Google Home Mini can’t connect to Wi-Fi (FIX)

Google-made smart speakers and displays are usually quite simple to set up. Which is not unexpected since this is a first-party product. However, some users report that the Google Home Mini can’t connect to Wi-Fi for some reason, although they haven’t noticed network issues on other devices. Learn how to fix this below.

Table of contents:

1. Restart your router, phone, and Google Home Mini
2. Stick to the 2.4GHz instead of 5GHz Wi-Fi band
3. Clear data from Google Home
4. Reinstall Google Home
5. Factory reset Google Home Mini

Why won’t my Nest Mini connect to my Wi-Fi?

There are multiple reasons why the Nest Mini won’t connect to your Wi-Fi network. First of all, make sure that the network is stable and that both your phone and your speaker are connected to the same SSID. You can also switch to the 2.4 GHz band, clear the data from the Google Home app (or reinstall it). Finally, you can try the factory reset.

1. Restart your router, phone, and Google Home Mini

The first couple of things you should do is restart your router, phone, and Google Home Mini (remove the power cord and plug it in again). The connection issues, especially during the setup, are not uncommon.

We also suggest disconnecting other devices temporarily, to reduce the bandwidth strain. You can reconnect them later, once the speaker successfully connects. Also, make sure that your phone with Google Home is connected to the same network you want to use on your Google Home Mini speaker. If you have a Google Wi-Fi router or mesh, make sure that Google Home Mini is not paused.

If that does nothing and your Google Home Mini or Google Nest Mini still can’t connect to Wi-Fi, check the next step.

2. Stick to the 2.4GHz instead of 5GHz Wi-Fi band

Many users solved the problem by simply switching to the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band because, for some reason, the connectivity issues mostly occur on the 5 GHz band. You can do that in your router settings, through your PC, or even on your phone.

Some modern routers do come with a companion app. Usually, the 5 GHz band provides faster speeds but at a shorter range. Some older devices, like 1st Gen Google Home Mini might not be able to connect at all to a 5 GHz Wi-Fi network, while the more recent iterations can but have some underlying issues.

Ideally, you’ll have a dual-band option and connect various devices based on your usage and needs. Your Google Home Mini doesn’t really need a super-fast connection but it will do well with stable and more reliable Wi-Fi network coverage. On the other hand, you can try disabling the 5 GHz band and try again.

Have in mind that, as long as it’s the same network, you’ll be able to later use the device with mixed bands. For example, your laptop (that arguably needs the fastest internet speed possible) on 5 GHz can still cast to a Google Home Mini connected to the 2.4 GHz band of the same SSID.

3. Clear data from Google Home

We addressed some common connectivity issues but what if the Google Home app is the problem? In that case, we suggest clearing the local data from the app first. That should address possible issues, especially if you updated to a newer Android version recently without resetting your phone to factory settings.

Here’s how to clear local data from the Google Home app:

1. Open Settings.
2. Select Apps.
3. Choose Google Home.
4. Tap Storage.
5. Tap Clear data and restart your device.
6. Try setting up your Google Home Mini again.

On iOS, you can uninstall Google Home and reinstall it since there’s no option to clear app data.

4. Reinstall Google Home

If the previous step did nothing, the next thing you can do is reinstall the Google Home app from Play Store. Once you’ve done that, you can remove the Google Home Mini from the Google Home app and add it again.

Here’s how to reinstall Google Home on your Android:

1. Open Google Play Store.
2. Locate Google Home and tap Uninstall.
3. Reinstall the app and open it.
4. Select your Google Account to sign in.
5. Tap on the Google Home Mini icon and open Settings (cog icon).
6. Tap Remove device.
7. Finally, tap Remove.
8. Add the device again and check if it connects to the internet.

We also suggest leaving the Preview program if you enrolled your device previously. To do that, tap on the Google Home Mini icon and open Settings. Select Device information and then tap Preview program. Tap Leave.

5. Factory reset Google Home Mini

In the end, the only thing we can recommend is resetting Google Home Mini to factory settings. There’s a dedicated button on the bottom of the speaker which will after being pressed for 15 seconds, lead to a factory reset. On Google Nest Home (2nd Gen speakers), press the Mute button and then press and hold on the top of the speaker for 15 seconds.

All you need after that is open the Google Home app, tap on the + icon at the top left corner, select “Set up device“, and choose New device. Enable Bluetooth and Location on your Android and follow further instructions to set up the Google Home Mini.

And, on that note, we can conclude this article. Thank you for reading what was, hopefully, an informative piece. Do you have any alternative solutions to suggest? Share alternative ways how to fix Google Home Mini that can’t connect to Wi-Fi in the comments below.