Trouble connecting to WiFi

AN89AG

New member
*Resolved - updated with info as it comes

Howdy Guys,
I have shot an email to Matt, but I wanted to post here as well. I am having trouble getting my MAK to connect to WiFi. In the past, I was able to get things working by unplugging the MAK and plugging it back in. Tonight, this didn't seem to work, but not sure why. It has been suggested that when not using the MAK, I should unplug it. This is not a great solution for me, as the plug is not in a convenient location. Anyone have any experience with this and/or any good suggestions for resolving it?

A bonus note...I am cooking a lovely rib roast tomorrow night for my birthday party, and I would really like to use the MAK with out having to go outside every xx minutes to check on things. Any help would be certainly appreciated!

John
 
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mcschlotz

Member
Is your network 2.4 of 5 Ghz? How far away is the router from your MAK? Do you get full (all bars) connectivity on your phone while standing by the MAK? Have you tried rebooting your router?
 

AN89AG

New member
I have both, but the grill is on the....that's a good question. It's on the "guest" network along with all my other IOT items. I'll have to get back to see which one that is, but you might know the answer (also, I'm all Mac/Airport). My house is a 30x30' bungalow, so the grill is about 30' from the router. I get full strength on my laptop (4 of 4) and I'm one bar "low" on the iPhone (2 of 3). I have rebooted the router and just updated the router with latest update.

So, I was in panic mode 24 hours ago. I have been told by Matt (and Bruce) that I should leave my MAK unplugged if unused for a while (nothing specific, time wise, but I take it to be longer than 2 weeks). So, with my tail between my legs, I unplugged it last night after posting. Just plugged it in, and everything is working fine. Just about to put a dry rub on my 8.5lb boneless rib roast, and put it to the test!

Thanks so much for taking time to respond. I'll see if I remember to get a few photos for funsies.
 

AN89AG

New member
Thanks for the link - I knew such a thing should exist. I'll get one soon.

So, the cook went well for a couple hours, and then the grill went off line. Fortunately, I was sitting in front of my computer "keeping an eye on things". Soon after I noted the temp hadn't changed in a while, I heard the 15 minute connection alarm. Pretty close to "done" by then, so just finished in the oven.

I would be very happy if this rather spendy, but highly useful feature, had a bit more reliability. Also, I really wish there was a warning when the grill goes off-line! How about a message on the Grill Control when contact is lost? Or, how about a text message that lets me know the connection is lost?

I am aware of the argument about the default to SMOKE after the connection is lost on another Thread. However, there really needs to be another/more messaging when the connection is lost. That seems like a pretty simple thing to do, no?

Anyway, thanks to all who posted replies!
 

scooter

Moderator
when your grill went offline do you know which was at fault and why? The grill or the router? My grills have been rock steady on WiFi unless my router decides to randomly reset itself which it does. There are plenty of reasons your grill could be going offline that have nothing to do with the grill. Your router should have a log function that may give you some information regarding the possible cause. Is there a possibility of moving either the grill or the router closer to each other as a test?
 

AN89AG

New member
I don't know what happened. I was watching the cooking graph and noticed that it hadn't changed in "a while". I refreshed the web-page, and all seemed fine. After a few more minutes, I heard the alarm from the grill.

I am running some "wireless diagnostics" and it will monitor and create log - I think. I also have a second Airport (Extreme) that is within 10 feet of the grill, so it seems to be getting a "strong" signal. I could switch the grill to the "main" (not "guest") wifi and see if that changes anything. However, I don't cook that ofter. I guess I could burn some pellets in the name of science, however.

I'll see if there is anything on the Log tomorrow. I did order an outdoor smart plug, and that (if it behaves) will be a big help with the "unplug" recommendations.

Thanks mucho.
 

MAK DADDY

Moderator
Also, I really wish there was a warning when the grill goes off-line! How about a message on the Grill Control when contact is lost? Or, how about a text message that lets me know the connection is lost?QUOTE]

After 15 minutes there is both a message on the Web control that wi-fi has been lost as well as the ability to send a text if you set it up in the Profile.
 

AN89AG

New member
Hmmm. That is interesting. I am signed up for text messages in my profile, and I have never received a message that wifi has been lost. I'll check on that. I have also never received a message on Web control. Note above that i mentioned that I was actively watching the cooking graph and noted that it had not updated despite "refreshing" the screen. Elapsed time was still active. Eventually, I heard the grill beeping the lost connecting "beep". At no point did I receive a message on the Web control that the wifi was lost. Is there something I can check or a setting I can review?

Sorry for the delay in responding....I thought I had subscribed to the thread, but apparently not.
 

AN89AG

New member
I am running some "wireless diagnostics" and it will monitor and create log - I think.

I'll see if there is anything on the Log tomorrow. I did order an outdoor smart plug, and that (if it behaves) will be a big help with the "unplug" recommendations.

Okay, well that was fun. I ran the diagnostics, and "something" was generated. However, it is is not civilian-friendly. However, in the "best practices" window that popped up, it said use the 5 GHz as it is more reliable. I will switch my grill to the "main" wifi, as I suspect that is the 5 GHz. I have also received the outdoor smart plug and will hook that up today.

Summary: I will use the 5GHz wifi and use a system to shut off power to the smoker after each use.

Thanks everyone!

John

PS: To anyone reading this far - please note that I absolutely recommend the WiFi option, aka MAK Grills Mobile. I LOVE it! For longer cooks, it's a total set and forget. I get emails and/or text messages telling me what is going on, and anywhere I have access to a browser, I can monitor and control what's happening. It's spendy, and it can be considered a "toy" if you don't use the more advanced features, but being able to do all the above without having to go outside in the cold/rain/snow (I live in OR) is quite the luxury!
 
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scooter

Moderator
Thank you for following up! Glad to hear you're moving forward and I totally agree with your assessment of the MAK Mobile!
 

AN89AG

New member
Okay, got some more info. I don't use the smoker much more than 1-2x a month, so I'm a bit slow with updates, but here ya go.

I have 2 networks on my Apple Airport, the "main" one and a "guest" network (I think this is fairly typical these days). I am using an older Airport Express to boost my signal and I placed this close to my MAK. However, this only boosts the "main" network. I downloaded an app to help me measure wifi signals, and turns out my "guest" network was not very strong at the MAK, and of course, that was the one the smoker was using. I also have suspicions that my outdoor GFI plug is dying. I have changed the grill to the "stronger" wifi network, and I will deal with the plug another day. However, I have done 2 cooks with no complications. Hopefully, this means all is well!
 

mcschlotz

Member
Sounds promising that your MAK is staying connected. BTW: a simply way of understanding connection strength at your MAK is by looking at your phone. How many bars is it showing? Not totally perfect but if the phone is showing low one-two bars vs all, then you've got an indication.

RE: GFI concern, if you mean by this that you've experienced power faults i.e. the GFI kick's out, you might want to look at your igniter. How old it is and whether it has started to look a bit expanded or bubbled. An igniter starting to fail/short will cause GFI's to pop. My 4-year old MAK 2 Star (w/original igniter) started popping the GFI last week. To get through the cook I reconnected it to a non-gfi circuit plug (not wise and certainly don't keep doing it). Afterwards I looked at it and sure enough it had started to become distorted. Since I had another as a spare, I replaced it and all is well. Next time though, it will be replaced with the flashfire option (much better since the end tip is no longer exposed to the burning pellets).
 
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