Wemo smart plugs are decent products that quickly help one upgrade their wired deceives into smart ones. The plug must be hooked to your network for this to happen. So, is your Wemo smart plug not connecting to your Wi-Fi network? Worry not; this is a common problem among many users. A small detail on your network can prevent the plug from connecting.
In this article, I will walk you through the troubleshooting solutions to help you fix the connection problem and get your Wemo plug running on the app.
Why Is My Wemo Smart Plug Not Connecting to Wi-Fi?
The commonest reason for Wemo smart plugs connection failure is using an incompatible Wi-Fi network, running a VPN on your mobile device, or having issues with your home network configurations. Ensure your use a 2.4 GHz network and disable your VPN during the initial setup.
Like most smart devices, Wemo plugs are only compatible with the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi frequency. Ensure that your router is set to broadcast this kind of network.
There are a couple of things to look out for when setting up the smart plugs;
- Ensure the plug is connected to the working outlet and is in pairing mode
- Connect to the right network and use the correct Wi-Fi password
- Ensure that your router settings don’t block new device addition.
- Use an up-to-date Wemo app
- Allow the required permissions – Bluetooth and Location access are required during smart device setup
- Ensure the plug is within your network’s range
Observe the LED indicator to ascertain the cause of the connection failure. The colors specific colors depend on your plug model;
For Wemo smart mini plug;
- Alternating orange and white indicates setup mode
- A solid orange shows that the plug receives a weak signal but is successfully connected.
- Blinking orange signifies correct Wi-Fi details, but the plug cannot connect. Probably, router settings are blocking the connection
Wemo insight smart plug uses a different set of colors to communicate its status;
- A blinking green Wi-Fi signal shows the plug booting up or connecting to your network.
- An orange indicator signifies a poor network connection
- The blinking orange Wi-Fi indicator indicates no connection
- Alternating green and orange indicator shows that the plug is in pairing mode
Troubleshooting Wemo Smart Plug Not Connecting
To fix the connection problem, you must troubleshoot your network, the plug, and the smart device to identify the root cause.
First, ensure that your mobile device is connected to the Wi-Fi network and the VPN is disabled.
During the setup process, the connection drops during the scanning QR code phase. Select the “I don’t have a code” option and proceed with the setup process.
Try these troubleshooting solutions to fix the connection problem;
Confirm Your Network Settings
Wemo smart plugs are only compatible with 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi networks. Therefore, ensure your router broadcasts such a network.
If your router has 2.4 and 5 GHz bands on a single SSID, turn off the 5 GHz option during setup. This leaves the 2.4 GHz option as the only available channel. Use it to connect to your mobile device and set up the plug.
Alternatively, customize your router settings to separate the 2.4 and 5 GHz networks into separate entities. Use the 2.4 GHz channel for your smart devices and mobile device.
You can let your TV and other devices connect to the 5 GHz channel for faster speeds.
Also, ensure the network security encryption is set to WPA or WPA2 and the Authorization type to AES. Newer protocols like WPA3 can cause connection problems.
The Wi-Fi password and SSID should be simple and with an 8 – 63 character length. Again, avoid Chinese characters on your SSID and password, as Belkin isn’t compatible.
Finally, check the MAC address filtering setting and ensure it’s toggled off. It could prevent the authorization of devices from joining your network. Thus, causing a connection failure.
Ensure you use a strong and stable internet connection when setting up the smart plug. With reliable internet, the server communication is effective, and the plug is easily bound to your account.
Once you have made changes, power cycle the devices and try reconnecting your plug. To power cycle, unplug the device from the power outlet for 20 – 30 seconds and reconnect.
Start the power cycling process with the network router, followed by the plug, and finish up with your mobile device. This refreshes all the devices and should clear out any temporal errors preventing a successful connection.
Move The Plug Closer
To ensure a strong and stable internet connection, ensure the plug is close to the router during setup.
Placing your plug at the furthest corner of the house is a sure way of getting yourself stuck on the connecting stage. The Wi-Fi signal weakens as you move away from the router, and the number of obstacles increases.
Also, you can get a Wi-Fi extender or install a mesh network setup to spread the Wi-Fi signal strength evenly.
Once you have moved the plug closer, refresh the Wemo app and retry the setup process.
Disable Your VPN and Ad guard
If you have an active VPN or Ad guard software on your mobile device, turn it off when connecting your plug to your Wi-Fi network.
The VPN masks your device’s IP address and won’t discover new devices connected to the router.
Disable the VPN and restart the device to refresh your network connection; once your phone restarts, try connecting the plug.
Again, an Adblocker or Ad guard can have the same effect as a VPN. If your device has an ad guard, temporarily turn it off to add your plug to the app.
Reset the Wemo Plug
Resetting the plug clears any corrupt firmware files that could be causing the connection failure. Factory resetting should be the final solution, be sure you have tried the above tips.
To factory reset a Wemo plug;
- Continuously press the plug’s power button for 5 – 10 seconds
- Unplug it from the outlet for 5 seconds.
- Hold the reset button and reconnect connect to the power outlet
- Continue holding the reset button until the LED flashes indicating setup mode, and release the button.
Once reset, the plug enters setup mode and is ready to pair via the Wemo app.
Here is how to reconnect the plug on the app;
- Go to your device’s settings and connect to the plug’s hotspot. The hotspot name should be similar to your plug ID on the back.
- Open your Wemo app on your mobile device
- Name the Wemo device when prompted
- Set the Home Wi-Fi Name and Password when prompted and let the device save the details.
- Close the Wemo app
- Go to your mobile device’s Wi-Fi settings and reconnect to your home Wi-Fi network.
- Launch the Wemo app while connected to your Wi-Fi Network
- Try controlling the Smart plug via the app
That’s it; your plug is now connected to your Wemo app and added to your account. You can remotely control the plug and integrate it with your virtual assistant.
Final Thoughts
Troubleshooting your network devices and the plug should get it connected.
With the above tips, check your network, move the plug closer, disable your VPN and Ad guard, reset the plug, and reconnect: This ought to get your plug onto your network.
If the plug doesn’t broadcast its hotspot, chances are high that it’s a defective unit. Get a replacement or switch to another brand. Try out the TP Link’s Kasa plug, which is easy to set up.
