Smart home devices

How To Connect or Reconnect Smart Switches for Smart Home

A smart home offers the convenience you won’t find anywhere else. And that is because your smart home has smart home devices such as smart light bulbs and smart security cameras that allow you to keep a close tab with your residence from anywhere via a mobile app.

These smart home devices could grant you hands-free control of some of the appliances you have at home. For example, you can control your coffee maker by voice if you’ve plugged it into a smart plug paired with a smart speaker such as an Amazon Echo Dot.

As such, you have reasons to add smart home devices to your home. But smart switches might disconnect, thus affecting their excellent performance.

If you’re looking to connect or reconnect your smart switches to restore their excellent performance, you’re at the right place! We will guide you through steps for connecting or reconnecting some of your smart home devices to your home network for the optimal performance you’re seeking. So, be sure to read on for more information!

Reconnecting Your Smart Thermostat

If you’re looking to control your HVAC system from anywhere, a smart thermostat is a smart switch to buy. And that’s because it allows you to control your heating and cooling system remotely via a mobile app. What’s more, you can also pair it with a smart speaker to select your preferred temperature through the sound of your voice.

Whichever smart thermostat you choose, it will lock you out from controlling your HVAC system if it’s offline. And that calls for the need to reconnect it to your Wi Fi network if it loses connection. But first, you will reset your smart home device. And to do this, you will follow the simple steps below:

Navigate To the Settings

Your smart thermostat has a touchscreen. You will tap the menu button and head to settings.

Select Factory Reset

This option will erase your saved information. As a result, your smart thermostat will be good as new. You will then have to set it up again to connect it to your home network. And to reconnect it to your home network, you will follow the steps below:

Ensure Your Wi-Fi Network Is On

The first thing you want to do is to ensure you’ve powered on your Wi-Fi router. Also, you will need your Wi-Fi network credentials ready: the Wi-Fi name (SSID) and password. Once you have these credentials ready, you can proceed with the connection.

Press The Menu Button on Your Smart Thermostat

Your smart thermostat probably features an intuitive touch display. You will touch the menu button on the touchscreen. Depending on your smart thermostat model, touching the menu button brings you a dropdown list of options.

Select The Wi-Fi Setup Option

You will select the Wi-Fi option from the dropdown list. And this will prompt a list of available Wi-Fi networks. In other words, selecting this option allows you to see the available networks in your area.

But since you’re looking to connect the smart thermostat to your home network, you will select your Wi-Fi network from the list of available networks.

Enter Your Network Credentials

After tapping your Wi-Fi SSID, it will prompt password entry. You will type your Wi-Fi password to complete the connection process. Then you will press the Done button on the touchscreen. Lastly, you will press Next for your smart thermostat to connect to your home Wi-Fi network.

When looking to connect your smart thermostat to your Wi-Fi network, you will have to access it physically. And that’s because connecting or reconnecting it to your network doesn’t work with the mobile app.

Smart thermostats vary in design, meaning the Wi-Fi setup steps might also vary slightly. But these steps follow the same working principles. So, connecting your smart thermostat back to your Wi-Fi network is hassle-free in most cases. Also, consider removing the smart thermostat from its app and start the setup process afresh.

How To Reconnect Your Smart Speaker

A smart speaker is among the smart home products that allow you to gain hands-free control of some of your electronics at home. A smart speaker such as Amazon Echo Dot has Alexa as its voice assistance.

Also, some smart speakers use Google Assistant as their virtual assistants. And that means you can use Alexa and Google Assistant as your voice assistants.

But to use these smart devices to control a compatible home device such as your TV set or smart light bulbs, you will connect your smart speaker to your Wi-Fi network.

Resetting your smart speaker is very straightforward. Your smart speaker has a microphone button that you will press and hold for about 15 seconds. Some devices such as Amazon Echo Dot even allow you to reset them from their companion app.

In the case of the Amazon Echo Dot, you will launch the app and tap Devices. You will then tap the Echo & Alexa icon within the app and choose the smart speaker you want to reset via the app. Once you’ve selected one of the listed smart speakers, you will tap the Factory Reset button. You will confirm this selection, and your smart home device will reset.

You can locate the reset button, and long-press it to reset your smart speaker. After which, it will erase all your saved personal information. To reconnect it to your Wi-Fi network, you will go through the following setup steps:

Download The Smart Speaker App

If you have not downloaded the companion app, you will have to download it on your smartphone or tablet. The app runs smoothly on iOS and Android devices. So, using your iPhone or Samsung smartphone, for example, will be efficient.

Add Your Smart Speaker on The App

You will locate the Devices button on the companion app. Its location differs from one smart speaker app to another, so you will have to find it. You might as well press the hamburger menu to find this button.

After locating this button, press it to add your smart speaker to the app. Pressing this button takes you to a list of smart devices you want to add. You will select your smart speaker’s name from the list and proceed to the next screen.

Plug Your Smart Speaker into A Wall Outlet

Your smart speaker includes an adapter for connecting it to a wall socket. Use it to plug your smart speaker into a nearby wall outlet. As a result, your smart speaker will be in setup mode.

Your smart speaker’s name will appear on your smartphone or tablet. When you tap on the name, your phone will take you to your Wi-Fi settings.

You will see a network with your smart speaker’s name on it. You will select it and go back to your smart speaker’s app.

Connect Your Smart Speaker to Your Home Network

You will use the companion app to connect your smart speaker to your Wi-Fi network. You will select your Wi-Fi network from a list of available networks and enter the correct passwords.

From here, you can proceed to pair your smart speaker with an external speaker if you want unified audio streaming throughout your home.

You can also add your smart speaker to a room within the app. Be sure to skip these steps if you will not pair your smart speaker with an external speaker or add it to a room.

Connecting your smart speaker to your Wi-Fi network to control compatible devices follows similar steps. As a result, you will connect your smart speaker with no hassle!

How To Reset a Smart Hub

A smart hub gets all your smart home devices working together. After connecting all your smart home devices to a smart hub of your choice, you can remotely control them from one app. So, if you’re looking to control your smart light switch remotely alongside other smart home devices, a smart hub will come in handy.

But to use your smart hub to control the connected devices from anywhere, your smart hub will have to connect to your Wi-Fi network. If you’re looking to reset your smart hub and connect it to your home network to function correctly, you will take the following steps:

Unplug The Power Adapter Cable from The Smart Hub

Of course, the first thing you want to do is unplug your smart hub from the wall outlet. But you will unplug the adapter cable from the back of your smart device. This is how you unplug your smart hub from the wall outlet.

Press The Reset Button for A While

After unplugging the adapter cable from your smart hub, you will press its reset button while reinserting the adapter cable. You will use a pin to press the reset button until the LED light on your smart hub turns solid yellow. The whole process might take only 30 seconds!

After resetting your smart hub, you might need to go through the device setup again. And you will follow the steps below to do this:

Open The Smart Hub App

You will download the smart hub app on your smartphone or tablet. Then you will launch it. The good news is that you can download this app for iOS and Android mobile devices from Play Store or App Store.

Tap Devices

You will tap a Devices button on the app and then tap on the Add button to add the smart hub to the app.

Add Smart Hub by Brand

After tapping the Add button, you will tap a button showing you to add smart hubs by brand. You will then select your smart hub brand and proceed further.

Select The Smart Hub Model

Selecting a smart hub brand takes you to a list of available models. You will select the correct model, and you will complete the setup process. You can then add other smart home devices to your smart hub to control them remotely from one app.

How To Reset Amazon Echo

If your Amazon Echo doesn’t respond to your voice commands, or you want to erase its data for some reason, you will reset it. If you’re having Amazon Echo 3rd or 4th Generation, you will reset it by following the steps below:

Press And Hold Its Action Button

Your smart speaker has an Action button that you will press and hold for about 25 seconds. Your smart speaker’s light ring will blink orange before turning off.

Wait For the Light Ring to Turn Blue

After your smart speaker’s light ring has turned off, it will turn back on after a few seconds. But this time around, the light ring will glow Blue for a few seconds.

Again, Wait for The Light Ring to Turn Orange

Once your smart speaker’s light ring is orange, your smart speaker will be in the setup mode. You can then reconnect your smart speaker using the steps below:

Plug Your Smart Speaker into A Wall Outlet

Before setting up your smart speaker, you will use its included adapter to plug it into a wall socket.

Launch The Alexa App

You can download the Alexa app on your smartphone or tablet and launch it. Whether your smartphone uses the iOS or Android platform, it supports the Alexa app.

Tap More Before Selecting Add Devices

Once you’ve opened the smart speaker app, you will tap on More for options, then select Add Devices to add your smart speaker to the Alexa app.

Select Amazon Echo from The Devices List

After selecting the Add Devices option, you will choose your Amazon Echo from the resulting list. You will then find more device model options. You can then select Echo Dot or Echo Plus from the list of Amazon Echo models, depending on the smart speaker at hand. And that’s how you set up your Amazon Echo smart speaker.

How To Reset Your Smart Light Bulbs

If you’re looking to troubleshoot your smart lights, flicking the switch a few times might help reset your smart light bulbs manually. But resetting your smart lights reverts the settings to their default state. As a result, you will have to set up your smart lights again. If you’re looking to reset your smart light bulbs, be sure to follow the steps below:

Resetting Your Wemo Light Bulbs

You will turn the smart bulbs on and off at an interval. Specifically, you will turn your bulbs off for 1 second and then turn them back on for 3-4 seconds. You will repeat this cycle two to three times, after which you will leave your bulbs on!

After 5 seconds, your Wemo smart bulbs will flash, indicating that you’ve reset them. You can then use their companion app to set them up again.

Resetting your Osram Lightify LEDs

These smart bulbs are also easy to reset. You will turn them on for 5 seconds, then turn them off for 5 seconds. You will repeat this cycle five times, and your smart bulbs will flash to let you know you’ve reset them.

Resetting your GE Link LEDs

These smart bulbs require you to switch them on for 3 seconds and then off for 3 seconds. You will repeat the on/off cycle five times to reset your smart bulbs.

Generally speaking, resetting your smart bulbs requires you to flick the light switch a few times. Your smart bulbs may require different on/off intervals, but resetting them works the same way as resetting other smart bulbs.

How To Reset Your Security Cameras

If your installed smart security cameras don’t work properly or some of their functions are unresponsive, resetting them might resolve the problem. But there are many security camera brands on the market. And the process of resetting them might vary slightly.

If you’re looking to reset the following smart security brands, be sure to follow the steps below:

Ring Video Doorbell

Your ring video doorbell has an orange button on its back. You will press and hold this button for 20 seconds. This will initiate a device restart, and the light on the front of your smart camera will flash to let you know your smart home device is restarting.

The flashing of the light could take up to a minute. So, you want to wait for the process to complete. Then you can press the orange button firmly then release it. This will put your Ring video doorbell in setup mode. You will then use the Ring app to complete the setup process.

Resetting A Geovision Smart Camera

These smart cameras feature a default button. You will press this button for 8 seconds to reset your smart security cameras.

Generally speaking, smart cameras have a reset button that you will press for a recommended period to reset it. You can consult the user manual to know how long you need to press and hold the reset button to reset your smart security cameras.

How to reset your Wi Fi Network

If your TP Link router has frozen and you want to restore Wi Fi network connectivity, you will need to reset your Wi Fi router. And to reset your Wi-Fi network, you will follow the procedure below:

Locate The Reset Button

Your Wi-Fi router has a small reset button that you can only long-press using a paperclip or a small pin.

Press The Reset Button with A Paperclip

You will press and hold this reset button for 5 seconds. After pressing the button this long, the LED light on your router will go off and turn back on; that’s when you release the reset button.

Allow The Router to Restart

Your router will restart after a few seconds. And hopefully, it will restore its excellent performance. Alternatively, you can use the configuration page to reset your Wi-Fi router:

Open The Configuration Page on Your Web Browser

You want to ensure your computer is connected to your TP Link router wirelessly. You will then open your internet browser and open your router’s configuration page on a tab.

Select Advanced Settings from The Menu

Once you’ve opened your router’s configuration page, you will see three tabs at the top of this page. Among those tabs is the Advanced Settings tab, which you will select in this step.

Select System Tools

After selecting the Advanced Settings tab, you will see a menu with the “System tools” option. This menu is on the left side. Go to this menu and select the system tools.

Choose To Backup and Restore Your Network

After selecting system tools from the menu, you will go to another page with a few options. You will select “Backup and restore” from the menu. Selecting this option will present you with the option to “Restore Factory Setting.” Select this option, and you will reset your router!

How to reset your Smart Light Switch

Smart light bulbs such as Philips Hue come in various shapes and bases to fit any light fixture in your home. You can then control all your smart light bulbs from anywhere using a smart light switch. And that’s because smart light switches connect to your Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz network to grant you remote control of your lighting system via a mobile app.

But sometimes, a smart light switch might be unresponsive. In such cases, you might need to reset your smart switch to restore its excellent performance. And you will do the following to reset your smart light switch:

Press And Hold the Reset Button

Smart light switches such as Philips Hue Dimmers have a reset button that you will long-press for about 10 seconds. After pressing this button, your smart light switch LED indicator will turn green or turn to a different color before blinking orange several times.

This will show you that you’ve reset your smart light switch. You will then have to set up your smart home device to control it remotely. To reconnect your smart light switch to your Wi-Fi network, you will put it into discovery mode.

Then you will pair it with its companion app and use the app to connect it to your home network. You can then add smart lights to it and control them remotely via the mobile app.

How To Reset Your Alexa Virtual Assistant

Alexa is a brilliant virtual assistant. She does what you ask of her. But you will teach her the correct skills to execute your spoken commands. Sometimes, you might want to wipe the skills clean and teach her a completely new set of tricks. If that’s the case, you will reset your Alexa as follows:

Press The Reset Button on Your Alexa-Enabled Device

Your smart home device with Alexa built-in has a reset button. For Amazon Echo Plus smart speakers, this reset button is on the underside of the device. Locate it and long-press it with a pin for removing the sim card tray. Of course, a paperclip pin also does the trick pretty well.

Long-Press the Reset Button For 5 Seconds

You will use the paperclip pin to long-press the reset button for 5 seconds. And this will make the light ring on your Alexa-enabled smart speaker turn orange before turning blue.

The light ring will turn off and glow orange. At this point, you’ve reset Alexa, and your device is good as new. You can then use the Alexa app to set up your Alexa-enabled smart device.

How to reset your Google Assistant

Google Assistant is another excellent virtual assistant that grants you hands-free control of the connected device. If you’re using a Google Assistant smart speaker, you can turn on/off your lights by the sound of your voice. Also, you can control other connected devices such as a smart plug or TV set with voice commands.

But you might need to reset your Google Assistant for some reason. And to do this, you will press and hold the factory reset button on your smart speaker for 15 seconds. The reset button varies depending on the Google Assistant smart speaker you’re using.

For the 1st Generation Google Home Mini, you will long-press the small and raised circle at your smart speaker’s base for 15 seconds. Your smart speaker will play a sound, letting you know it’s resetting.

For the 2nd Generation Google Nest Mini, you will flip the microphone switch off before you can long-press the center of your speaker, where you see the lights, for 15 seconds. Also, your smart speaker will let you know it is resetting by playing a sound.

Manually resetting your smart speaker with Google Assistant varies slightly. Ensure you consult the user manual to know the procedure of doing it.

Conclusion

Your smart switches allow you to control the connected smart home devices more conveniently. These smart switches have various features to allow you to control other smart devices from anywhere. For example, smart speakers have virtual assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistants to give you hands-free control of your smart light bulbs and other connected devices.

But like every smart home device, your smart switches might be unresponsive, leaving you with only one option: resetting them. We’ve covered the steps for resetting some of these smart switches. These smart switches include smart speakers, smart hubs, and smart thermostats, among a few more!

You can reset your smart home devices to restore their functions. You can use our guide to reset your smart switches.

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