I'd like to post my thoughts to others interested in this thread, and I understand your pain. The accepted solution is close to my experience, but I have a bit more to say about that. Also the "happy talk" from Fitbit moderators does not help solve the problem… Which really is, that the setup for the Aria scale is a poorly designed kludge! To make matters worse, the instructions for accomplishing the task are incomplete and misleading!
Once you understand this, you can proceed (and hopefully succeed), but it is critical to understand that you are not working with a well-designed product or procedure!
After struggling for over an hour, I actually made the mistake of calling their customer service line (although I am pleased to report that they picked up right away). The problem that I was having was at the step where I needed to connect to the Aria WiFi (to make the configuration changes for a new home router and password). They tried to tell me that the reason I could not connect was due to the fact that my new router was not compatible with the Aria (they sent me a detailed email, expecting that I would contact my Internet service provider and confirm these settings… glad I did not do that!). I pointed out to her that, at this stage in the process, my new router had absolutely nothing to do with it, since the connection required was simply between my computer and the Aria (not to my new router). She was not technical enough to grasp this point, and kept telling me that I was incorrect!
The issue is this (and I wish the documentation would make this clear): Since the Aria has no configurable interface directly on it (you certainly do not type anything into the little round window that displays your weight!) you need to connect to it with a different device (your smart phone or your computer). Furthermore, since there is no provision to connect to the Aria via a cable, the ways possible ways to connect are Bluetooth or WiFi. Aria uses Wifi. This is not common, but I have a GoPro camera which uses a similar process. The Aria itself broadcasts a WiFi signal (separate, and unrelated to your home WiFi).
Once you understand this you have some hope of success. I had better luck doing this on my computer (a Microsoft Surface) than on my phone. Initially when the Fitbit help said to go to the WiFi settings "on your device" I was confused (on my "device"… let's see, which device are they talking about, my phone, my computer, or the Aria). After some stupid poking and prodding on the Aria itself I finally realized they were talking about the "device" you were using to connect to the Aria for configuration purposes… for me, my computer.
The problem here was, after getting to this step over a dozen times, the WiFi address of the Aria was never showing up! Seemed the trick was to make sure that the Aria was sitting right next to my computer (and then be patient!). Even when the address did show up, at least once after choosing it, the process bombed. I attribute this to a poor quality design of the Aria onboard WiFi… but once you do connect (and hit that "Continue" button in the app), the only information you need to send to the Aria via this mechanism is just your home's WiFi name and password. Once you do that… you are good to go.
In my case it took the Aria a few minutes to figure out what had happened, and the display went a bit wonky (entering a continuous "STEP OFF" loop. After a while, however, it returned to regular operation.
In review:
- Understand that the process is flawed… if you are having a hard time, it's not you, it's Fitbit.
- Understand the distinction between connecting to the Aria WiFi (for configuration purposes) and connecting to you home WiFi (for operational purposes).
- If support tells you that your problem doing the former, has anything to do with the later… don't believe them.
I actually really enjoy the Aria, and most other aspects of it are easy an intuitive. I wish you luck!
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