Why Won’t Alexa Connect to My Hotspot? – Easy Solutions

Pondering why won’t Alexa connect to my hotspot? You’ve found the answer!

Although a hotspot works the same as a regular WiFi network created by a router, there are still some techniques and functionality specifications you should be aware of.

That’s why in this guide, we’ll be going over the initial hotspot setup and what to do if it doesn’t work on Alexa!

The answer to “why won’t my Alexa pair to the hotspot”, is either an issue with the mobile data/hotspot feature or a fault with the Amazon app. Other causes involve distance-related interferences, issues with the speaker itself, or mobile faults.

To help you understand everything about the process, keep reading our guide!

Can Alexa Connect to Hotspot – All Answers!

Whenever the WiFi in your home is unavailable, you’ll be thinking of other ways to supply your Alexa with the internet.

One of those options is to use the hotspot on your mobile phone as the wireless access point, where your Echo Dot will pair and benefit from your mobile data.

Alexa could connect to your mobile hotspot, but we strongly suggest setting up the speaker through WiFi first. 

Let’s learn more!

How to Connect Alexa to Hotspot?

Before we review how to address the potential problems preventing your Alexa from connecting to hotspots, let’s first find out how the setup is done.

You may have missed out on something during the setup (passwords, WAP info, Mobile Data feature, etc.), that has failed the process.

Here’s how to connect your Alexa to your hotspot device/mobile in easy steps:

1. On your mobile device (or hotspot transmitter), ensure you’ve enabled Mobile Data.
2. Enable the “Wireless Hotspot” feature, on your mobile device.
3. Launch the Amazon Alexa app on your phone.
4. Navigate to Settings.
5. Head to Device Settings.
6. Select the Alexa speaker, that you wish to connect with the hotspot.
7. Scroll down a little and press “Change”, next to ‘WiFi Network’.
8. On the next page, select your device’s WiFi.
9. Complete the remaining instructions to pair your Alexa to the hotspot.

In Alexa’s connection tab, the hotspot of your mobile device will appear under the name of your phone. You’ll be able to check your phone’s WAP name, in the hotspot tab, in the settings.

Tip: For iPhone devices, the default hotspot WAP (Wireless Access Point) name is “iPhone”.

Alexa Won’t Connect to Hotspot – Fixed!

After answering your inquiries about “why won’t Alexa connect to my hotspot”, it’s time to troubleshoot the problem!

We’ll be going over the best solutions you could think of and the view across the community, as well as reviewing some user opinions and workarounds!

Let’s jump into the guide right away!

Solution #1 Restart the Hotspot Feature

The first and most easy solution we’ll be trying is to Restart the hotspot, on your mobile device.

Chances are that the feature on your hotspot carrier or mobile device has glitched, preventing Alexa from establishing a connection with the wireless network.

• If using a hotspot device, simply power it OFF/ON using the Power Button!

For most mobile devices, here’s how to restart the hotspot:

1. (Optional) Use the “quick access menu” to turn the feature OFF/ON.
2. Head to Settings.
3. Press the Mobile Data tab.
4. Scroll down and select “Hotspot”.
5. On the next page, press the Activation Slider to disable the feature.
6. Wait for 30 seconds.
7. Turn the hotspot back ON.
8. Connect the Echo Dot speaker and try the connection.

Keep in mind that in order for the hotspot to appear in your Alexa settings, the “Hotspot” feature must be enabled.

For the internet to be available on the connection, the “Mobile Data” setting must also be enabled for your mobile device.

Note: If using a hotspot carrier device, you only have to turn on the device to connect with it.

Solution #2 Power Cycle your Alexa Device

In this solution, we’ll be performing a Power Cycle on your Echo Dot speaker!

It’s an effective way to get rid of temporal software and hardware problems with the device and is relatively easy to execute.

To perform a power cycle basically, you’ll have to cut off the power supply to the targeted device for a particular amount of time.

Here’s how to power cycle your Alexa device in easy steps:

1. Hold the Power Button of the Alexa device to shut it down.
2. Unplug the Power Cord of the device from the electrical outlet.
3. Wait for 5 minutes, while the Alexa device is unplugged.
4. Re-attach the power cable of the Echo Dot device back into the outlet.
5. Wait for the Alexa speaker to start up.
6. Connect it to the hotspot.

Once the power cycle on your Alexa has been completed and you re-attach the cable, the device will automatically start.

Alert: If the amber light on your Alexa is blinking, it means that an update is coming through.

Solution #3 Place Hotspot Closer to Alexa

Unlike WiFi transmitted from a network router, your mobile’s hotspot is much more sensitive about distance visibility.

Placing your phone too far from Alexa, either during setup or when the speaker is already connected, will immediately cause the connection to be dropped.

The only way to maintain a stable and reliable hotspot connection is to keep the hotspot device no farther than 10 meters from Alexa.

In that set of thoughts, place your mobile device (or another hotspot device) next to the Alexa speaker and retry the connection.

You could remind yourself of the hotspot setup back at the beginning of the guide if you’re having a hard time recalling the exact process.

Note: Keep the hotspot as close to Alexa as possible, until you’ve verified the connection.

Solution #4 Re-Add Alexa from the Amazon App

Instead of changing your Alexa’s WiFi, it’s best to remove the device and add it all over again.

This will cause you to undergo the setup prompt again as intended, and choose a brand new connection for your Alexa.

You’ll be selecting your hotspot’s WiFi from the bare beginning, so you shouldn’t worry about switching networks of your Alexa, bothering with passwords, etc.

Here’s how to re-add your Alexa from the Amazon application:

1. Launch the Amazon Alexa app on your mobile device.
2. Head to the “Devices” tab.
3. Locate your Alexa speaker from among the connected devices.
4. Press the Settings icon for the speaker.
5. Select “Remove this Device”.
6. Head back to the home screen of the Alexa app.
7. Press the “+” icon to add a new Alexa speaker.
8. Follow the instructions to add your speaker again.

When you reach the WiFi setup page of the instructions, make sure that you select the hotspot of your mobile or carrier device.

Note: You’ll be required to enter a hotspot password for your speaker in order to connect!

Solution #5 Reset the Alexa Speaker!

Perhaps, performing a Reset on the Alexa speaker will settle the hotspot problem for good.

If the fault is on Alexa’s end, then surely, a factory reset is going to take care of the problem and allow your Alexa to connect with the hotspot.

This process will disconnect the device from the Alexa app and later you would need to manually re-establish the connection!

Here’s how to Factory Reset your Echo Dot device in easy steps:

1. Open the Amazon Alexa app.
2. Navigate to “Alexa & Echo”.
3. Choose the speaker that you wish to reset.
4. Then, scroll down and select the “Factory Reset” option.
5. Tap on Confirm to start the reset.
6. Wait…

It’s important to leave your speaker be, while the rest is ongoing. Otherwise, you could greatly impact the outcome of the process and potentially prevent the reset from fully going through.

When the speaker is reset, re-connect the device to the Alexa app and test sharing a hotspot.

Alert: A canceled reset may leave data damage to your Alexa as well as the Amazon app.

Quick Recap:

Thus, the answer to “why won’t Alexa connect to my hotspot”, could be due to a faulty version of the Alexa app, issues with the hotspot, or an outdated app version.

It’s also possible that the distance is too great or there is a System Faulty with the Alexa speaker!

If you’re still having issues with your Alexa, contact Amazon for more assistance!

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