www.makeuseof.com Alexa Won't Connect to Wi-Fi? A Troubleshooting Guide to Fix It
Amazon Alexa is a fantastic personal assistant, but it’s only useful if it can connect to the internet. When you ask Alexa a question or ask it to do something, it needs to “phone home” using your home network to obey your query.
As such, when Alexa has issues connecting to Wi-Fi, it stops being the handy home assistant and becomes an expensive paperweight. So, how can you fix Alexa not connecting to Wi-Fi? Let's explore some tricks you can try.
1. Check Your Internet Connection
Sometimes Alexa doesn’t have any problems connecting to your router, but the connection from the router to your ISP is down. As such, before you start tweaking settings and pressing buttons on your Alexa device, do a quick double-check that your internet connection isn’t down.
You can do this by grabbing any other device that's connected to the network and opening a web browser or using an online service. If you can't get an internet connection from your other device, the issue is highly likely to do with your network or internet connection as a whole.
2. Power-Cycle the Router
If your internet is perfectly fine, the fault may lie in your router. As such, give it a quick power cycle before you start editing Alexa’s settings.
Related: Internet Problems? How to Reset Your Router
The method to power-cycle a router differs from each model, but the general idea is always the same. Turn it off, wait for about 30 seconds for everything to clear, then turn it back on.
MAKEUSEOF VIDEO OF THE DAYRemember, anyone else connected to your router will also lose signal when you do this. Make sure nobody is in the middle of a game or movie before doing this!
3. Power-Cycle Your Alexa Device
If your router is working okay, it’s time to do the same thing with your Alexa device. You won't find a power button on an Alexa device, so you’ll need to unplug it from the mains directly.
Once it has no power. wait 30 seconds again to ensure it creates a clean slate for your device, then plug it back in again. Once your Alexa finishes its setup, check if you can now give it commands.
4. Re-Enter the Router Details You Gave Alexa
Sometimes the Alexa and the router are just fine, but the router details you gave your device aren't working as well as they should be. As such, going through the router setup process a second time may help dislodge whatever Alexa is stuck on and get you back online.
In the same vein, if you or someone else has recently changed the password on your router, it will cause all currently-connected devices to drop off. This is because they’re still trying to gain access with the old password, which no longer works. If this has happened recently, you'll need to set up your router on your Alexa again so you can give it the new, correct password.
To re-add your router, open up the Alexa app, then tap on Devices at the bottom. Select your Alexa device, then tap on the cog at the top-right. Finally, to the right of the Wi-Fi network, tap Change.
Go through the process of setting up your Wi-Fi again and enter your router’s password. Remember, if you or someone else has changed it, you’ll need to enter the new one during the setup process.
4 Images ExpandExpandExpandExpand5. Change Which Band the Alexa Device Connects To
If your router supports broadcasting on the 2.4 and 5GHz bands, you can try changing the device from one band to the other. The 2.4GHz band has a better range, so changing to that one from the 5GHz band may help give the device that extra boost in signal strength that it needs.
Related: What Is the Difference Between 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi Bands?
Doing this changes depending on what kind of router you have. Sometimes the router will broadcast two different channels, one for each channel. Sometimes the router only broadcasts one channel and intelligently sorts the devices into each band by itself.
Whichever method your dual-band router takes, try switching the Alexa device from one band to the other and see if that fixes your issue.
6. Reposition the Alexa Device or Router
If your router and Alexa device are a little bit apart, make sure they’re close enough for a solid connection. Amazon recommends a maximum distance of 30 feet or 10 meters between the two.
If they are relatively close together, make sure nothing is sitting in the middle that may interfere with the Wi-Fi signal. For example, if any other devices use Wi-Fi sitting in the way between your router and your Alexa hub, their signals may interfere with the communications.
Related: Wireless Feng Shui: How to Optimize Wi-Fi Reception in Your House
Also, ensure that there are no metal objects between the two. For example, microwaves can be a huge Wi-Fi signal killer, so be sure to move them out of the way of those. Wi-Fi signals also struggle to get through thick walls.
7. Factory Reset the Alexa Device
If nothing seems to work, you can factory reset the Alexa device and get it back to what it was like out of the box. Fortunately, doing so won’t delete any of the notes or reminders you have set up already, as Alexa stores everything in the cloud and not your device.
Resetting an Alexa device changes between models, so be sure to check out our guide on how to reset an Amazon Echo or check out your product’s official documentation for information on how to do this.
Getting Alexa Back Online
While Alexa can be very helpful, it's only good when it can connect to your Wi-Fi network and get on the internet. Hopefully, with these steps, you'll find the bugbear within your network and get your Amazon Alexa device back online.
Once Alexa is back on the internet, did you know that there are a bunch of voice commands you can give it to make your life easier? From adjusting the volume via voice control to picking a number within a range of numbers, Alexa can do more than you think.
15 Alexa Voice Commands Everyone Should Know Read NextShareTweetShareEmail Related TopicsAbout The AuthorSimon Batt(750 Articles Published)A Computer Science BSc graduate with a deep passion for all things security. After working for an indie game studio, he found his passion for writing and decided to use his skill set to write about all things tech.
MoreFrom Simon BattSubscribe to our newsletter
Join our newsletter for tech tips, reviews, free ebooks, and exclusive deals!
Click here to subscribe
