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Set up your Hilou

Everything you need to get it running, and what to expect once it is.

SetupJoin wifi:hilou-XXXXThen open:hilou.setup

Before you start

Your HilouPlugged in with its cable, near where it will live.
A phoneYou set it up from the Hilou app in your phone’s browser.
Your Wi-Fi name and passwordIt needs a 2.4 GHz network. Most home routers have one.
The device keyIt’s on the sticker under the device, and on the box.

Set it up

1Create your accountSign up in the Hilou app and name your home. Your family sees that name. Accounts are for grown-ups (18+).
2Plug in your HilouWait for the yellow Setup screen. It takes about 30 seconds. It shows a Wi-Fi name that starts with “hilou-”.
3Type the device keyIn the app, open Home settings, tap Add, then Set up a device. The key is on the sticker under the device, and on the box.
4Give it your Wi-FiOn your phone, join the “hilou-” network. A setup page opens (if it doesn’t, go to hilou.setup). Pick your home Wi-Fi and enter its password.
5Wait for it to come onlineIt tests your Wi-Fi, restarts and connects. This usually takes under a minute, and the app tells you when it’s online.
6Name it and choose who it can messagePick where it lives, like “Kitchen” or “Maya’s room”, then choose the people it can talk to. You can change both later.
7Bring in your familyFrom Home settings, invite a parent who lives with you, or connect another home, like the grandparents’.

What to expect

Tap a person to talkKids tap a person, then talk. A message can be up to 30 seconds and sends itself when time runs out. No reading needed.
New messages show up on their ownThe device checks for new messages about every 30 seconds and shows a count on the person who sent them.
Grown-ups use the appListen and reply from your phone. Turn on notifications to hear when something new arrives.
“Heard” means they listenedEach message you send shows when it’s been played.
The screen restsIt goes dark after 2 minutes. Tap it or press the top button to wake it. The top button also opens the volume.
Messages last 7 daysAfter a week, voice messages are deleted for good.
Only people you chooseA device can only message the people you pick in its settings. Nobody else can reach it.

Troubleshooting

There’s no yellow Setup screen

Give it a full 30 seconds after plugging in. If it shows your family instead, it’s already on Wi-Fi. That’s fine: add it in the app as usual.

The screen says “Couldn’t connect”

The Wi-Fi password was probably wrong. Join the “hilou-” network again and re-enter it. Passwords are case-sensitive.

The setup page didn’t open

Stay on the “hilou-” network and open hilou.setup in your browser. If your phone says the network has no internet, choose to stay connected.

My Wi-Fi isn’t in the list

Hilou needs a 2.4 GHz network. Most routers have both 2.4 and 5 GHz; look for the one without “5G” in its name, or turn 2.4 GHz on in your router’s settings.

“We couldn’t find a device with that key”

Check the sticker under the device and type the key exactly as it’s shown.

“Already set up in another home”

Each Hilou belongs to one home. Ask whoever set it up to remove it from their Home settings first.

Setup is taking a long time

Look at the device’s screen. If it still says “Join wifi”, the setup page wasn’t finished. You can also skip for now: it will show up in the app once it’s online.

Messages aren’t arriving

Check the device is on Wi-Fi and that the person is allowed in its settings. New messages can take up to 30 seconds to appear.

Still stuck?

Write to us and tell us what the device's screen says.

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