Web interface continuously drops connection

Machines (Original/PRO) Troubleshooting (X35/X50)
1

I am having major problems connecting to my controller via the web interface. The controller is on v1.0.9, and as you can see in the image attached, the wifi signal is very strong at the controller. I have rebooted the controller multiple times, and I can sometimes connect, but it will randomly disconnect without warning.

I posted yesterday about having issues uploading an NC file to make a cut, but that was a symptom of a bigger issue.

The laptop I’m using to connect to the controller is 4 feet away from the controller.

Any ideas?

wifi_report
wifi_report828×867 68 KB

2

Even with a strong wifi the connection can be lost. I switched to a cat6 cable directly to the controller. No issues and faster large file uploads.

3

I plugged an extender into the power strip next to the controller and it works like a charm. Thanks Onefinity support!

4

It doesn’t matter how close the laptop is to the controller (as the laptop releays to the router, then the router to the controller) or the speed of your internet (in fact, you don’t need internet, you could just use a router without internet).

You cannot measure the wifi at the controller with a different device, as the controller has a wifi chip inside a metal box without an antenna.

What does matter is how far the controller is from the router/extender. It must be within 10feet with clear line of site.

1 Like
5

As OF stated, distance to the your access point is what matters, not the laptop. There is a way to measure the signal strength within the OF controller, but it is not straight forward. A great feature request would be adding signal strength to the UI so people with connection issues have some insight.

I ended up doing what @Satch did, connecting via cat5, as I started randomly having connection issues after many months without any problems. And my AP is 15 feet from the controller.

-Tom

3 Likes
6

10’ and line of sight to a router is a ridiculous requirement for a hobby wood shop tool. You need to add an antenna to your controller to make wifi support a reliable feature.

1 Like
7

Unfortunately, it seems like the extender solution isn’t working. I’m now getting the same problem that I did last week. The flat screen shows that I’m connected to my wifi, but I still cannot connect to the web interface. The extender is literally less than a foot away from the controller.

8

I plugged a CAT5 cable from the extender into the controller yesterday, and everything was working fine.

This morning, I’m getting the spinning circle of death again in the web browser. The browser times out with the error Unable to connect.

I’ve restarted the controller multiple times.

Any ideas?

9

How are you connecting to it name/IP address? Did the controller receive a different IP address from your DHCP server?

10

I’m connecting to it via IP address. I type in the IP address that is displayed in the upper left of the screen.

11

This is the official stance from Onefinity, via email:

If the controller has an IP address, it’s connected to the network. That’s about as far as we can assist with, due to the 100s of thousands of variables in each individual’s personal network configuration. Since you’re the network administrator, it will be up to you at this point to diagnose your network end of things.

-Onefinity Support

12

the only other simple thing to try would be:

  1. turn off the controller
  2. unplug the extender
  3. unplug the router.
  4. turn of your computer.
  5. wait 3 minutes
  6. plug in the router, wait 3 minutes
  7. plug in the extender, wait 3 minutes
  8. turn on the Onefinity controller, wait 3 minutes (and ensure it has an ip in the upper left)
  9. turn on the computer, and try the ip address the controller shows.
13

I’ve done that, multiple times.

Unfortunately, rebooting the router is problematic, as my wife also works from home and needs to be online at all times.

14

Is WIFI disable in the controller network setting after connecting via CAT5?

1 Like
15

No, let me try that.

16

I did that, and rebooted the controller. Now the controller has an IP address of http://169.254.200.215/ which I cannot access.

17

The 169.254 address means it did not get a viable IP from the server.

1 Like
18

I would verify you have a yellow link light on the controller where you plugged in the network cable, possibly try taking the cable out of the controller and plugging it into a laptop to validate the connection is good.

FWIW I’ve had mine connected via a network cable for almost a year now and haven’t had any issues with disconnects.

1 Like
19

exactly. This would be a router/extender internal setup issue.

20

Just for my own clarity. Are you running the cat5 or 6 from the laptop to the controller or from a router to the controller?

My router is one room away but running gig internet speeds. Even my wifi typically runs in the 400+ mbps range in all parts of the house.

Mine loses connection with the laptop more often than I would prefer.

Restarting the controller and/or the laptop usually fixes it but still a pain in the tail nonethe less.