MikeP wrote

If they're flashing amber after a router reboot they're having trouble reconnecting to the wifi signal.  It might be interference/noise so perhaps try them nearer the ones that work to confirm - you may need to adjust locations.  If that doesn't help, try turning off any performance enhancements on your 2.4GHz signal - no boost, use the 20MHz width, try different modes related to legacy, wifi type, etc (N only usually works best).  Sometimes it just comes down to manufacturing tolerances, but if you're only a few feet away that should always work.

 

If they're not flashing but you can't reach them from the app, force your phone to your 2.4GHz signal and avoid using any wifi extenders or access points - the TP Link communication protocol often won't be passed across network components or router bands.

Thank you @MikeP , appreciate it.

Location does not seem to matter - I purposefully put one plug into the same electrical outlet where the modem is plugged in, so it sits literally 10in away from the router. And it is one of the plugs that does not always connect. The reconnection seems absolutely random - sometimes it is the plugs that are in the other rooms, sometimes it is the ones that are in clear line of sight of the router. I tried removing and re-adding all the plugs via the app - no luck.

I have no additional hardware - just the one router.

Not sure there is sigal boost - there is something called "let the router optimize your home network": I disabled/enabled it just to test - does not seem to make any difference. 

I am experimenting right now, actually: I want to see if the disconnected plugs will reconnect on their own eventually - I will not touch the router for the rest of today, see what happens.

MikeP wrote

Good, hopefully that will sort itself. I don't have an HS105 but I have the belkin wemo mini which I believe to be a very similar device. My sense is the wifi or the antenna in these cube versions is very hit an miss and I've seen odd things - like, plugging it into one outlet it won't connect at all, plugging it into another a few feet away and it does... One thing that might work is using a fixed wifi channel rather than automatic. 6 is the best choice, but 1 or 11 are good alternates if your wifi neighborhood is noisy. Sometimes the devices have trouble finding the signal if the wifi channel changes while they're running. Usually routers have a compatibility mode for working with older wifi devices, if you can find that section maybe play around with various settings to see if anything helps. And yes, I'd suggest waiting at least 5 minutes or so after each router reboot to give the devices a change to find the signal.

Hello again,

Indeed, I just went into all the advanced settings and did just that: changed the channel from "auto" to 1 (6 and 11 are even busier in my neighborhood). I also fixed the interface type to N, and changed the 5GHz channel to 36 (from "auto"). 

After this reboot, everything sprang to life, so I will experiment a bit more. 

Will report back.

Thank you for the pointers, greatly appreciated!

Kevin_Z wrote

Hi, 

 

Found that you have done some troubleshooting already, and please take your time to test the performance after you changed the wifi settings or so.

 

Any updates, do not hesitate to come back to us.

 

Good day. 

Good morning @Kevin_Z 

Thank you for following up.

Alas, none of the ideas worked. I did more research and renamed my wifi network to something shorter/simpler and I changed the password to remove special characters (some users' feedback suggested the plugs struggle with complex passwords). Still - no luck. After one of the reboots, I only got one of the 6 plugs to reconnect - none of the others did, not even within a whole hour after the reboot.

I then tried using a different rooter - I set it up to use the same wifi name/password as I had previously set up on the ISP's modem/router. Now everything works even though this router is older and its signal is not as strong as the ISP's modem/router.

I will continue monitoring, but - so far, with countless reboots, everything works just fine. Meanwhile, all the other devices connected to the ISP's modem/router continue working flawlessly.

I have no idea what the difference is between the two devices. All the settings appear to be identical...

Will post an update should the plugs revert to their previous inability to reconnect.

Kevin_Z wrote

HowardBannister wrote

Kevin_Z wrote

Hi, 

 

Found that you have done some troubleshooting already, and please take your time to test the performance after you changed the wifi settings or so.

 

Any updates, do not hesitate to come back to us.

 

Good day. 

 

Good morning @Kevin_Z 

 

 

Thank you for following up.

 

Alas, none of the ideas worked. I did more research and renamed my wifi network to something shorter/simpler and I changed the password to remove special characters (some users' feedback suggested the plugs struggle with complex passwords). Still - no luck. After one of the reboots, I only got one of the 6 plugs to reconnect - none of the others did, not even within a whole hour after the reboot.

 

I then tried using a different rooter - I set it up to use the same wifi name/password as I had previously set up on the ISP's modem/router. Now everything works even though this router is older and its signal is not as strong as the ISP's modem/router.

 

I will continue monitoring, but - so far, with countless reboots, everything works just fine. Meanwhile, all the other devices connected to the ISP's modem/router continue working flawlessly.

 

I have no idea what the difference is between the two devices. All the settings appear to be identical...

 

Will post an update should the plugs revert to their previous inability to reconnect.

 

 

Good news.

 

For the previous router, please have a try to reset it and reconfigure it. After that, please try to connect your smart plugs to it again and see how they work. 

 

Any updates, do not hesitate to come back to us.

 

Good day. 

Tried that - still no luck. No clue what is causing that - all the other devices connected to that router work flawlessly... Well, will have to stick with the extra piece of hardware in the setup...