I also picked up one of those (IOGear GWU637) from Amazon and, like Jeff, found it works well with the 1F controller. I couldn’t get the controller’s built-in wifi to connect to my network, but the IOGear dongle works great.
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Going to throw in here just a bit. Have a new Onefinity CNC with rolling QCW board. Controller is under the table as designed. I have an EERO 6 mesh network in my house with on node only 30 feet or so from my CNC. Went ahead and purchased a repeater for my shop so the signal boost is literally 3 feet from my CNC and still no signal to the controller.
Having to duck under the table to put in a USB drive for every job is no fun. Also have issued with USB drives not being recognized by the controller software.
While the entire product is rock solid, this is a weakness that should be addressed and at no cost to customers.
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Hey stringtheory63,
the WiFi problem is a known problem, unfortunately the Raspberri Pi designers provided no pin for an external antenna and a metal case is faraday cage. Experienced solderers managed to solder an external antenna port to it. However many people use an external USB WiFi adapter and deactivate the internal one. This works better then.
You could use an USB extension cable, some have a little base to put on a table, you could stick velcro to it and attach it somewhere more accessible.
USB drives not recognized are mostly exFAT formatted for which there is no support installed in the rather old raspbian version. Reformatting to FAT32 or NTFS or ext{2..4} helps.
Welcome to the forum!
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Thanks! Already getting ready to add the extension cable and velcro (big fan of this gift from the Martians!). Also discovered the FAT32 issue but appreciate the heads up.
Have a USB antenna for pi in the mail. Will see if it works. Not sure how to deactivate the internal one - sound like you have to go to a terminal screen.
You say you have a repeater 3 ft from the controller. A lot of repeaters have an Ethernet port. If yours does as well, you could just connect an Ethernet cable between the repeater and the controller.
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Hey stringtheory63,
yes, and when you’re inside the terminal window (or inside a ssh), do the following
sudo -i
mount -o remount,rw /boot
nano /boot/config.txt
Then, you’re inside an editor program. Here, if you find a line like:
#dtoverlay=disable-wifi
you remove the “'#” sign in front of the line.
If there is no such line, you simply add one at the end of the file:
dtoverlay=disable-wifi
Then you choose “Write Out” and “Exit”, and finally, you type
reboot
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PS:
you mean the Vulcans¹.
1.) ENT 2.2, “Carbon Creek”
You so totally get me. Loved that episode!
Have to say the internal wifi antenna is a bust.
I put my router literally 3 inches from the 1F case - no dice
Shut of any 5 Ghz signal - no dice
Set at legacy mode - no dice
No bueno.
Will have to rely on USB drives and an extension cable. To tall to duck under the deck every time I want to set up a file.
Have a USB antenna on order - will see
I have a TP Link AX-6000 router, centrally located in the basement of a 2000 sq/ft ranch house. I have Wi-Fi top to bottom everywhere. My 1F is 30’ away in the basement with 2 insulated walls in between. It instantly connected to the 1F. Note: I also ran a Cat 5 cable over and thought that was my working connection. Turns out I terminated the wrong cable at a plug and was running on Wi-Fi for a number of days prior to catching this.The 1F worked flawlessly on Wi-Fi. The funny is after plugging in and trying to disable Wi-Fi I have 2 IP addresses showing on the screen and can’t figure out how to eliminate the Wi-Fi IP address, it comes and goes at will. I’ve chosen to go via cable since I went through the trouble of running it over, and should be the most reliable, but am confident I would have no problems on Wi-Fi only. This brand and model of router may be a solution worth considering, but coming in around $250-300 might be an expensive gamble.
I have a powered Wi-Fi boaster disc around 2ft from the controller which was installed way before The Onefinity, No issues with Wi-Fi anywhere in the workshop streaming TV CCTV music network printing network scanning however the only way i can get the Onefinity on line is with a Cat5 cable from the controller to the boaster disc. I did buy the Pi-Hut external USB Wi-Fi dingle which made no difference
With the Cat 5 i have had no issues
Thank you for sharing - goin bonkers before coming across this post.
I’m having intermittent issues again with my connection.
Rogers home network
Netgear ex2700 extender
hardwired from extender to unit (approximately 5-6’ from controller)
this is probably some noob questions but;
- What should my setting be under the network tab for wifi - client/access point/disabled,
a) If wireless?
b) If hardwired? - Should I utilize the hardwired function of the extender, versus the wifi?
thanks
I saw someone here using something like this mounted into their table.
I kept it bookmarked for now because it might be something I decide to do. My controller is mounted with the I/O panel facing up on the side wall of my CNC Table. It’s not too hard to reach the USB port but I would prefer to avoid the dust and maybe just use an extension like this.
I just upgraded to a WiFi Mesh system in my house but haven’t even bothered trying it with the CNC. As good as it is I doubt it makes a difference with the Rasberyy Pi.
Client —
- controller connects to an external WiFi source (e.g., WiFi router or access point)
- devices communicate over local network
- shares internet with local network
Access point —
- controller is the WiFi source
- devices connect and communicate directly with controller
- requires an additional wired connection (to controller) if internet access is needed
1.a. Client, most commonly.
1.b. You can disable the WiFi if hardwired, but the hardwired connection should take priority.
2. Hardwired. Otherwise, the signal has to make two WiFi hops instead of one (router to extender & extender to controller).
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I have that mounted in the top of the cabinet that I have the controller in. I do have a mini-USB wifi adapter in one of the two ports & use the other for a thumbdrive when I use that as a way to move files to the OF.
I haven’t had any problem with wifi connectivity to my network.
Thank you, I appreciate the detailed and informative reply. It seems every so often, my home router, or the netgear extender, need a reset. I can live with it.
Hey, I saw this old thread and believe I found my current problem “ Power Management:on”.
My onboard WiFi disconnects from the router sometimes after 1/2hr sometimes next day.
Firmware 1.4.2 but it was happening with 1.0.9 too.
Frustrating when you are trying to upload up a new folder or had to update a file for different material thickness.
Curious if anyone has turned this off and still has issue where controller disconnects from WiFi.