Amazon Echo setup - wifi issues

[Foresthippy]

Hi all,

 

I've been tasked with setting up some Amazon echo devices in a primary we support. They have a unifi wifi network which I have completely updated - APs, controller and switch all up to date. During the setup process for the Echo, when it comes to setting up the wifi, it has a good long try but eventually gives up saying it "couldn't connect to wifi". Annoyingly, I can see it connect quite happily to the AP via the unifi controller, and claim an IP from DHCP. I wondered if it might be trying to contact something online which is being blocked by the filter? Any thoughts? (Apart from ones about the suitability of Echo devices in school, which I have my doubts about).

 

Cheers,

John

[Jawloms]

And cue the debate about whether you've got permission from all the parents to record their children's voices and upload them to Amazon..........

[chaplic]

amazon echos will not work though an explicit proxy. Plus they need like a bajillion ports open to a gazillion IP addresses (slight exageration, only slightly)

[chaplic]

Suppose to give you a giggle I should share how I solved this as a PoC. This is very much a 'do not try this at home'

 

In a standalone lab with its own raw internet connection I have a SSL VPN server (just Microsoft RAS Server)

 

I have windows 7 VM running in an isolated VLAN, connecting to the VPN server (over the https proxy). I then share the VPN connection to the second vnic on the Virtual machine. In the same VLAN I have a dedicated wifi for the Alexas. So the alexas get an IP address from the Win7 machine sharing the VPN connection and traffic goes across the VPN tunnel and out the lab internet connection.

 

 

 

I've missed a few finer points, but surprisingly it works, I'm using Win7 as I found the internet connection sharing to be a lot more reliable.