Before you take the products out of your house, you should wipe the data off them.
No matter the reason, occasionally it’s time to retire older smarthome hardware.
Otherwise, you fire off the risk of someone else gaining access to your saved credentials.
That could be your location, your web link, or even passwords.
Unfortunately, the process for factory resetting your smart devices is as wide and varied as smart devices themselves.
Some of your smarthome gear will have a reset button that does the trick.
Amazon
Some of it will require using an app.
And some will provide both options.
If you’re going to use a reset button, doublecheck that it truly factory resets the machine.
Amazon
Routers, for instance, often have reset buttons but those perform a power cycle operation.
Resetting an Echo is easy, but the exact steps depend on which Echo you have.
Grab a paperclip and unbend it.
Josh Hendrickson / How-To Geek
Then lift your Echo and find the hole on the bottom.
You’ll see the light ring turn off, and then turn on.
The factory reset is complete, and you should be prompted for setup.
The light ring will turn off and on, and the factory reset is done.
If you have an Echo Show or Spot, you will reset using the screen.
Swipe down from the top and tap “options.”
Josh Hendrickson / How-To Geek
Then tap unit Options, followed by Reset to Factory Defaults.
If you’re not sure you have the process right, Amazon has put togetherhelpful videosdemonstrating each method.
The process here is much more consistent though.
Josh Hendrickson / How-To Geek
You’ll hear vocal confirmation of the impending factory reset.
Just like all the other Google units, you’ll hear vocal confirmation of the factory reset.
And until they’ve had that information removed from them, they won’t connect to another hub.
Josh Hendrickson / How-To Geek
Both Wink and SmartThings include an Exclusion mode option for just this purpose.
On Wink, go to your Hub -> Z-Wave Controls -> Exclusion mode.
If it’s a smart lock, punch in a lock code.
Josh Hendrickson / How-To Geek
The gear will now be excluded.
The equipment will now be excluded.
How to Factory Reset a Wink Hub
Factory resetting aWink Hubis not a straight forward process.
Josh Hendrickson / How-To Geek
The Hub’s LED should change from Solid Green to Flashing Green to Flashing White.
When you see the Flashing White, stop pressing into the reset button.
When you see the Wink Flashing Red, press the paperclip back into the reset hold and hold.
The Hub will start alternating Blue and Green.
This means the factory reset process has begun.
When the reset process finishes, the blue and green will change to a slow flashing white.
Then grab a bent paperclip and press into the reset button on the back of the hub.
Keep holding the pin in and reconnect the plug.
Let the unit power on, and hold the paperclip in place for 30 seconds.
Don’t unplug yet though, as a full factory reset takes about 15 minutes to finish.
Then bring your Hue switch close to the bulb.
Your hue bulb will flash, keep holding the on and off for another second.
Turn off the light and then turn it back on.
Your bulb is factory reset.
Once you’ve reset your bulbs, factory resetting a Philips Hue Bridge is straight forward.
Turn the Bridge over and find the Factory Reset button.
Depending on your model, you might need a paperclip to get to it.
When they stop blinking your factory reset has completed.
You’ll want to tap the Thermostat to bring up the main menu.
Scroll to controls and select it.
Scroll to the right and then select reset.
Choose all options, and then select Reset to confirm you want to factory reset the equipment.
Push on the unit to hit “OK.” Wait ten seconds, and the reset process will begin.
The process for theNest Protectis equally hands-on, but simpler overall.
Press and hold the Protect’s button for ten seconds.
When the Protect starts to speak its version number let go of the button.
If you hold too long, the process will cancel.
After you let go, the Nest will count down and tell you will it will erase its prefs.
Let the countdown complete, and the Nest Protect will erase its controls.
What About Other Devices?
Unfortunately, Wi-Fi devices are even more varied than other smarthome devices.
Because of this lack of standard, there’s no one way to reset a Wi-Fi smarthome gadget.
They may contain your SSID and password, and it could be possible to extract that information from them.
