Why Won’t My Friendship Lamp Connect to WiFi? (Router Setup Checklist)

If your Friendship Lamp will not connect during setup, work through the steps below in order.

You usually do not need to factory-reset the lamp as the first troubleshooting step.

1. Confirm that the internet is working

Use your phone or computer to open a website while connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

If the internet is not working:

1. Unplug the router.
2. Wait 30 seconds.
3. Plug it back in.
4. Allow several minutes for the connection to return.

Restart the lamp after the internet is working again.

2. Restart the lamp

1. Unplug the lamp.
2. Wait 10 seconds.
3. Plug it back in.
4. Allow a few minutes for it to reconnect.

Avoid touching the lamp while it starts up because the touch sensor calibrates when power is restored.

3. Move closer to the main router

Place the lamp and phone near the main router during setup.

If you use a mesh system, move them near the primary router or main Eero unit rather than a satellite or extender.

Weak signal can prevent the lamp from saving or using the Wi-Fi information correctly.

4. Check your phone’s connection

Make sure the phone or tablet running the Friendship Lamps App is connected to the Wi-Fi network you want the lamp to use.

Temporarily turn off:

• Cellular data
• VPNs
• Private Relay
• Privacy or security apps that filter network traffic

Examples may include Norton VPN, DuckDuckGo App Tracking Protection, or another privacy service.

You can turn them back on after setup.

5. Confirm that 2.4 GHz is available

Friendship Lamps require 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi.

Most combined 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks work, but setup may fail if the router automatically steers devices between bands.

Temporarily try:

• Connecting the phone to the 2.4 GHz network
• Turning off Smart Connect, Wi-Fi Optimizer, or band steering
• Separating the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz network names

After the lamp connects, those features can usually be enabled again.

6. Check the Wi-Fi name and password

Make sure:

• The correct network is selected
• The password is entered exactly
• Capital letters are correct
• There are no extra spaces
• The network name and password do not contain typing errors

Manually typing the password may work better than copying and pasting it.

7. Check for router restrictions

Open the router settings or contact the internet provider and check for:

• Device blocking
• Parental controls
• MAC filtering
• Client isolation
• Guest-network isolation
• Strict firewall settings

The lamp may appear in the connected-device list under a name containing ESP or Espressif.

Allow that device to access the internet, then restart the router and lamp.

8. Make a hidden network visible

If the Wi-Fi network is hidden, temporarily broadcast the network name and try setup again.

Once the lamp is connected, the network can usually be hidden again as long as the name and password stay the same.

9. Consider the type of network

Shared or managed networks may block smart devices.

This is common with:

• Hotels
• Dorms
• Hospitals
• Assisted-living facilities
• Apartment Wi-Fi
• Workplaces
• Public networks

If the network requires a browser sign-in or terms-and-conditions page, the lamp cannot complete that step.

Ask the network administrator whether the lamp can be whitelisted by its MAC address, or test the lamp with a personal hotspot.

10. If you use Eero or another mesh network

After setup, the lamp may blink blue for approximately two minutes before it comes online. This can be normal on Eero and some other mesh systems.

Allow the lamp a few minutes to finish connecting.

If it continues blinking blue or never comes online:

• Move it closer to the main router
• Restart the router and lamp
• Temporarily disable band steering or optimization features
• Check for device blocking or guest-network isolation

11. Check the lamp’s status light

The light pattern can help identify the problem.

• Blinking green-yellow: The lamp is searching for Wi-Fi or needs the Wi-Fi information entered again.
• Blinking blue: The lamp may be connected to the router but unable to reach the internet.
• Rainbow flash followed by darkness: The lamp connected successfully.
• No lights: Check the power cord and outlet.

See Color Status Codes: What Your Friendship Lamp Is Thinking for more details and videos.

12. Try reconnecting through the app

If the Wi-Fi name or password changed, follow How to Connect Your Friendship Lamp to New Wi-Fi.

Use Update WiFi Credentials if that option is available.

If the lamp is offline or the option is missing, use the regular WiFi Setup process instead.

13. Use a hotspot as a test

A personal hotspot can help determine whether the problem is with the lamp or the home router.

If the lamp connects to the hotspot but not the home Wi-Fi, the home router is likely blocking or interfering with the connection.

Make sure the hotspot:

• Is activated with internet service
• Uses 2.4 GHz
• Allows connected devices to access the internet

Factory reset only if setup still fails

A factory reset should normally be used only after the regular setup and router troubleshooting steps have failed.

Follow How to Factory Reset Your Friendship Lamp, then complete Wi-Fi setup again.

Still need help?

Contact our support team if:

• The Filimin network does not appear
• The Filimin network does not match the Lamp ID
• The lamp stays on one color
• The lamp continues blinking blue, green, or yellow
• Setup fails on both home Wi-Fi and a hotspot
• The lamp does not turn on

Please send:

• Your Lamp ID or photo of the label on the bottom of the lamp
• The color or light pattern you are seeing
• The router or hotspot brand
• Whether the lamp connected successfully to another network