Occupancy Routine Isn't Working

Here are ways to troubleshoot when your Occupancy Routine isn't working.

General troubleshooting

Note: It can take up to 30 minutes without motion or presence detected until the routine resets.

Make sure your Echo device’s mic is on.
Make sure that there’s nothing near your Echo device that could interfere with the device’s ability to detect people. Sources of interference can include speakers, air conditioners, machinery, or televisions.
Move your device closer to where you expect motion to occur.
For routines used to control lights, manually turning off the light doesn’t affect the routine and the 30-minute reset period may apply.
To confirm the Routine is triggering, check the Activity screen in the Routine's settings. If it is, then try deleting and resetting the actions configured for the Routine.
If you’re having issues with People are detected as your occupancy trigger:
- Don’t interact with your Echo device for at least 30 minutes. Make sure that your microphone is off and close the camera shutter on Echo Show devices.
- After 30 minutes, turn the microphone on again and open camera shutter as needed. Then trigger the Routine again with your presence or a voice command. If the routine is working, the detection should trigger your routine.
If you’re having issues with People aren't detected as your occupancy trigger:
- Trigger detection by interacting with your Echo device by voice. Then don’t interact with your device for at least 30 minutes. To prevent detection, make sure that the microphone is off and close the camera shutter on Echo Show devices. If the routine is working, it should trigger after 30 minutes without detecting anyone.

Troubleshooting can depend on the type of device you're using.

If you're using an Echo Dot (4th Generation or later) or Echo (4th Generation) device:

Switch the ultrasound motion detection setting off and on.
Reduce background noise in the room, including music playing on your Echo device or other speakers.
Walk up to the device to make sure that motion detection is triggering accurately.

If you're using an Echo Show 15, Echo Show 10 (3rd Generation), Echo Show 8 (2nd Generation), or Echo Show 5 (2nd Generation) device:

In your Echo Show Device Settings, check if Home Monitoring is on for your camera
Make sure that the camera shutter on your device is open. If you're starting an Occupancy Routine where people are present, make sure you're in view of the camera.
If your device is in a room with dim lighting, try interacting with Alexa by voice to trigger the Routine. Also, make sure there’s sufficient light in the room for the camera.

Additional ways to troubleshoot:

Check that your device is in an unobstructed location to observe the room better.
Check your Routine’s configuration, and make sure it’s active on the device you want.
If you want to use Occupancy Routines on more than one device, you must set one up for each device.
Check that your Echo device has connection to Wi-Fi.