Govee Lights Not Connecting to Wi-Fi: How to Troubleshoot

In this post, I’m going to walk you through some handy tips to fix Wi-Fi connection issues with your Govee Light bulb. If this sounds like what you’re looking for, let’s head right into it.

The general method for troubleshooting Wi-Fi connection issues with Govee Lights is to ensure that the device and your Wi-Fi network are working properly. You’ll also need to check that you’ve connected your phone to the lights’ hotspot.

If you can’t connect your Govee Lights to Wi-Fi after trying these tips, keep reading to find other troubleshooting steps.

Table of Contents

Tips to Fix Govee Lights Wi-Fi Connection Issues

Ensure that the Lights Are Working Properly

If your Govee Lights aren’t connecting to Wi-Fi, the bulbs might be faulty. To eliminate this possibility, you’ll need to test the lights’ functionality.

Here’s how to do that:

Ensure you’ve installed the lights according to the setup guide in the package.
Plug the device’s power adapter into an outlet.
Then, press the power button on the control box to turn on the lights.
If the lights turn on when you press the power button, move on to the next step.
But if the lights stay off, you might need to replace the device.

Confirm that Your Wi-Fi Network is Functional

Sometimes, the Wi-Fi connection issue might have nothing to do with your Govee Lights. Rather, the lights may be unable to connect to Wi-Fi because your Wi-Fi network is bad.

But we can’t just assume that the network is problematic. We need to test it first.

You can test your Wi-Fi network by trying to connect another device to it. If the device doesn’t connect, there might be a problem with the network. In that case, you’ll need to connect your lights to another network.

But if you try connecting several devices to your Wi-Fi network and they all connect easily, try the next tip.

Turn Off Your VPN

Your Govee Lights may not connect to Wi-Fi if you have a VPN running on your phone. You’ll need to disable your VPN to resolve this issue.

Open your VPN app and tap on Stop to disable the VPN.

If your Govee Lights don’t connect to Wi-Fi after you’ve turned off your VPN, proceed to the next step.

Make Sure Your Phone is Connected to the Lights’ Hotspot

When you are trying to connect your Govee Lights to Wi-Fi, the Govee app will ask you to pair your phone with the lights. If you skip this step, your lights won’t connect to Wi-Fi.

If you haven’t already connected your phone to your lights’ hotspot, you’ll need to do that first.

Follow these steps to connect your phone to your Govee Lights’ hotspot:

Close the app and clear it from your phone’s memory.
Then, launch the app. The app will automatically restart the setup.
Follow all the instructions in the app. When you get to the Wi-Fi connection step, choose your Wi-Fi network, and enter the password.
Then, click on Done.
You’ll be asked to connect to the lights’ hotspot.
Click on Go to Set.
Then, open your Wi-Fi settings and connect to the Govee lights’ hotspot. The hotspot name should look like this: Govee_bulb_M8004_xxxx.
Tap on the hotspot to connect to it.
After connecting to your lights’ hotspot, go back to the app and slide to the next page.

Your Govee Lights should connect to Wi-Fi now. But if it doesn’t, continue to the next step.

Connect Your Lights and Phone to the Same Wi-Fi Network

Your Govee Lights connect to Wi-Fi through your phone. For this reason, both devices must be on the same network.

Before connecting your Govee Lights to your Wi-Fi network again, make sure your phone is on the same Wi-Fi network. If your phone’s current Wi-Fi network can’t accommodate any more devices, disconnect the phone from the Wi-Fi network. Then, connect the phone to the other Wi-Fi network before trying to pair the lights with the network.

You should be able to connect your lights to your Wi-Fi network now.

However, if the connection fails, proceed to the next step.

Move Your Phone Closer to Your Lights

If your Govee Lights aren’t connecting to Wi-Fi, they might be too far away from your phone.

The Govee Lights can only access Wi-Fi signals within 50 feet. So, if the distance between your phone and the lights exceeds 50 feet, the lights won’t connect to Wi-Fi.

If you think your phone is too far away from your Govee Lights, move the device closer to the lights

Then, try connecting the lights to Wi-Fi again. If the lights fail to connect to Wi-Fi this time, proceed to the next tip.

Reboot Your Router

Your Govee Lights might not connect to Wi-Fi because your router is malfunctioning.

Your router provides Wi-Fi and transmits the signals to your phone, which your light then connects to. If your router is faulty, the device might be unable to send Wi-Fi signals to your phone. As such, your Govee Lights won’t access your Wi-Fi signal.

A quick way to fix this issue is to power cycle your router. Rebooting your router may eliminate the functional problems in the device.

Here’s how to reboot your router:

Unplug your router from your power outlet.
Wait for 30 seconds.
Then, reconnect the router’s plug to the outlet.

If your Govee Lights don’t connect to Wi-Fi after this, try the next tip.

Bring Your Router Closer to Your Phone

If your router is too far away from your phone, your phone’s Wi-Fi signal might be weak. Your Govee Lights can’t connect to a weak Wi-Fi signal.

You can check your phone’s Wi-Fi signal strength by studying the Wi-Fi icon at the top of your phone. If the icon has less than three signal bars, your Wi-Fi signal strength is poor.

To increase the strength of your phone’s Wi-Fi signal, you’ll need to move the router closer to your phone. Place the router about 30 feet away from your phone. Also, avoid moving your phone away from your Govee Lights to prevent the device from losing its connection to your phone.

After bringing your router closer to your phone, study your phone’s Wi-Fi signal again. The signal should be strong now.

Once your Wi-Fi signal strength is good enough, open your Govee app and enter your Wi-Fi password again to connect your lights to Wi-Fi. If the lights don’t connect, continue to the next step.

Delete and Reinstall the Govee App on Your Phone

You might face issues while connecting your Govee Lights to Wi-Fi because your Govee app is corrupt. Due to the bug in the app, the app may encounter connection errors while you are trying to pair your lights with Wi-Fi.

To resolve this problem, you’ll need to delete and re-install the Govee app on your phone.

Follow the steps below to remove and re-add the Govee app to your device:

Go to your phone’s home tab and search for the Govee app.
When you find the app, press and hold the app until the Uninstall button appears.
The app will disappear from your phone.
Now, open your Google PlayStore or App Store.
Input Govee app into the search bar.
Tap on the app in the search results. You’ll be directed to the Govee app download page.
Click on Install to reinstall the app on your phone.

If the lights aren’t connecting after you reinstall the Govee app to your device, proceed to the next step.

Switch to a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi Network

If your Govee light bulb isn’t connecting to your Wi-Fi network, your Wi-Fi network might be on the 5GHz band. Govee Lights are incompatible with the 5GHz Wi-Fi network.

If you are using a 5GHz Wi-Fi network, you’ll need to switch to a 2.4GHz network. You can determine if your Wi-Fi is a 2.4GHz or 5GHz network by studying the numbers in the SSID (Wi-Fi network name).

Most 5GHz Wi-Fi networks have the number 5 in their name. In contrast, 2.4GHz networks rarely contain ‘5’.

Here’s how to change your Wi-Fi network in the Govee app:

Open your Govee app.
Tap on the back arrow at the top of the screen to restart the Wi-Fi connection process. Then, look for your 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network and select it.
Enter your Wi-Fi password to continue.

Now, wait for your Govee Lights to connect to Wi-Fi. If they fail to connect, try the next tip.

Enter the Correct Wi-Fi Password

Another reason your Govee lights may not connect is an incorrect Wi-Fi password. Perhaps you entered the figures in the password in the wrong order.

To resolve this problem, you’ll need to find the correct Wi-Fi password.

Here’s how to do that:

Open your Settings app.
Select Connections.
Then, click on Wi-Fi.
Your phone will display all the Wi-Fi networks it can detect.
Look for your 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network on the list.
When you find the network, tap on the gear icon beside it.
The option Show Password will appear. Tap on the option to reveal your Wi-Fi password.
Now, write the password in a note and close your Settings app.

After confirming your Wi-Fi password, enter it into your Govee app and try connecting your lights to Wi-Fi again. If the connection is unsuccessful, proceed to the next step.

Disconnect Some Devices from Your Wi-Fi Network

Your Wi-Fi network can only pair with a limited number of devices. If you try to connect your Govee lights to Wi-Fi after the network has exceeded its capacity, the device won’t connect.

If you don’t know your network’s capacity, it’s best to assume that you’ve already reached it.

Disconnect some of the devices on the network. Then, try connecting your Govee lights to your Wi-Fi network.

The lights should connect now. But if they don’t, proceed to the next step.

Factory Reset the Lights

If your Govee Lights don’t connect after you’ve tried all the tips above, the device might be faulty. As such, you may need to factory reset the device.

Resetting your lights may fix all the glitches that are preventing the device from pairing with the network.

Take the following steps to factory reset your Govee Lights:

Press and hold the power button on your Govee Lights’ controller.
While still holding the power button, press the center button on the control box four times.
Unplug the power adapter for the lights from your power outlet.
Wait for 10 minutes.
Now, reinsert the adapter into the outlet.

After factory resetting your lights, restart the setup process in your Govee app.

Your Govee Lights should connect now.

Wrapping Up

If your Govee Lights aren’t connecting, ensure that the lights are working properly before trying other tips. Apply all the solutions in the right order to fix the lights quickly.

But if nothing changes after you’ve tried all the steps here, contact Govee Support.

You may also like to see how to trouble connectivity issues in Govee smart plug.

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