Picture of the Alexa App displaying the Echo Device Configuration screen, with Update WiFi option circled.

How to Connect Alexa to Different WiFi

How to connect Alexa to a Different WiFi network? Well, to do 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 different WiFi connection that Alexa uses on either your desktop computer or mobile device.  Now below, we walk you through this process with an Alexa Echo Dot 2 speaker.  But the routine is about 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 iPad iOS-based tablet.

If you’ve previously linked this particular Alexa speaker to your Amazon account, you can keep some of its settings.  Indeed, you need not completely erase these account settings for that speaker. Not if  you’re just changing it to a different WiFi.

We’ll cover both cases here.  Case one is where you connect the speaker to WiFi for the first time on your Amazon account. The second case is where you’ve previously connected the speaker on your account. But now, you simply wish the speaker to connect to a different Wi-Fi network.

With your tablet and the Alexa app, changing the WiFi network your Amazon smart speaker connects to is painless.

We assume that you have linked the Alexa App to your Amazon account. Note also that we took the screen shots below with an Apple iPad Air. But a similar Alexa app for Android is also available from the Google Play store.

How to Connect Alexa to Different 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 described below.

Picture of the unboxed Amazon Echo Dot 2nd Gen speaker, plugged in and booting. Powering up.
Our Echo Dot 2nd Gen speaker, plugged in and booting. Powering up.

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.

Screenshot of the Alexa app on iOS, displaying its Home screen,. Showing the hamburger (Main) menu button.
The Alexa app on iOS, displaying its Home screen,. Showing the hamburger (Main) menu button.

3. Tap the Hamburger 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.

Screenshot of the app's main menu. Showing the -Settings- item.
The app’s main menu. Showing the -Settings- item.

4. Tap the Settings Menu Item to Continue with How to Connect Alexa to Different 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 pictured next.

Screenshot of the -Settings- screen. Showing the -Set Up A New Device- button.
The -Settings- screen. Showing the -Set Up A New Device- button.

5. Look for your Alexa Smart Speaker in the Resulting List

Note on the  Settings  screen shown above, that the app lists all of my Alexa devices.  These are the speakers that my Amazon account currently knows about.

If the speaker you’re changing shows on your  Settings  screen, then tap that entry. Then jump down to step 6 below. There, you update the saved Wi-Fi network to another.  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.  This prepares the speaker to connect to Wi-Fi 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.

Screenshot of the -Set Up A New Device- screen, the -Echo Dot- choice.
The -Set Up A New Device- screen, the -Echo Dot- choice.

5b. Choose the Device Type you’re Connecting

Pick this from the list of available speakers and accessories displayed in the last screenshot.  The Alexa app then shows the   Choose Language   screen, as displayed next.

Screenshot of the -Choose Language- screen, the -Continue- button.
The -Choose Language- screen, the -Continue- button.

5c. Choose the Language for the New Alexa Speaker to Continue with How to Connect Alexa to Different WiFi

In our case, the English language choice already shows in blue in the last picture.  But if you wanted to change this, tap on this link.  A list of available language options will then appear, with the current language choice checked.  There, you can simply tap on your preferred language.  The blue link will then reappear, and show the language you selected.  Once the desired language is showing, tap the blue   Continue   button.  Alexa then displays the  Begin Echo Dot Setup   screen, as shown in the next step.

6. Observe the   Begin Echo Dot Setup   Screen

This screen appears next.

Note that setting up a new speaker, or simply changing to another Wi-Fi network, both wind up at this screen.

Screenshot of the -Begin Echo Dot Setup- screen. Showing the -Connect To Wi-Fi- button.
The -Begin Echo Dot Setup- screen. Showing the -Connect To Wi-Fi- button.

7. Tap the   Connect to Wi-Fi   Button

The  Setup->Wait for the Orange Light Ring   screen then displays, as shown next.

Screenshot of the -Setup-Wait For Orange Light- screen.  Showing the -Continue- button.
The -Setup-Wait For Orange Light- screen.  Showing the -Continue- button.

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, locate the  Action  button on your speaker. Then press and hold it for roughly five seconds. The Action button is the one with the small white circle.  This forces the Alexa speaker to enter Wi-Fi setup mode. It then announces, “Now in setup mode. Follow the instructions in the Alexa app.”

A rotating orange blip then appears on the light ring, as pictured next. But do not proceed to the next step until you’ve heard this announcement, and see this rotating orange glow.

Do not place the smart speaker into WiFi setup mode until the screen above shows on your tablet. If you do this too early, and then advance the Alexa app to this point, sometimes this can confuse Alexa. This might force you to set up the speaker as a brand new device.   However this may not be what you wanted.  So be careful.

Picture of the Alexa Dot Gen 2 in -Setup- mode. Showing the light ring with orange blip circling. Continuing with How to Connect Alexa to Different WiFi.
The Alexa Dot Gen 2 in -Setup- mode. Showing the light ring with orange blip circling.

8. Tap the   Continue   Button to Continue with How to Connect Alexa to Different WiFi

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 connect your iPad to the speaker.

Screenshot of the app displaying the -Echo Dot Setup-Connect Your iPad To Echo Dot- screen.
The app displaying the -Echo Dot Setup-Connect Your iPad To Echo Dot- screen.

9. Go into your Tablet’s Settings Page

Press the Home button on your mobile device. This minimizes the Alexa app. Then, locate the   Settings   app and tap it.  In my iPad, we find the   Settings   app on the second home page as shown below. Note though, that you may find this app elsewhere on your mobile device.

Picture of an iOS Home screen. Showing the -Settings- app.
An iOS Home screen. Showing the -Settings- app.

10. Tap the WiFi Settings Item

This begins a scan for in-range Wi-Fi networks by your tablet. A partial list of networks that my 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 Alexa speaker. Then, wait some seconds for it to appear.

If you still do not see it, reboot your speaker. Then, once the light ring goes out, repeat from step 5 above. The orange ring must appear as described in that step. To see the Amazon-XXX network, the speaker must display the orange ring.  That is, it must be in setup mode.

Picture of the iOS Settings-WiFi screen. showing the available AMAZON-XXX network. Not connected yet though.
The iOS Settings-WiFi screen. showing the available AMAZON-XXX network. Not connected yet though.

11. Tap the Amazon-XXX Network to Continue with How to Connect Alexa to Different WiFi

The connection should link immediately.  No password prompt appears for this unsecured network.

Once connected, your Wi-Fi settings screen should appear something like the next picture. We’ve now connected to Amazon-E9W.

Screenshot of the successful connection with the AMAZON-XXX network. Continuing with How to Connect Alexa to Different WiFi.
The successful connection with the AMAZON-XXX network.

Your speaker should also announce something like the following: “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.

Screenshot of the iOS Home screen again. This time showing the Amazon Alexa app icon.
Back to the iOS Home screen. This time showing the Amazon Alexa app icon.

The following screen then appears. It shows the tablet now connected to your Alexa speaker.

Screenshot of the -Connected To Echo Dot- screen. Showing the -Continue- button.
The -Connected To Echo Dot- screen. Showing the -Continue- button.

13. Press the Blue  Continue  Button 

on the screen pictured above. This starts a scan by your speaker, for available Wi-Fi networks from its vantage point.  Once the scan finishes, the  Choose Your Wi-Fi Network  screen appears, as shown next. This screen shows a list of the in-range wireless networks found by your smart speaker during the scan.

Screenshot of the -Setup-Select Your Wi-Fi Network- screen. Showing the WiFi network we want Alexa to connect with.
The -Setup-Select Your Wi-Fi Network- screen. Showing the WiFi network we want Alexa to connect with.

14. Tap your Desired WiFi Network to Continue with How to Connect Alexa to Different WiFi

Pick the Wi Fi 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.

Perhaps you’ve never linked with this network before in your current Amazon account.  In that case, the Alexa app prompts for this network’s password, as shown next.  The screen you see may differ slightly. But the password prompt function will indeed be the same.

Screenshot of the app prompting for WiFi password. Showing the virtual keyboard. Continuing with How to Connect Alexa to Different WiFi.
The app prompting for WiFi password. Showing the virtual keyboard.

15. Enter the WiFi Password if Requested

Use that virtual keyboard to tap in your Wi-Fi network’s password. When finished, hide the keyboard. You should observe a screen similar to the following, showing the password entered.

Screenshot of the -WiFi Password Prompt- screen.
The -WiFi Password Prompt- screen.

16. Press the Continue Button

This begins attempts by your Alexa speaker to connect to the wireless 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.

Screenshot of the -Setup-Preparing Your Echo Dot- screen.
The -Setup-Preparing Your Echo Dot- screen.

If all goes well, the   Setup Complete   screen appears, as pictured next. Your speaker has successfully connected to the  WiFi that you chose.  Plus, she was able to connect with the Alexa servers at Amazon as well.

Screenshot of the -Setup Complete- screen. Showing the -Continue- button. Continuing with How to Connect Alexa to Different WiFi
The -Setup Complete- screen. Showing the -Continue- button.

Finally, your Alexa speaker should announce something like, “Your Echo Dot is now ready.”

17. Press the Continue Button to Continue with How to Connect Alexa to Different WiFi

This takes you out of the   Setup Complete  screen and back to the Alexa App Home screen, as shown next.

Screenshot of the app -Home- screen again. But now, the process for how to connect Alexa to Different WiFi is complete, and working well.
Back to the app -Home- screen. But this time, the process for how to connect Alexa to Different WiFi is complete, and working well.

18. Test Out your Alexa Speaker

Ask, “Alexa, what time is it,” or “Alexa, what’s the weather?”

Then if she responds with appropriate answers, the speaker is thus ready for use.

Execute this procedure any time you wish to change your speaker’s preferred Wi-Fi network to another one.

19. Done with How to Connect Alexa to Different WiFi !

You have now completed this task.  Congratulations!

Qualifiers

    • 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.

Other Alexa Posts

    1. How to Connect Honeywell Thermostat to Alexa
    2. How to Reset Amazon Alexa Echo Gen 2
    3. Find Pandora on Alexa App Instructions
    4. Pairing JBL Charge 3 with Amazon Alexa Dot
    5. How to Change Alexa Name, Rename

References for How to Connect Alexa to Different WiFi

    1. What is Amazon Alexa? on Wikipedia
    2. Alexa Official Product Page
    3. Where to Buy an Alexa

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