid Matter ProductID and Matter VendorID and receive certification by the CSA. And, you must register your ProductID and VendorID in the Distributed Compliance Ledger (DCL). For more details, see CSA Certification.
  • When you register for WWA certification, you must provide the 11-digit or 21-digit numeric code or the QR setup code for your sample device.
  • If your skill connects Matter-enabled devices to Alexa, either native Matter devices or non-Matter devices exposed by a Matter Bridge, you must report Matter attributes from your skill. For details, see Skill requirements for Matter-enabled products.
  • To enable DNS Device Detection by Alexa-enabled devices, your product must implement Extended Discovery in the device firmware. Then, Alexa can detect your device by using DNS-based Service Discovery. To configure Extended Discovery in the Matter SDK, include the following definitions in src/include/platform/CHIPDeviceConfig.h: 
    #define CHIP_DEVICE_CONFIG_ENABLE_EXTENDED_DISCOVERY 1
#define CHIP_DEVICE_CONFIG_ENABLE_COMMISSIONABLE_DEVICE_TYPE 1
#define CHIP_DEVICE_CONFIG_EXTENDED_DISCOVERY_TIMEOUT_SECS (24 * 60 * 60)
  • Verify that your device populates the UniqueID attribute of the Matter Basic Cluster with a unique random value and the NodeLabel attribute with a blank default value. Run the CHIP tool with the following commands and provide the run logs when you register for the WWA certification: 
    $ ./out/host/chip-tool basic read unique-id [nodeid] 0

$ ./out/host/chip-tool basic read node-label [nodeid] 0
  • If your product supports Frustration-Free Setup (FFS), your product must have a valid FFS Project ID.
  • Complete testing with a Matter-enabled Amazon Echo device.
  • Verify that Alexa can discover and control your device over the local Wi-Fi or Thread network.

Zigbee requirements

If your product connects to Alexa by using the Zigbee protocol, your product must meet the following requirements before you apply for WWA certification. For more details about the Zigbee protocol, see Zigbee Alliance Developer Resources.

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Last updated: Sep 24, 2024