,How to connect Alexa to new WiFi? For that you must put that Alexa speaker into Setup mode first. There, you choose the WiFi network you’d like to have the speaker log into. You can set a new WiFi network that Alexa uses on either your desktop computer or mobile device. Now below, we walk you through this routine with an Alexa Echo Dot 2 speaker. But these instructions are almost the same for connecting the other Alexa speakers. These include the Dot 1 and 3, the Echo 1 and Echo 2, the Tap, and the Spot. We ran this demo on our aging iPad Air iOS-based tablet.
So perhaps you already linked this Alexa to your Amazon account before. Then in that case you can keep some of its settings when connecting to a new WiFi. Indeed, you need not completely erase these account settings for that speaker. Not if you’re just connecting to a new WiFi.
We’ll cover both cases here.
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- Case one is where you connect the speaker to new WiFi for the first time.
- The second is where you already connected the speaker on your account. But now, you simply wish this Alexa to connect to new WiFi.
To prepare, please link the Alexa App to your Amazon account first. Note also. Yes, we took the screen shots below from an Apple iPad Air running iOS. But a similar app for Android devices works about the same.
Connect Alexa to New WiFi: Step by Step
1. Connect your Alexa Speaker to Power
If not already running, plug your speaker into a power source. You must power on the speaker first. Why? Because you’ll need to access the network parameters stored in its memory, as discussed below.
2. Run the Alexa App on your Tablet
Start by running this app on your tablet. The Alexa app lets you access your Alexa devices and settings. The app Home screen then shows, as pictured next.
3. Tap the Hamburger Shaped Menu Control
Find this item pointed at by the blue arrow in the last picture.
Tapping this control once brings up the main menu, as shown next.
4. Tap the Settings Menu Item to Continue with How to Connect Alexa to New WiFi
We’ve circled the Settings item in blue in the last picture, found in the black-background menu at left-screen.
The Settings screen then appears as shown next.
5. Look for your Alexa in the List
Note on the Settings screen that the app lists all of the Alexa devices in your Amazon account. Thus these are the speakers that the Amazon account currently knows about.
If the speaker you’re connecting to new WiFi shows on your Settings screen, then tap that entry. Then jump down to step 6 below. There, you update the saved WiFi network to a new one. This skips some of the early steps needed to do a full setup of a brand new speaker.
But if your speaker is not on the list, then you’ll need to get it into setup mode next. This readies the speaker to connect to new WiFi first. This is just as you would do if you were adding a new Alexa speaker to your Amazon account. In that case, continue on with the next step (Step 5a) to do that.
5a. Tap the Set Up a New Device Button
Find this button pointed at by the blue arrow in the last picture.
The Alexa app then displays the Set Up a New Device screen, as shown in the next picture.
5b. Choose the Device Type You’re Connecting
Pick this from the list of available speakers and accessories.
The Alexa app then shows the Choose Language screen.
5c. Choose the Language for the New Alexa Speaker
In our case, the English language choice already appears in blue in the last picture. But if you need to change this, tap on this link. A list of available language options then appears, with the current language choice checked. There, tap on your preferred language. The blue link then reappears, showing the language you selected. Once the language you want shows, tap the blue Continue button. Alexa then displays the Begin Echo Dot Setup screen, as shown in the next step.
6. See the Begin Echo Dot Setup Screen Appear
Note that setting up a new Alexa, or simply changing to a new WiFi works the same from this point.
7. Tap the Connect to Wi-Fi Button to Continue with How to Connect Alexa to New WiFi
The Setup->Wait for the Orange Light Ring screen then displays, as shown next.
Wait for a minute or so for your Alexa speaker light ring to glow in a spinning orange-yellow pattern.
If the orange light ring does not come on after a few minutes, find the Action button on your speaker. Then press and gently hold it in for roughly five seconds. The Action button has the small white circle on the Dot 2. This forces the Alexa speaker to enter new WiFi setup mode. The speaker then says, “Now in setup mode. Follow the instructions in the Alexa app.”
A spinning orange blip then starts running around on the light ring, as pictured next. But do not go on to the next step until you hear this and see the orange glow.
Warning
Do not place the speaker into new WiFi setup mode until the screen above shows on your tablet. Why? Because you can start setup on the speaker too early and advance the Alexa app to this point. But sometimes starting too quickly can confuse the app. Thus you might have to set up the speaker as a brand new device. But this may not be what you wanted. So be cautious! Do not turn on setup on the speaker until you get the app to the screen shown above.
8. Tap the Continue Button
Find this button back in the Alexa app.
This brings up the Echo Dot Setup->Connect your iPad to Echo Dot screen, as shown next. This screen stays up until you connect your mobile device to the Amazon-xxx WiFi network. The speaker creates this network for setup purposes.
Continue on with the next step to link your iPad locally to the speaker.
9. Go into your Tablet’s / Phone’s Settings Page
Press the Home button on your mobile device. This collapses the Alexa app, revealing the Home screen.
Next, find your mobile device’s Settings app and tap it. On our iPad, we find the Settings app on the second home page as shown below. Note though, that you may see this app elsewhere on your phone / tablet.
10. Tap the Wi-Fi Settings Item
This begins a scan for in-range WiFi networks by your tablet. A partial list of networks that our iPad found appears next.
Note that it found the Amazon-E9W wireless network. This WiFi SSID comes from our Echo Dot 2 speaker in Setup mode. The Dot is in Setup when light ring glows orange.
If you do not see the Amazon-XXX network, move your tablet closer to your speaker. Then, wait some seconds for it to appear. You may also not see it if your speaker has timed out and left setup mode.
Reboot your speaker if the Amazon-XXX WiFi network still does not show up. Then, once the light ring goes out, repeat from step 5 above. The orange ring must appear as explained in that step. To see the Amazon-XXX network, the speaker must display the orange ring. That is, it must be in Setup mode. This network is not discoverable unless the speaker is indeed in Setup.
11. Tap the Amazon-XXX Network to Continue with How to Connect Alexa to New WiFi
The connection should link right away. No password prompt appears for this unsecured ad hoc WiFi network.
Once connected, your WiFi settings screen on your mobile device should appear something like the next picture. In our case, this shows that we’ve now connected to Amazon-E9W.
Your speaker should also speak a message similar to: “You’ve connected to Echo Dot. Go ahead and finish the setup in the Alexa app.”
12. Go Back to the Alexa App
Press the Home button on your tablet to return to the Home page. Find the Alexa app. Ours is on Home Page 3, as shown below. Tap the Alexa app then.
The following screen then appears. It shows the tablet now connected to your Alexa speaker.
13. Press the Blue Continue Button
Find this in the lower right corner on the screen pictured above.
This starts a scan by your smart speaker, for available WiFi networks from its viewpoint.
Once the scan finishes, the Choose Your Wi-Fi Network screen appears, as shown next. This screen shows a list of the in-range networks found by your speaker during the scan.
14. Tap the New WiFi Network to Connect With
Pick the new WiFi network you’d like your speaker to connect to, on the Choose Your Wi-Fi Network screen above. In our case, we picked the 937T681J4059H_2G_Guest network.
Maybe you’ve never connected with this WiFi before in your current Amazon account. In that case, the Alexa app prompts for this network’s password, as shown next. Indeed, the screen you see may differ slightly. But the password prompt function will indeed be the same.
15. Enter the WiFi Password if Requested to Continue with How to Connect Alexa to New WiFi
Use that virtual keyboard to tap in your Wi-Fi network’s password. When finished, hide the keyboard. You should then see a screen like the following, showing the password entered.
16. Press the Continue Button
This begins attempts by your Alexa speaker to connect to the WiFi network you chose in step 13. During this connection process, the Preparing your Echo Dot screen appears, displaying an advancing progress bar, as shown next.
If all goes well, the Setup Complete screen appears, as shown next. Your speaker has successfully connected to your chosen new WiFi network.
Finally, your Alexa speaker should say something like, “Your Echo Dot is now ready.”
17. Press the Continue Button
This takes you out of the Setup Complete screen and back to the Alexa App Home screen, as shown next.
18. Test your Alexa Speaker
Ask, “Alexa, what time is it?” or “Alexa, what’s the weather?”
Then if she responds with the right answers, then the speaker is working and ready for use.
Run this procedure any time you wish to connect Alexa to new WiFi.
Qualifiers for How To Connect Alexa to New WiFi
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- This post pertains to the following software and hardware versions of the components referenced herein:
- iOS 11.2.5
- Alexa App: Client Version 1.24.4244.0; Bridge version 2.2.2471.0
- Amazon Echo Dot, 2nd Generation, running device software version 599473420.
- This post pertains to the following software and hardware versions of the components referenced herein: