Picture of the Amazon Alexa Echo Dot Gen 2 smart speaker with its Mic OFF, muted, showing the glowing red light ring.

How to Reconnect Echo Dot to New WiFi

You need not completely erase your Amazon Echo settings in the Alexa app in order to reconnect Echo Dot to new WiFi. Armed with your tablet or phone with the Amazon Alexa app, reconnecting your Dot to a different WiFi network is a snap, as follows.





We assume here that the Amazon Alexa App has previously been set to your Amazon account, and that the Amazon Echo Dot you’re updating has been added to your Alexa app prior. The screen shots below were taken from an Apple iPad Air. But a similar Alexa app for Android is also available from the Google Play store.

How to Reconnect Echo Dot to New WiFi

1. Connect your Echo Dot to Power

If not already operating, plug your Alexa Dot into a power source.  Why?  Because you’ll need to access the network parameters stored in its memory, as described below. You won’t be able to do this though, without power.

2. Run the Alexa App on your Mobile Device

To get started, run this app on your tablet or phone. This gives access to your current Alexa devices and settings.

The Alexa App Home screen then appears as pictured next.

Picture of the Amazon Alexa App, displaying its Home screen.
Amazon Alexa App, displaying its Home screen.

3. Tap the Settings Menu Item to Continue with How to Reconnect Echo Dot to New WiFi

On the Alexa App Home screen above, tap the   Settings   option, found in the black-background menu at left-screen.

The   Settings   screen then appears as pictured next.

Picture of the Settings screen on the iOS Alexa App.
Alexa App Settings screen.

4. Choose the Echo Dot Device to Reconnect

Select the Echo device you wish to reconnect to WiFi, located under the Alexa Devices section on the screen above.

The device configuration page for the Echo device you selected then appears, as pictured next. We circled the   Update WiFi   option on that device page, that we’ll go into in the next step.

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

5. Next, tap the  Update WiFi  Item

After pressing the   Update WiFi  option above, an illustration of the Echo Dot displays next (2nd generation here).  It shows where the   Action  button is, as pictured next. Press this button to perform the next step (step 6).

Picture of the Alexa App, displaying the Echo Dot Setup Screen, Press Action Button Illustration of where the Action button on the 2nd generation Dot is located on the device.
Alexa App, displaying the Echo Dot Setup Screen, Press Action Button Illustration of where the Action button on the 2nd generation Dot is located on the device.

6. Press and Hold the Echo Dot’s Action Button for about Five seconds to Continue with How to Reconnect Echo Dot to New WiFi

Find the   Action  button on your Dot as shown in the last picture.  Then, press and hold it for roughly five seconds (It’s the button with the small white circle printed in its center).

This forces the Echo Dot to enter WiFi setup mode. The Echo 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. Do not move on to the next step until you hear this message and see this rotating orange blip.

We suggest that you not place the Echo Dot into WiFi setup mode until the screen in step 6 is showing on your mobile device. If you do that first, and then advance the Alexa app to this point, sometimes this can confuse the app. Then the system forces you to set up the Dot as a totally new device. But following the steps in this routine eliminates that risk.

Picture of the Echo Dot Gen 2 in Setup Mode, showing Light Ring with orange blip circling.
Echo Dot Gen 2 in Setup Mode, showing Light Ring with orange blip circling.

7. Press the Continue Button back in the Alexa App

Once you see the light ring glowing orange, return to your mobile device and the Alexa app.  There, press the blue continue button.

The Connect to Echo Dot prompt screen then displays as follows.

Picture of the Amazon Alexa App, Prompting to Connect your tablet to Echo Dot.
Amazon Alexa App, Prompting to Connect your tablet to Echo Dot.

8. Visit your Mobile Device’s Settings Page

Press the Home button on your mobile device (tablet or phone).

This minimizes the Alexa app.

Then, find the Settings app and tap it. In our iPad Air, we find the   Settings   app on the second home page as shown below, although this app may be elsewhere on your device.

Picture of an iPad Home screen, with the Settings app highlighted by an arrow.
iOS Home Screen with Settings App Highlighted.

9. Tap the WiFi Settings item to Continue with How to Reconnect Echo Dot to New WiFi

This starts a scan for in-range WiFi networks by your tablet.

We show next a partial list of WiFi nets that our iPad found. Note that it found the Amazon-E9W WiFi. This is the SSID being broadcast by our Echo Dot running in setup mode.

If you do not see the Amazon-XXX network, move your mobile device closer to the Echo Dot and wait some seconds for it to appear. If you still do not see it, reboot your Dot.  Then, once the light ring goes out, repeat step 5 above. The orange ring must appear as described in that step, in order to see the Amazon-XXX network.

Picture of the iOS Settings WiFi Screen, showing the available AMAZON-XXX Network Highlighted though not yet connected.
iOS Settings WiFi Screen, showing the available AMAZON-XXX Network Highlighted though not yet connected.

10. Tap the Amazon-XXX Network

The connection should link up right away, as the Amazon-XXX network is unsecured. You need no password for this ad hoc network.

Once connected, your WiFi settings screen should look something like the next picture. Note that we’re now connected to Amazon-E9W.

Picture of the iOS Settings WiFi Screen, showing successful connection with the AMAZON-XXX network.
iOS Settings WiFi Screen, showing successful connection with the AMAZON-XXX network.

Your Dot should also announce something like the following: “You’ve connected to Echo Dot. Go ahead and finish the setup in the Alexa app.”

11. Go back to the Alexa App

Press the   Home  button on your mobile device to return to its   Home   page.





Then, find the Alexa app. Ours is on Home Page 3, as shown below.

Finally, tap the Alexa app.

Picture of the iOS Home screen with the Alexa App highlighted.
iOS Home screen with Alexa App highlighted.

The following screen then appears, showing that the mobile device is now connected to the Echo Dot.

Picture of the Amazon Alexa App, displaying the -Connected Echo Dot- screen.
Amazon Alexa App, displaying the -Connected Echo Dot- screen.

12. Press the Continue Button to Move Forward with How to Reconnect Echo Dot to New WiFi

Press the blue   Continue  button on the screen pictured above. This starts a scan by your Echo Dot, for available WiFi networks from its vantage point.

Once the scan finishes, the   Choose Your WiFi Network   screen appears, as shown next, which displays a list of the in-range WiFi networks detected by your Dot during the scan.

Picture of the Amazon Alexa App, displaying the -Select Your WiFi Network- screen.
Amazon Alexa App, displaying the -Select Your WiFi Network- screen.

13. Tap your Desired WiFi

Pick the network you’d like your Dot to connect to on the Choose Your WiFi Network screen above.

You’ll then be prompted for that network’s password, as shown next.

Picture of the Amazon Alexa App, prompting for WiFi password.
Amazon Alexa App, prompting for WiFi password, and virtual keyboard displaying too.

14. Enter the WiFi Password

Use that virtual keyboard to tap in the WiFi password. When finished, hide the keyboard.

You should see the following screen, showing the password entered.

Picture of the Amazon Alexa App, displaying the WiFi Password Entry screen.
Amazon Alexa App, displaying the WiFi Password Entry screen.

15. Press the Continue Button to Continue with How to Reconnect Echo Dot to New WiFi

Tapping the Continue button starts attempts by your Echo Dot 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.

Picture of the Amazon Alexa App, displaying the -Preparing Your Echo Dot- screen.
Amazon Alexa App, displaying the -Preparing Your Echo Dot- screen.

If all goes well, the Setup Complete screen appears, as pictured next.  This means that your Dot has successfully connected to the new WiFi network you specified.  It also means that Alexa was also able to reconnect with the Alexa servers at Amazon through that new WiFi connection as well.

Picture of the Amazon Alexa App, displaying the Setup Complete screen.
Amazon Alexa App, displaying the Setup Complete screen.

Also, your Echo Dot should announce something like, “Your Echo Dot is now ready.”

16. Press the Continue Button

Tapping this button on your tablet takes you out of the   Setup Complete  screen and back to the Alexa App   Home   screen.

17. Test Out your Echo Dot

Ask, “Alexa, what time is it?” or “Alexa, what’s the weather?” If she responds with appropriate answers, then your Echo Dot is ready for use. Enjoy!

Run this reconnect routine whenever you wish to change your Echo Dot’s default WiFi.

18. Done with How to Reconnect Echo Dot to New WiFi !





Qualifiers

  • This post pertains to the following software and hardware versions of the components referenced herein:
    • iOS 10.1.1
    • Alexa App: Client Version 1.24.698.0; Bridge version 1.16.39.0
    • Amazon Echo Dot, 2nd Generation

Other Posts About Echo Dot Alexa Speakers

  1. Amazon Alexa Echo Dot Setup Help Instructions
  2. Can you Connect Echo Dot to JBL Speaker ?
  3. How to Connect Amazon Alexa Echo Smart Speaker to Bluetooth Speaker
  4. Restart Echo Dot Instructions, How to Restart Echo Dots
  5. Change Echo Dot Wake Word, How To

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References for How to Reconnect Echo Dot to New WiFi

  1. What is Amazon Echo? on Wikipedia

Revision History

  • 2019-04-02: Improved key phrase targeting and removed ad code.
  • 2018-07-28: First published.