How to Fix Amazon Echo Dot Error Registering Device

Amazon’s family of home automation tools made a major advance in convenience, flexibility, and cost with the Echo Dot. The Dot is basically a voice-controlled microcomputer with a network connection and a sophisticated audio interface with the familiar voice of the Alexa app. The recent third-generation iteration of the Dot turned an already useful platform into a great multimedia solution by massively upgrading the built-in speaker. For anyone other than an audiophile, the Dot’s new speaker is high-quality enough to use as the main speaker for music in any casual listening environment like an office or bedroom.

How to Fix Amazon Echo Dot Error Registering Device

The Dot has been very well received in the tech-savvy marketplace. Its popularity is particularly impressive given that the marketplace for home assistants is quite new. There are now millions of Echo devices across the world, helping us play music, turn our lights on and off, find out the weather, or tell us what the traffic is going to be like on our way to work. But what if it doesn’t work properly? How do you fix it without tearing your hair out? As great as the Dot is, no technological product is without challenges. One problem that Dot owners have occasionally run into is an error when attempting to register the device on WiFi. In this article, I will show you how to troubleshoot this issue and get your Dot properly registered so that you can use it.

Setting up your Echo Dot

A very common source of Echo Dot registering errors is an improperly completed setup routine. Before we get into the nitty-gritty of troubleshooting an error, let’s make sure that your Dot was properly set up in the first place.

First and Second Generation Echo Dot Setup

  1. Unbox your Echo Dot and download the Alexa app onto your phone if it isn’t already there.
  2. Place the Echo Dot within range of your WiFi router and plug it in. You should see the light ring turn blue and then orange. You will then hear Alexa say hello.
  3. Navigate to Settings in the Alexa app and select Wi-Fi.
  4. Select your WiFi network and select Connect.
  5. Select Alexa Devices from the app and select your Echo Dot.
  6. Select Add Alexa Device in Wi-Fi Network.
  7. Press and hold the Action button on your Echo Dot until the light ring changes to orange.
  8. Select your WiFi from the list that appears in the Alexa app and enter the network password.
  9. Save the password in the Alexa app.
  10. Select Connect to join your Echo Dot to your WiFi network.

Third Generation Echo Dot Setup

Amazon made setup much simpler for the third generation Dots.

  1. Unbox your Echo Dot and download the Alexa app onto your phone if it isn’t already there.
  2. Place the Echo Dot within range of your WiFi router and plug it in. The light ring will spin for about a minute. You will then hear Alexa say hello.
  3. Open the Alexa app and follow the prompts to enter the WiFi information.

That should be it for setting up the Echo Dot on your WiFi network. Your Dot should now know its own configuration details and will reconnect whenever you turn the power off and back on or move it to another room in your house. You can now place your Echo Dot anywhere within reach of a good wireless signal in your home.

Fix Echo Dot registering device errors

If your Dot was set up correctly then it should now work without issue. If you are having issues, then follow these troubleshooting steps to get your Dot connected.

Reboot Your Router, Reboot Your Dot

The first thing to try: turn it off and then turn it back on again. Many software glitches are resolved by simply starting over. Restart your Dot and restart your router and see if that resolves the problem.

To restart the Echo Dot all you need to do is unplug it. Leave it unplugged for at least 10 seconds. Then, plug it back in, wait for it to reboot, and see if the error has correct itself.

If not head over to your router. Although other devices connected to the router may still work properly, there could be a connection issue. Press the reset button on your router until all of the lights turn off. Wait for it to reboot, then check to see if the connection error has corrected itself. You can also unplug your router, leave it for more than ten seconds, then plug it back in.

Deregister Your Dot

When you order an Echo Dot new from Amazon, it is registered to your account before being dispatched from Amazon. However, if you bought a pre-owned Dot, then it has to be deregistered from the previous owner’s account before you can use it. Ideally, the original owner would deregister it before giving it to you, but that doesn’t always happen. Sometimes people forget, or sometimes they just decide it’s not their problem.

Here’s how to deregister the Echo Dot if you are the original owner:

  1. Visit the Amazon website and click on your Account at the top. Then, click on ‘Content and devices.’
  2. Select Settings from the left menu and select the Echo Dot you want to deregister.
  3. Select the Deregister button next to the Dot.
  4. Select it again to confirm.

This frees the Echo Dot up to be registered to someone else’s account. If you buy the Echo Dot secondhand and the original owner couldn’t, or just didn’t, deregister it, contact Amazon customer support and ask them to manually deregister it for you.

You can also deregister it with the Alexa app by selecting Settings, Device Settings, selecting the Echo Dot name, and scroll down to Deregister.

Once the Dot has been deregistered, you will need to manually set up the Echo Dot again as detailed above.

Sometimes, the Echo Dot can be mistakenly reported lost or stolen and will not allow you to register it. Contacting Amazon customer support on the above link should help you get that sorted out. This is another known issue, especially if a device has been reported lost in transit and then sold to an unwitting buyer.

Simplify the Network

If device registration isn’t an issue, perhaps overlapping WiFi networks are. The Echo Dot sometimes has trouble differentiating different WiFi channels or networks within the same property. One way to overcome this is to turn off all other networks or second channels while you register your Echo Dot. Once complete, you can turn them back on again.

Those are the ways I know of to fix Echo Dot registering device errors. Know of any others? Tell us about them below if you do!

14 thoughts on “How to Fix Amazon Echo Dot Error Registering Device”

Deecee says:
Thank you Pitat. I used my tablet to connect, instead of my cellphone, and, TA DA. My Echo Dot 3gen is all setup.
karen knaresborough says:
None of my amazon devices are working echo and dot I’ve tried to reset up then I finally get reply device is not registered I’m trying to do this on my ipad
Kurt Oestreich says:
I have resolved this problem only by repeatedly beating on the setup process under the Alexa App on Android. I also had to change my wireless settings so it didn’t try to autoconnect to my main connection. It works better with it turned off. You can still use the wireless network, it just won’t reconnect automatically. This works better with the Alexa software. That way when it tells you to do something, it gets done in the right order. I think this is the solution. Similar hardware, same exact issue.
Jeannie says:
NO where in the Alexa APP is there an option to register my device. I can see & manage my registered device, but when I try to set up my latest echo device Alexa tells my device isn’t registered & to go to my Alexa App for instructions. NOTHING! Usually I have Amazon do it remotely but with this STUPID Pandemic, that option isn’t available.
Erik Nichols says:
I have two echo dots, one first gen and one 3rd gen both rendered useless because they cannot connect to wifi. They are only offering me a 15% discount to “upgrade” to a device I already have the same of. Terrible. I am truly beginning to hate echo dots.
Lucy Smith says:
I had a registration error but thanks for the help 🙂
Steven says:
My Dot stopped responding. Says will not register. I have looked at your instructions and I am stumped from the beginning. You say to go to the Alexa app and go to settings/WIFI. I do not have a WIFI option in settings. I unloaded my app and reloaded to make sure I had the newest copy and it is the same.
connie says:
my dot stopped responding though ring is blue and does respond on phone
Brandan says:
When I tell me Alexa to disconnect from my phone it’s automatically reconnects how do I fix this?
Mark Patrick says:
I am getting a “Network Error – tap to retry” error. How do I fix it.
Alex A says:
Make sure your version of the App is up to date. That fixed it for me.
Filip says:
Hi, I had problem to register Amazon echo with Xiaomi Note 4 and others mobile from Xiaomi. If your registration failing “Registration Failure” with your Xiaomi then change brand of mobile.
Petar says:
THIS!
I have searched the entire internet for help to solve my Echo setup problem but to no avail.
Then I’ve read your comment and tried setting it up using my brother’s phone and it straight up managed to connect as it is supposed to!
Garima says:
Even I fed up wid this error still my device is nt registering
Samuel Anderson says:
I purchased mine at office Depot in box brand new, and Alexa keep saying it appears this device is not registered go to the Alexa app for advice.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


Disclaimer: Some pages on this site may include an affiliate link. This does not effect our editorial in any way.

Todays Highlights
How to See Google Search History
how to download photos from google photos