diff --git a/roborock/devices/device.py b/roborock/devices/device.py
index d86b3f38..31931139 100644
--- a/roborock/devices/device.py
+++ b/roborock/devices/device.py
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 MIN_BACKOFF_INTERVAL = datetime.timedelta(seconds=10)
 MAX_BACKOFF_INTERVAL = datetime.timedelta(minutes=30)
 BACKOFF_MULTIPLIER = 1.5
+START_ATTEMPT_TIMEOUT = datetime.timedelta(seconds=5)
 
 
 class RoborockDevice(ABC, TraitsMixin):
@@ -107,16 +108,21 @@ def is_local_connected(self) -> bool:
         """
         return self._channel.is_local_connected
 
-    def start_connect(self) -> None:
+    async def start_connect(self) -> None:
         """Start a background task to connect to the device.
 
-        This will attempt to connect to the device using the appropriate protocol
-        channel. If the connection fails, it will retry with exponential backoff.
+        This will give a moment for the first connection attempt to start so
+        that the device will have connections established -- however, this will
+        never directly fail.
+
+        If the connection fails, it will retry in the background with
+        exponential backoff.
 
         Once connected, the device will remain connected until `close()` is
         called. The device will automatically attempt to reconnect if the connection
         is lost.
         """
+        start_attempt: asyncio.Event = asyncio.Event()
 
         async def connect_loop() -> None:
             backoff = MIN_BACKOFF_INTERVAL
@@ -124,8 +130,10 @@ async def connect_loop() -> None:
                 while True:
                     try:
                         await self.connect()
+                        start_attempt.set()
                         return
                     except RoborockException as e:
+                        start_attempt.set()
                         _LOGGER.info("Failed to connect to device %s: %s", self.name, e)
                         _LOGGER.info(
                             "Retrying connection to device %s in %s seconds", self.name, backoff.total_seconds()
@@ -136,9 +144,16 @@ async def connect_loop() -> None:
                 _LOGGER.info("connect_loop for device %s was cancelled", self.name)
                 # Clean exit on cancellation
                 return
+            finally:
+                start_attempt.set()
 
         self._connect_task = asyncio.create_task(connect_loop())
 
+        try:
+            await asyncio.wait_for(start_attempt.wait(), timeout=START_ATTEMPT_TIMEOUT.total_seconds())
+        except TimeoutError:
+            _LOGGER.debug("Initial connection attempt to device %s is taking longer than expected", self.name)
+
     async def connect(self) -> None:
         """Connect to the device using the appropriate protocol channel."""
         if self._unsub:
diff --git a/roborock/devices/device_manager.py b/roborock/devices/device_manager.py
index a244cbc9..b42a5d9e 100644
--- a/roborock/devices/device_manager.py
+++ b/roborock/devices/device_manager.py
@@ -82,14 +82,16 @@ async def discover_devices(self) -> list[RoborockDevice]:
 
         # These are connected serially to avoid overwhelming the MQTT broker
         new_devices = {}
+        start_tasks = []
         for duid, (device, product) in device_products.items():
             if duid in self._devices:
                 continue
             new_device = self._device_creator(home_data, device, product)
-            new_device.start_connect()
+            start_tasks.append(new_device.start_connect())
             new_devices[duid] = new_device
 
         self._devices.update(new_devices)
+        await asyncio.gather(*start_tasks)
         return list(self._devices.values())
 
     async def get_device(self, duid: str) -> RoborockDevice | None:
diff --git a/tests/devices/test_device_manager.py b/tests/devices/test_device_manager.py
index 3b0584c6..79acd333 100644
--- a/tests/devices/test_device_manager.py
+++ b/tests/devices/test_device_manager.py
@@ -176,13 +176,10 @@ async def test_start_connect_failure(home_data: HomeData, channel_failure: Mock,
     device_manager = await create_device_manager(USER_PARAMS)
     devices = await device_manager.get_devices()
 
-    # Wait for the device to attempt to connect
-    attempts = 0
+    # The device should attempt to connect in the background at least once
+    # by the time this function returns.
     subscribe_mock = channel_failure.return_value.subscribe
-    while subscribe_mock.call_count < 1:
-        await asyncio.sleep(0.01)
-        attempts += 1
-        assert attempts < 10, "Device did not connect after multiple attempts"
+    assert subscribe_mock.call_count > 0
 
     # Device should exist but not be connected
     assert len(devices) == 1