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Issues connecting to Wifi

Updated

 

All PhotoSpring frames are wifi digital photo frames.

This guide assumes you have tried to connect your frame to your wifi router without success. Click here for instructions on how to initially connect your frame to to your wifi router.

Troubleshooting Checklist

Check that the Wifi Router is on and other devices can connect to it.  
Wifi connection status shows "Authentication Error"
  • Check your wifi password on other devices to verify it is correct. To enter a different Wifi tap on the Wifi entry and instead of trying to connect tap Forget. Then you can try a different password.
  • If you have a newer model Wifi router try connecting using WPS. See Connecting via WPS below for instructions.

Wifi connection status shows 

  • Wifi Access Temporarily Full
  • Wifi Connection Failure
 This issue typically happens when there are too many devices on your wifi network. Try disconnecting 2 devices from the wifi network you are trying to connect to and then try connecting your frame. If your frame connects after this then you'll probably need to get a Wifi repeater/extender which are about $20-$30 on Amazon as of Jan 2023.
Wifi connection status shows "Saved"

This is a generic wifi error. Usually, a different status appears temporarily before settling into the Saved status. Look out for the temporary status. It should be one of the ones you see above.

If not then it could be a wifi compatibility issue.

  • Try downgrading the router wifi security from WPA3 to WPA2 or WPA1.
  • All newer routers have a 5ghz and 2.4ghz connection. The 2.4ghz is the old standard which all devices will connect to. Your frame will only connect to a 2.4ghz connection. If your router is less than 5yrs old and only shows one network, try breaking up the wifi network into a 5ghz network and a 2.4ghz network - meaning give each network a different name.

Wifi connection status shows "Connected"

Your frame is connected to Wifi. So you may have a different issue relating to Internet. 

  • Check to make sure your Wifi router is connected to Internet by using a different device
  • Reboot the frame. 
Frame doesn't automatically connect

This issue typically happens when there are either

  • Too many devices on your wifi network. Try disconnecting 2 devices from the wifi network you are trying to connect to and then try connecting your frame. If your frame connects after this then you'll probably need to get a Wifi repeater/extender which are about $20-$30 on Amazon as of Jan 2023.
  • The frame is too far from the wifi router. Try moving the frame closer to the Wifi router.
  • The date on your frame may be wrong. Some wifi routers won't let you connect if the date is wrong. Check the date on the frame to make sure it is correct.
Frame drops wifi connection often

If your wifi connection drops often requiring you to reconnect - then:

  • the frame may not be getting a great signal from the wifi router. Please try moving the frame closer to the Wifi router.
  • the wifi router you are trying to connect to may have the same name as another wifi router. If you have two routers, or are running a mesh network with the same names, its possible the frame is trying to connect to a network that is further away.
Try a different network to verify your frame's wifi is working properly If you are able to access a different network (such as your phone's hotspot or a neighbor's wifi) you can check to see that your frame's wifi is working properly. In rare cases the wifi on your frame may be malfunctioning.

Can't see any Wifi Networks at all

 
  • Check your frame's wifi MAC address
    • Go to the wifi settings screen on your frame.
    • Tap the three dots in the upper right corner of the wifi screen
    • In the menu that appears tap Advanced
    • On the bottom of the screen you will see a MAC address section. Verify this is not all zeros or NULL. If it is please contact us.
  • Go somewhere where you know there are other Wifi Networks and see if the frame can see these. If your frame cannot see other networks besides yours then please contact us.

Wifi is connected but Internet is not

If you see a red dot on the frame but the wifi indicator shows connected then there are two possible issues:

  • Your wifi router is blocking the frame's ability to connect. The most sophisticated wifi routers give you the ability to block devices by mac address. If you have recently blocked a device from your network it could be your PhotoSpring frame.
  • Most Wifi Routers since 2015 will broadcast a 2.4Ghz signal and a 5.0Ghz signal. Our frames will connect to a 2.4Ghz signal. If your router is only broadcasting one wifi network it's possible that the 2.5Ghz and 5Ghz signals are using the same name. This can cause issues with Internet. If possible, you should reconfigure your wifi to broadcast the 2.4Ghz signal under one name and the 5.0Ghz signal under another name.
Wifi Routers with known compatibility issues with PhotoSpring frames

The following wifi routers have been shown to have compatibility issues with PhotoSpring frames:

  • Arris/ATT BGW210, BGW320 Firmware 3.X.X or later - contact support for a work around for this.
  • Arris TR4400
  • CODA-4582 - Midc
  • Greenwave C4000XG, C4000LG, C4000L
  • Hughes
  • Linksys AC1200(E5400)
  • Spectrum Wave2/Comscope Wave2
  • Technicolor C2000T, C2100T, C1100T, TC7200U, TC8715D,TC8717T (likely many other affected models)

Sonos has a list of Wifi routers that may also not be compatible. We have not confirmed any of these except the ones listed above but we are matching pretty close to them. 

 

If you have one of these routers there are the following options:

1. Use an old wifi router. Connect the old router via Ethernet to your current wifi router. Connect the frame to the old wifi router.

2. Purchase a wifi extender or repeater. These are typically around $20-$30 on Amazon. The wifi extenders from TPLink or NetGear should be $20-$30 and we have used them in the lab. Connect the wifi extender to your wifi router. Then connect the frame to the extender.

3. Some Wifi Routers have a guest network that you can turn on (Linksys, NetGear). With a guest network there is no wifi password. Instead, security is handled via a web login password like you see at hotels. If you do use this method we recommend connecting the frame and then turning off SSID broadcast so that a few people as possible know about the guest network.

4. For those who are tech savvy. Create a network SSID with no security. Connect the frame. Then either  stop broadcasting the network name publicly or restrict access to it to only the frame using the frame's MAC ID.
Can't see your wifi network 
  • Move your frame closer to the router.
  • Rebooting the Wifi router
  • Rebooting the frame by pressing power for 30 seconds.
  • Most new routers have two broadcast networks - a 2.4Ghz network and a 5Ghz network. Make sure to connect to the 2.4Ghz network.

 

If you have gone through this checklist with no luck please contact us with the following information:

  • Your wifi router manufacturer/model#
  • Let us know if this is a new setup or if you did any changes to an existing setup
  • The error you get on the wifi connection screen
  • The serial number of your frame

Connecting Via WPS

Newer wifi routers have an easy way to initiate a connection with a device through a WPS button. Use the following instructions to connect to your wifi router using WPS.

 

Step 1: Determine if you have a WPS button on your wifi router 

If your Wifi router supports WPS it will have a button labeled with "WPS" or an icon that looks like this: wps_logo_small.png

The button is usually on the front of your wifi router.

Step 2: Go to your frame's wifi setting screen to setup WPS

If you have a WPS button on your Wifi router then:

  • Go to the wifi settings screen on your frame.
  • Tap the three dots in the upper right corner of the wifi screen
  • In the menu that appears tap Advanced
  • From the Advanced screen tap the WPS Push Button entry and follow the instructions that appear.

Wifi Router Watch List

The following Wifi routers have reported compatibility issues but have not been confirmed. One more than one user reports an issue we purchase the router in the lab and test to fix. If no fix is available then we will place the routers in the incompatible list found above.

Wifi Router Name Date Reported Status
Netgear Nighthawk MR60 12/30/20 Single case, not confirmed
Linksys 17176 10/1/22 Single case, not confirmed

 

Tags: can't connect to wifi, problems connecting to wifi, not connecting to wifi, wifi won't work, wifi connection lost, trouble with wifi

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