Trouble connecting to WI-FI

[Shield]

For what it's worth, I am an IT supervisor with 23+ years in I.T.

My home wifi has two wireless networks; one is a guest network, one hidden.

Long story short:  If my iPhone is connected to one wifi network, I have to connect my Fitbit to the other one.  Otherwise it won't work - the Ionic will not connect (for me) to the same wi-fi my phone is connected to.

This was the case for two separate Ionics.  Workaround - try disconnecting your phone from your wifi.

No, it doesn't make sense.  Just telling you my workaround with iPhone.  Android users' mileage may vary.

Moderator edit: subject updated for clarity 

Shawn

[USAF-Larry]

Welcome to the IT world, @Shield - I have been in computer systems engineering for a little over 50 years, so you have a ways to go... 

But, back to the topic....That is interesting about having to use different WiFi networks.  I only have one WiFi network, with several repeaters, and I have the computers, phones, tablets, Ionic, and Aria 2 all on that network. I have not seen any conflict with any of them, but I use Android so my mileage may vary, as you say.

[GySgt_Seidell]

The only Wi-Fi issues I have is with BANDWIDTH.  If for example, OneDrive is syncing with the cloud, my Wi-Fi gets jammed up and slows to a crawl (DSL).  So, when ever I do anything related to Wi-Fi with my Ionic, I always ensure my Bandwidth is free and nothing is running on it.

Now as an IT laymen (LEO by trade), I may not be using the correct terminology.

Keep on STEPPING!

[WavyDavey]

I'm a baby only 20 years in IT. Like @USAF-Larry, the standard wifi setup works for me. 

Only observation is it needs 2.4g signal, and doesn't seem to like bonded channels.

[Shield]

Curious if those with issues are using iPhones or Androids.  I have a newer Asus router with dual bands and inexplicably my phone / Fitbit are connected to the same wifi it will never connect.

I shut that off anyway - heaven forbid that last firmware get pushed to the last Ionic in the house...:)

[Rich_Laue]

The ionic connecting to WiFi should be independent of the phone type. The ionic needs to be plugged in and charging for the WiFi to be on. I've also noticed that the apps will update them self during the charge cycle if tuetunit connects to WiFi. 

[SunsetRunner]

It is not necessary to have it plugged in, but it does need to have over 25% of juice left. I am also certain that I can connect to the same WiFi that my phone is on. In fact, I don't see why that could be a problem. The Fitbit does not use the phone's WiFi to connect (only Bluetooth to transfer information about networks and password information) and the Fitbit has its own MAC address, so it should just be another device on the network.

However, I still cannot connect to most networks (I usually get "An error has occurred" within a few seconds of trying to connect). It is clear that my Fitbit can see the network (it shows up in the list and has 3-4 bars), but something else is going awry.

5Ghz is definitely out because the chip is incompatible with it, but a lot of 2.4Ghz networks won't work either. In fact, I almost always have to use my phone's hotspot to guarantee an internet connection. As an app developer who requires a somewhat stable connection to his Fitbit, this is a royal pain in the **ahem**.

[DavideFitbit]

Hello @SunsetRunner, it's good to see you around in the forums, thank you for sharing your insights and knowledge about this. 

You're right about the battery percentage, Wi-Fi won’t work on your watch when the battery level is below approximately 25%. I've rarely had any problem to connect to WI-FI, but I usually do this at home and I almost never try with a different WI-FI, I imagine it would be even more difficult to connect to a public network. 

If you haven't done so already, I would recommend that you take a look at the steps provided here: Why won't my Fitbit watch connect to Wi-Fi? They've been useful to other users as well. 

I hope this helps.

[SunsetRunner]

The issue was something different: I later found out that if I delete one
of the networks, I can once again add another. I then did a web search and
read that, indeed, the watch cannot store more than 5 Wifi networks.

Sure, this one is on me for not reading the entire user manual before using
the fitbit, but then again this is 2018, "An error has occurred" is IMHO
not acceptable feedback when the issue quite simply is that the watch
cannot store more than 5 networks.


🙂

[Clo_94x]

I’m having this issue too!