ACK Device Features

The Alexa Connect Kit (ACK) offers features that improve the customer setup experience. To build and launch an ACK-based define, ACK offers some required features and optional add-ons to enhance your product.

Required and optional device features

ACK offers some required features and optional add-ons to enhance your product. The following table summarizes these device features for each ACK development option.

Feature ACK SDK for Matter ACK SDK ACK Module

Frustration-Free Setup features

    Matter simple setup (MSS)

Required

—

—

    Zero-touch setup (ZTS)

Required

Required

Required

    Light-touch setup (LTS)

Required

—

—

    Auto Discovery

—

Required

Required

Over-the-air updates

Required

Required

Required

ACK Analytics Service

Required

Required

Required

Dash Replenishment Service

—

Optional

Optional

Alexa smart home energy

—

—

Optional

Frustration-Free Setup

ACK-based products use Amazon Frustration-Free Setup (FFS) to connect devices to a Wi-Fi network and register them with Alexa.

By implementing FFS on your device, you can use the same Alexa setup and authentication technology that Amazon uses for its own devices. You don't have to create a separate companion app to guide users through setup. Users benefit by not having to switch between different apps during the setup process.

Your ACK-based device has the following setup modes. For details, see User-Initiated Triggers.

  • Matter simple setup (MSS) – Requires no customer interaction. FFS automatically configures and registers the device with Alexa when the customer powers on the device with Matter over Wi-Fi. Requires the Matter certification from the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA). Available to ACK SDK for Matter only.
  • Zero-touch setup (ZTS) – Requires no customer interaction. FFS automatically configures and registers the device with Alexa when the customer powers on the device for the first time. Requires the customer to purchase the device at an Amazon retail site and opt-in to link their device to their Amazon account.
  • Light-touch setup (ZTS) – Requires minimal customer interaction. FFS automatically configures and registers the device with Alexa when the customer powers on the device and accepts setup through the Alexa app.
  • Barcode setup (BCS) – The customer sets up the device by scanning an on-device barcode with the Alexa app.
  • User-guided setup (UGS) – The customer sets up the device by following instructions in the Alexa app.

Auto discovery is an FFS feature that automatically detects unregistered ACK-based devices. With auto discovery enabled, a user plugs in their device and opens the Alexa app on their phone. The app displays a card that connects the user directly to the device setup page. This feature allows users to skip the usual intermediate device setup steps. For details, contact your ACK representative.

Over-the-air updates

The ACK over-the-air (OTA) update service lets you manage your ACK module firmware and host microcontroller unit (HMCU) firmware on devices in the field.

The OTA update system offers various useful features. For example, you can deploy updates to groups of test devices in the field, or you can stagger the timing of device updates to ensure that they execute correctly. For more details, contact your ACK support engineer.

ACK Analytics Service

You can use the ACK analytics service to collect, store, and analyze data about the performance and use of your ACK-based products. If you choose to collect logs or metrics, the ACK analytics service gathers and stores the requested data from your ACK-based devices. The analytics service can collect data from the following categories: product logs, operational metrics, product metrics, heartbeat metrics, and registration metrics.. You can choose whether to enable collection of logs and metrics for your ACK-based products when designing the product firmware. For more details, see ACK Analytics Service.

Dash Replenishment Service

Dash Replenishment Service (DRS) is an Alexa integration that makes reordering supplies or replacement parts easier for your users.

After set up, your users can track supply levels within the Alexa app, receive notifications from Alexa when supplies are running low, and smart reorder from Amazon. For details, see the Dash Replenishment Overview and contact your ACK support engineer."

Alexa smart energy (ASE)

ACK-based devices can use smart home energy APIs to estimate the amount of energy your device consumes. Users can then review and manage their energy usage in the Alexa energy dashboard. Available to the ACK module solution only.

You can integrate an energy dashboard into your device in the following two ways.

The Alexa smart energy (ASE) Smart Home APIs are available only with version 4 or higher of the ACK Device SDK. For details about ASE, see Smart Home Energy.

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Last updated: Nov 05, 2025