You know that your Google Home Mini won’t connect to WiFi properly when you’re experiencing difficulties communicating with other Home devices or connected apps for music or video streaming stop working.
This can be frustrating and can cause stress instead of the relaxation these apps are supposed to bring. Fortunately, this is an easy dilemma, and there’s a quick solution.
Fixing Common Causes Why Google Home Mini Won’t Connect To WiFi
Before attempting any troubleshooting steps, you must first identify what’s causing the issue. Here are several common causes and how to fix them.
Improper WiFi Connection
It sounds obvious, but your first step should be to verify that your Google Home Mini recognizes your WiFi network. It’s possible that during the initial setup, your device recognized your network, but somewhere along the way, you made changes (like changing your password).
To fix this issue, you need to:
- Download and Open the Google Home App on your phone.
- Select the device you want to reconfigure and forget its current WiFi connection.
- Refresh your device’s internet connection by setting it up as a new device.
- Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the steps.
Every time you change your WiFi settings, this affects the devices connected to it. So you should make time to adjust their settings as well.
Blocked Signal From The Router
WiFi signal interference is a common cause for Google Home Mini not to connect to WiFi. If your router is located in an obscure area that is blocked by objects, then your device will have difficulty accessing the WiFi signal.
To correct this situation, just follow these steps:
- Move your Google Home closer to the router and see if the issue is resolved. If it is, then consider permanently relocating the Google Home device or transferring the router to a better location.
- Clear all items obstructing the router’s signal. Ideally, the router should be in a central location to reach most devices.
- Move the router away from the walls to extend its reach.
- Consider purchasing a better router with wider reach or devices that amplify your router’s signals, such as a WiFi mesh.
Too Many Devices Connected To WiFi
A WiFi network has a limited number of devices that can connect to it. If you already have a lot of devices connecting to the internet, bandwidth allocation can be an issue. Although this is not a common occurrence, it’s still possible, especially if the people in your house are heavy internet users.
You’d know that this is the cause of your issues when Google Home doesn’t respond when other heavy bandwidth internet activities like network download, streaming video games, etc., are going on. To remedy the situation, you can:
- Shut down other heavy bandwidth activities.
- Limit the devices that work simultaneously.
- Upgrade your internet plan.
Google Home Mini Still Not Working?
An internet connection is required for Google Home Mini to function properly. If you've done all the steps above and you still can't get it to work, you'll need to contact Google for support. They can either replace your device or walk you through extra troubleshooting steps.
Smart devices are convenient innovations. However, they are not exempt from glitches. Knowing basic troubleshooting steps will help you identify and remedy situations before contacting the manufacturer.
If you’re curious about how smart devices work, check out our article on How the Internet of Things (IoT) Works.
