# Connecting your Peko Pal to WiFi Your Peko Pal uses your home WiFi to stream music and stories, download new content, and power its talking and calling features. Many things work without WiFi too — so even when you're offline, your child can still play. This guide walks you through getting connected, explains what your Peko Pal does on its own once it's set up, and helps you fix the most common problems. > Throughout this guide, "the **logo**" means the glowing light on the front of > your Peko Pal. Its color and movement tell you what the device is doing. --- ## Before you start You'll need three things: 1. **A 2.4 GHz WiFi network.** This is the one that trips people up most. Peko Pal connects to **2.4 GHz** WiFi only — it *cannot* join a 5 GHz network. ("2.4 GHz" and "5 GHz" are the two types of signal most home WiFi uses.) Most routers offer both, and many give them the same name, so it usually connects without any extra steps. If your networks have separate names, pick the one *without* "5G" in it. Not sure which is which? See [Why can't Peko Pal see my WiFi?](#why-cant-peko-pal-see-my-wifi). 2. **Your WiFi password.** 3. **The Peko Pal app** on your phone, with **Bluetooth turned on.** You set up WiFi through the app over Bluetooth — you don't type anything on the device itself. --- ## Connecting for the first time Setting up WiFi is part of pairing your Peko Pal with the app. ### Step 1 — Put your Peko Pal in pairing mode 1. Turn on your Peko Pal. 2. **Hold the Volume Up (＋) and Volume Down (－) buttons together** for a few seconds. 3. Wait until the **logo turns blue.** That means it's ready to pair. If the logo won't turn blue, see [The app can't find my Peko Pal](#the-app-cant-find-my-peko-pal). ### Step 2 — Add the device in the app Open the Peko Pal app and tap **Set Up a Pal** on Home (or tap **+** in the **Kids** tab and choose **Set Up a Pal**). The app looks for nearby Peko Pals over Bluetooth. The [setup guide](https://www.pekopal.com/guide/setting-up-your-peko-pal) covers every step. - Keep your phone close to the device. - When your Peko Pal appears in the list, tap it to connect. > **Don't see it?** Make sure the logo is blue (Step 1), your phone's Bluetooth > is on, and the device is nearby. See > [The app can't find my Peko Pal](#the-app-cant-find-my-peko-pal). ### Step 3 — Choose your WiFi network After connecting, the app asks your Peko Pal to scan for nearby WiFi networks. This can take a few seconds. You'll see a list of networks, strongest first, each labeled **Strong**, **Good**, **Fair**, or **Weak**, with a lock icon if it needs a password. > **Note:** This list comes from what *your Peko Pal* can see, not your phone — > so you can only choose a network you're currently near. Only 2.4 GHz networks > in range appear. If yours is missing, see > [Why can't Peko Pal see my WiFi?](#why-cant-peko-pal-see-my-wifi). Tap your network to select it. ### Step 4 — Enter your password Type your WiFi password and tap **Connect.** (If you chose an open network with no password, the app skips this step.) Use the eye icon to double-check what you typed — passwords are case-sensitive. The app shows **"Configuring WiFi…"** while your Peko Pal joins the network. - **Success:** setup continues to choosing apps and downloading content. - **Trouble:** if you see *"Device could not connect to WiFi. Please check your password and try again,"* see [Peko Pal won't connect to my network](#peko-pal-wont-connect-to-my-network). ### Step 5 — Finishing setup Once connected, your Peko Pal finishes setting itself up — installing the apps you chose and downloading content — then restarts. When you see **"Setup complete!"**, you're done. --- ## What the lights mean Your Peko Pal's logo tells you what's happening with WiFi at a glance: | Logo | What it means | |------|---------------| | **White ring spinning** | Connecting to WiFi. | | **Ring stops / normal** | Connected and online. | | **Red pulsing** | No WiFi networks saved yet — it needs to be set up. | | **Blue** | In pairing mode, waiting for the app (see Step 1). | There's no chime when WiFi connects — the spinning ring simply stops. --- ## How your Peko Pal uses WiFi day to day Once it's set up, your Peko Pal manages WiFi on its own. You don't need to do anything — but here's what it's doing behind the scenes. ### It reconnects automatically If your Peko Pal loses WiFi — someone reboots the router, or it's carried out of range — it keeps trying to reconnect on its own, and **reconnects automatically once your network is available again.** You don't need to re-enter anything. If it can't reach any saved network for a while, it keeps checking about once a minute so it isn't constantly straining. ### It remembers several networks Your Peko Pal can remember **up to 10 WiFi networks.** Whenever WiFi is on, it connects to the strongest saved network it can find. This is handy if you move between homes — for example, your house and a grandparent's place. Add each network once (while you're there), and after that Peko Pal recognizes it and connects on its own each time you return. If more than one saved network is in range and the current signal gets weak, Peko Pal will **automatically switch to a stronger saved network** so it stays online with the best connection available. ### It saves battery when it can To make the battery last longer, your Peko Pal turns WiFi off when it doesn't need it — for example, when your child is using an offline app like Glowlight or Night mode on battery power. It turns WiFi back on as soon as it's needed again (when you open an app that uses the internet) or whenever the device is **plugged into its charger.** Plugging in always keeps WiFi on. --- ## What needs WiFi, and what works offline Many of Peko Pal's features work even when it's offline, so playtime doesn't fully stop if the internet goes down. | Works **offline** (no WiFi needed) | Needs **WiFi** | |------------------------------------|----------------| | Baby Smash | AI voice chat | | Night mode | Talking / conversation features | | Recorder | Peko Pal calling | | Stopwatch | Radio | | Glowlight | Playlists | | Walkie-Talkie* | Podcasts | When WiFi is down, features that need it will pause and pick back up once the connection returns. *\*Walkie-Talkie is special: if you have two Peko Pals, they can talk to each other directly, so it works even with no WiFi or internet at all. Because it uses the same wireless connection to do this, Walkie-Talkie can't run at the same time as the WiFi features listed above.* --- ## Changing your WiFi later You can add, switch, or remove saved networks at any time. 1. In the Peko Pal app, open your device, then go to **Device Settings → WiFi Networks.** 2. Because this happens over Bluetooth, you'll be asked to put the device in pairing mode again: **hold Volume Up ＋ and Volume Down － until the logo turns blue.** From here you can: - **Add a network** — tap **Add Network**, choose it from the list, and enter the password. (You have to be near the network you're adding, since Peko Pal can only see networks it's currently in range of.) - **Switch networks** — tap any saved network to connect to it now. The one it's currently using shows a green **Connected** label. - **Forget a network** — swipe left on it and tap **Remove.** Your Peko Pal will no longer connect to that network. --- ## Troubleshooting ### The app can't find my Peko Pal - Make sure the device's **logo is blue** — hold **Volume Up ＋ and Volume Down －** together for a few seconds until it turns blue. - **Logo won't turn blue, or the device won't turn on?** It may need charging. Plug it in, let it charge a bit, then try again. - Check that **Bluetooth is on** on your phone. If you're asked for permission, allow it — or check in your phone's Settings, under the Peko Pal app, that Bluetooth is allowed. - Keep the phone **close to the device**, and make sure another phone isn't already connected to it over Bluetooth. - Still stuck? Turn the device off and on and try again. ### Why can't Peko Pal see my WiFi? The most common reason is the **2.4 GHz** requirement. - Peko Pal connects to **2.4 GHz** WiFi only. If your network only appears as a **5 GHz** network, Peko Pal can't see it — choose your 2.4 GHz one instead. - **How to tell them apart:** open your phone's WiFi settings and look at your network names. A name with **"5G"** or **"5GHz"** in it is the 5 GHz one; the matching name without that is your 2.4 GHz network. If you only see a single name, your router likely combines both and Peko Pal will use the 2.4 GHz part automatically. - Make sure the device is **within range** of the router, then tap **Scan Again.** - **Hidden networks aren't supported.** Your network name has to be visible for Peko Pal to find it. If you're comfortable in your router's settings, you can also make sure its 2.4 GHz WiFi is switched on — but for most homes it already is. ### Peko Pal won't connect to my network If you see *"Device could not connect to WiFi. Please check your password and try again":* - **Re-check the password.** It's case-sensitive; use the eye icon to confirm it. - Make sure you picked a **2.4 GHz** network (see above). - Move the device **closer to the router** and try again. ### Peko Pal keeps disconnecting - Check the signal where your child uses it — if the network shows as **Fair** or **Weak**, move the device closer to the router, or save a second, closer network so Peko Pal can switch to the stronger one. - Brief drops during a router restart are normal — it reconnects on its own. ### The logo is pulsing red That means **no WiFi networks are saved** — the device needs to be set up. Follow [Connecting for the first time](#connecting-for-the-first-time). ### It's connected, but online features don't work If your Peko Pal shows as connected but streaming or talking features don't work, the network may be reachable but not the internet: - **Guest or public WiFi that shows a sign-in page** (hotels, cafés, some guest networks) won't work. Peko Pal can join the network but can't get through a sign-in page, so it never reaches the internet. Use a normal home network. - Confirm the **internet itself is working** — try loading a website on your phone while it's on the same WiFi. ### Still need help? If none of the above works, contact Peko Pal support and we'll help you get connected. --- ## Good to know A quick summary of Peko Pal's WiFi limits: - **2.4 GHz only** — it cannot use 5 GHz WiFi. - **Remembers up to 10 networks** — adding an 11th means removing one first. - **Hidden networks** and **networks with a sign-in page** (like some hotel or guest WiFi) are not supported. - WiFi is always set up and changed **through the app over Bluetooth**, never typed on the device.