Why will my home EV charger not connect to wifi or the app?
Why chargepoints sit exactly where wifi is worst, what to do when the app cannot see it, and why smart-charging regulations mean the connection matters more than it used to.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 25 min
- Read
- 5 min
- Safety
- caution
Short answer
Almost always it is signal, not the charger. A chargepoint is on an outside wall, often behind a brick or rendered wall from the router, and 2.4 GHz wifi is what it needs — many chargers cannot see a 5 GHz-only network at all. Check the band, add a mesh node or powerline adapter near that wall, and re-run the commissioning process. Most will still charge without a network, but you lose scheduling and any smart tariff — which is where the savings are.
Home chargepoints are unusual devices: mains-powered but network-dependent, mounted in the worst possible place for a radio signal, and increasingly required by regulation to be smart. Since 2022 new domestic chargepoints sold in Great Britain must meet smart charging requirements, including default off-peak charging and the ability to respond to signals — which means the connection is no longer just a convenience feature. Losing it usually still leaves you able to charge, but it costs you the cheap overnight rate that is the main financial reason to have a home charger at all.
Safety
Step by step
- Check the wifi band first.Most chargepoints connect on 2.4 GHz only, because it travels through walls far better. If your router has been set to 5 GHz only, or has band steering that hides the 2.4 GHz network, the charger cannot see it. Enabling or separating the 2.4 GHz network resolves a large share of these.
- Measure the signal at the charger, not in the house.Stand at the chargepoint with a phone and look at the actual signal strength. A brick or rendered external wall, foil-backed insulation, and a metal garage door all attenuate wifi heavily. What matters is the signal where the unit is, not one room away.
- Improve the signal at that wall.A mesh node or a wifi extender in the room nearest the charger, or a powerline adapter with a wifi access point plugged into a socket on that wall. This is usually the fix, and it is the same solution as any dead spot in a house.
- Re-run the commissioning process.Most chargers create their own temporary wifi network for setup, which you join from a phone and then use to give the unit your home network details. The manufacturer's instructions give the sequence. Changing your broadband router or its password requires this to be repeated, which is the second most common cause.
- Check whether the charger has its own connectivity.Some chargepoints have a built-in SIM and connect over the mobile network rather than wifi, and some use a wired ethernet connection. If yours is one of those, wifi is not the issue — a mobile signal problem or a data plan lapse may be.
- Look at what actually stopped working.Charging but no app control means a network problem. No charging at all with a fault light means an electrical or unit fault. The two need different people: one is broadband, the other is the installer.
- Restart in the right order.Router first and let it fully come back, then power-cycle the chargepoint at its isolator or breaker if the manufacturer says that is acceptable, then reopen the app. Restarting the charger while the router is still booting simply repeats the failure.
- Check the account and the app rather than the hardware.A lapsed account, an app update that requires a new login, a changed tariff integration or a manufacturer server outage all present as "the charger has stopped working". Check the manufacturer's status page and the app store reviews before calling anyone out.
- Know what you lose while it is offline.Typically scheduling, remote start and stop, tariff integration, energy usage records and, on some tariffs, the automatic off-peak rate. Most units will still charge on a manual override, and many have a physical button or a default schedule. Learn yours so a network outage does not mean an empty car.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a charger that is offline is broken — The charging function and the connectivity are separate systems. An offline charger usually still charges; what you have lost is scheduling and the cheap rate, which is a broadband problem rather than an electrical one.
- Setting a charging schedule in both the car and the charger — They conflict, and the usual result is a car that did not charge at all overnight. Choose one place to set it and turn the other off.
If it doesn't work
App says the charger is offline but the car still charges
Cause: Network connection lost, unit functioning — Fix: Fix the signal. The charging hardware and the connectivity are separate, which is why one keeps working without the other.
Stopped working right after changing broadband provider
Cause: New router, new network name and password — Fix: Re-run the charger's commissioning process with the new details. This catches almost everyone who switches provider.
Connects, then drops every night
Cause: Marginal signal, or the router changing channel automatically — Fix: Add a mesh node near the charger and, if your router allows, fix the 2.4 GHz channel rather than leaving it on automatic.
Charger trips the RCD or consumer unit
Cause: An electrical fault, not a network one — Fix: Stop using it and call the installer. Repeated tripping is a protective device doing its job and must not be worked around.
Car charges but not on the cheap overnight rate
Cause: Scheduling is set in the car, the charger and the tariff app, and they are disagreeing — Fix: Set the schedule in one place only. Two schedules fighting each other is the classic cause, and the catalogue's home charging guide covers making the car and the charger agree.
Charger needs a firmware update and cannot get one
Cause: It has been offline for a long time — Fix: Restore the connection and allow it to update, which can take a while. Some manufacturers can push updates over a mobile connection instead if the unit has one.
Questions people ask
Does the charger have to be connected to work?
Not to deliver a charge — nearly all will charge with no network at all, sometimes after a manual override. What requires the connection is scheduling, remote control, energy reporting and any smart tariff integration, which is where the running-cost saving comes from.
Why does my charger only support 2.4 GHz wifi?
Because it penetrates walls far better than 5 GHz, and a chargepoint is mounted outside on the far side of at least one solid wall. It is a deliberate design choice, and it is why a 5 GHz-only home network makes the unit invisible.
What are the smart charging rules?
Regulations that came into force in Great Britain in 2022 require most new private chargepoints to have smart functionality, including default charging outside peak hours, randomised delay and the ability to respond to signals. It is why virtually every domestic charger sold now expects a network connection.