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Control Your Dish Hopper DVR Via Amazon Alexa

Once you get it set up, you'll be able to ask Alexa to navigate, play, pause, fast forward, rewind, and search content based on channel, title, actor, or genre.

Angela Moscaritolo
 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

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Happen to be a Dish customer and also have an Amazon Echo or Tap device? We have some good news.

Dish on Monday announced that its Wally receivers and Hopper DVRs now play nice with Alexa, the virtual personal assistant that powers Amazon's Echo, Echo Dot, and Tap speakers. The integration will let you control your Hopper or Wally with just your voice.

Once you get it set up (instructions below), you'll be able to ask Alexa to navigate, play, pause, fast forward, rewind, and search content based on channel, title, actor, or genre. You can say things like "Alexa, change the channel to ESPN," "Alexa, find The Big Bang Theory," "Alexa, search for comedies," "Alexa, skip forward," "Alexa, rewind 30 seconds," and more. The universal search function works across Dish's live, recorded, and on-demand titles, plus Netflix.

Dish said it's the first TV provider to offer "direct compatibility" with Alexa.

"We think this is a big step forward for the television experience, and that customers will love this new voice functionality on Dish," Amazon Alexa Director Rob Pulciani said in a statement.

The feature works with all internet-connected Hopper and Wally devices. You'll also need an Echo, Echo Dot, or Amazon Tap.

To set it up, just enable Dish TV in the Alexa app (open the app, select Music, Video & Books > Dish TV > Enable Skill). From there, turn on your Hopper or Wally, go to Menu > Settings > Amazon Alexa > Get Code. Then, enter the code into the Alexa app, select Activate, and click Done. Finally, select your desired Hopper or Wally receiver from the list of discoverable devices in the Alexa app and press Link Devices. For more information about the integration, head here.

Meanwhile, Dish also today announced that its Dish Anywhere app is now available on Amazon Fire TV devices. This allows Hopper customers to watch all their live and recorded content, plus on-demand titles from any TV via the Fire TV or Fire TV Stick. The Dish Anywhere app is already available on phones, tablets, and computers and now Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick are the first media players to support the app.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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