Shelly devices equipped with Wi-Fi chips are generally quick and easy to pair with your Wi-Fi network using the Shelly Smart Control app. If you encounter any issues, read the tips below.
Do You really have a Wi-Fi Shelly device?
Shelly not only manufactures Wi-Fi devices, but also Bluetooth, Z-Wave, and recently Zigbee devices. Check if your device is indeed a Wi-Fi model.
If it’s not a Wi-Fi device, here are the other troubleshooting guides:
Pairing Shelly Bluetooth Devices
Pairing Shelly Z-Wave Devices
Pairing Shelly Zigbee Devices
Are You using the Shelly Smart Control App?
In 2024, Shelly released a new app. The older Shelly Cloud app has been replaced with the Shelly Smart Control app for device management and cloud pairing.
If you're still using the old app, install the Shelly Smart Control app on your phone and pair your device through it, as the old app is no longer compatible with the official cloud.
Did You enter the correct Wi-Fi password?
Smartphone keyboards are small—it's easy to mistype the password without noticing. You might also accidentally enter the wrong network’s password.
If the pairing process completes but the device stays offline, the most likely cause is a wrong password. Repeat the pairing process and re-enter your Wi-Fi password.
To do this, reset the device to factory settings by holding the physical button on it for about 30 seconds. Refer to the user manual for details on factory reset and pairing mode.
If the above didn’t solve your issue, read on!
Are You pairing the device to a Guest Network?
Some Wi-Fi routers provide a guest network with stricter restrictions. These may prevent the device from reaching the Shelly cloud, or may even block the pairing process. Try pairing it to the main Wi-Fi network instead.
If the above didn’t solve your issue, read on!
Did You disable mobile data on your phone?
Smartphones can connect to both mobile data and Wi-Fi at the same time. Sometimes, even after successfully connecting to Wi-Fi, the app cannot find the device because it's searching via the mobile network.
Tip: During pairing, disable mobile data on your phone to ensure it only uses the local Wi-Fi connection.
Does the App Have All Necessary Permissions?
To pair successfully, the app on your smartphone—whether iOS or Android—needs certain permissions. Without them, it may not find the device.
The most crucial is location access. Without it, Wi-Fi pairing cannot even begin.
If using Bluetooth pairing, the app must also have Bluetooth access.
Additionally, on iOS, Local Network access must be enabled. Without it, your phone won’t be able to communicate with the device over the network, which means it won’t be able to set up or confirm the Wi-Fi connection.
If the above didn’t solve your issue, read on!
Is Your Wi-Fi router Dual-Band?
Most Shelly smart devices—like many other smart home brands—are only compatible with 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and cannot connect to 5 GHz networks.
What’s the difference and why two bands?
2.4 GHz is the original band. In recent years, routers supporting dual-band (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz) have become common.
2.4 GHz: Longer range, better wall penetration.
5 GHz: Higher speed (up to 1300 Mbps), shorter range (about 5–6 meters max).
Check if your router is dual-band. If so, pairing might fail if your phone is on the 5 GHz band and tries to pair the device on that band, or if the router attempts to assign the device to 5 GHz, which it doesn’t detect.
Advanced routers often use separate SSIDs for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. This lets you easily verify your connection. If both bands use the same SSID, disable the 5 GHz band temporarily via the router’s admin panel.
If you can’t access the router settings, try moving farther from the router during setup. The 5 GHz signal weakens significantly after 5–6 meters, increasing the chance of connecting via 2.4 GHz.hi
Permanent solution: Consider buying a dedicated 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi Access Point or mesh system for your smart home devices.
If the above didn’t solve your issue, read on!
How Many Wi-Fi Devices Can Your Router Handle Simultaneously?
Entry-level or SIM-card-based routers might support only 10–20 connected Wi-Fi devices at once. If your router is full, new devices can’t connect—even with correct settings.
Check your router’s specifications or admin interface to see how many devices are currently connected.
If the above didn’t solve your issue, read on!
Successful Wi-Fi Connection, but Pairing Fails with an Error?
If pairing still fails in the app, consider the following.
Pairing in the App Happens in Two Steps:
The phone connects to the device and configures it to join your Wi-Fi.
Once connected, the app searches for it on your local network and adds it to your cloud account.
At the end of pairing, you can decide whether to use cloud mode or not. In the Shelly Smart Control app, cloud access can be disabled.
Sometimes the first step (Wi-Fi connection) succeeds, but the app can’t find the device in the second step. Possible causes:
Network issues or router settings prevent the app from seeing the device.
If you can access your router’s admin panel, check whether the device connected and note its IP address.
Enter the IP address into your browser (e.g., http://192.168.0.x) to confirm the device is connected—it should open the device’s web interface.
If the device is visible this way, use the ADD DEVICE BY IP option in the Shelly Smart Control app to continue pairing manually.
If that still doesn’t work, then...
Is a router security setting blocking the pairing?
If the device shows as online in the router and has an IP, but you can't access its web interface or add it by IP in the app, a likely cause is a router security setting.
Look for the AP isolation option in the router’s Wireless Settings / Advanced Settings and disable it.
AP isolation restricts connected devices from seeing each other on the network. It allows devices to talk to the router and access the internet, but not each other. This would prevent your phone or tablet from finding the Shelly device on the local network.
Still can’t connect to Wi-Fi? Try configuring via the device’s web interface
If pairing still fails in the app, try setting up the Wi-Fi connection through the device’s local web interface.
You can find a detailed guide here.