It's no secret that many users have had trouble connecting smart home devices to the Internet,
ours included.
And today, we are here to help not only get your La Crosse Technology product connected,
but also to address a few common misconceptions about this connection process.
We assure you that our items will indeed work with your router setup.
So, let's jump right in.
As stated on our packaging, within our manuals, and in other support videos,
our current set of connected items can only use a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi band to connect to the Internet.
This is true, and has led some customers to believe that our items are obsolete or outdated
because their router "only supports a 5GHz Wi-Fi network".
Well folks, this is misconception number 1.
As ALL current routers, whether they be dual or even tri-band, do indeed support and have
the ability to transmit a 2.4Ghz Wi-Fi frequency.
Now, this may not be the way your router is currently configured, so later in this video
we will show you how to find or set up a 2.4Ghz band on some of the most popular router brands.
The second big misconception is believing that a 5GHz Wi-Fi band is better or necessary
compared the that of the 2.4 band.
Now, this may be true if you're gaming, transferring large files, or streaming video,
as the 5GHz connection will likely perform these tasks much faster.
However, in the case of our stations, which deal with very small data packets,
the speed difference is really a non-factor.
The true reason our stations were built on a 2.4Ghz Wi-Fi platform was to take advantage
of the lower frequency, which can travel further and penetrate residential walls and floors
far better than a 5Ghz band.
Thus allowing for a wider range of placement options for our customers.
Another misconception we run into, is when people think their mobile device must remain
on this 2.4Ghz network to their receive data in the app.
Your mobile device is simply a tool used to establish a connection between your display and router.
Once this connection is made, you're free to reconnect your phone or tablet to whichever
Wi-Fi band or network you were using before this connection process.
That is, assuming you had to change to a new network.
Our final big misconception is that many users think our sensors connect to Wi-Fi.
This actually is not true.
Currently, our in-home displays are the only parts that will connect with your home's router.
They collect all of your sensor data and communicate with your router to send that data to our
servers, where it is then stored and available for access from your mobile device.
The Sensor Reception Icons are likely the reason for this confusion, as they are similar
to the station's Wi-Fi Icon.
But just know, this icon next to each of your sensor readings, is simply telling you how
good the reception is between your display and sensor.
The display will only have one Wi-Fi Icon, that indicates its connection to your router.
Now, there will be other Internet Indicators on your display that look like this.
These will be placed in areas where the data shown is coming from the Internet,
verses one of your sensors.
So for instance, on the display shown here, the station is receiving Internet data
for its weather icons,
daily high and low temperature predictions,
and wind direction.
Now, before we go further,
if you're using a router supplied to you from your Internet Service Provider,
there's a great chance that they will be able to perform the following
steps for you over the phone.
All you gotta do is just give them a call.
But for those of you using your own dual or tri-band routers,
let's go over some general steps to help get it configured correctly.
First, you'll have to be at the physical location of where your router and La Crosse Technology
connected item will be used.
A remote login or connection to a network that requires a user ID and password for each
separate login will not work.
Now, let's just double check your current Wi-Fi options.
In your mobile device's Settings app, enter your Wi-Fi Settings tab.
Here you should see a list of available Wi-Fi networks for you to connect to.
Look for your network's name and see if there are two options available.
These are typically separated with a number 5 or 2.4 designation.
If you do see a 2.4 option for your network,
simply select it and be sure to enter the correct Wi-Fi password in the La Crosse View app.
This should allow you to move forward with the rest of your La Crosse View product setup.
If you do not see a second 2.4 network option, you'll need to access your router's settings.
To do this, you may have to check your router's manual or do a simple search online for information
regarding how to access your specific router's settings.
But here is the login information for some of the most popular router brands:
We will have these listed in the description for you to easily copy and paste into your web browser.
Once you have successfully logged into your router,
look for your "Wireless Connection Settings."
This is where you'll be able to configure your Wi-Fi bands and passwords.
Here, you will want to make sure that a 2.4Ghz band is set up and labeled as such for easy identification.
The key is making sure this 2.4Ghz band has a separate name, or SSID compared to the 5Ghz option.
Some routers will have a function called "Band Steering" that may need to be disabled during this process.
However, if you would like to keep band steering on,
our suggestion then would be to enable a Guest Network,
label it as such,
and only allow it to use a 2.4Ghz band.
Don't forget to save and confirm your adjustments.
Once you've set up your separate 2.4Ghz network,
go back into the Settings app on your mobile device and connect to that specific band.
At this point, you'll also want to make sure your La Crosse display is in "provisioning mode,"
meaning it's searching for a Wi-Fi connection.
This is indicated by a flashing Wi-Fi Icon.
If your icon is not flashing, press and hold both the + and - button down until it begins doing so.
Now continue with your La Crosse View setup and station connection.
Chances are it will connect almost instantly at this point.
Once it does, you're free to return your mobile device back to your preferred network band.
The La Crosse View unit will maintain the connection with your router
without further connection to your mobile device.
The previous set of steps should work great for many users, however, there is another
type of Wi-Fi that works a little different.
A mesh network system, such as Google WiFi, Netgear Orbi, or Linksys Velop
are designed to provide great signal strength throughout large homes.
These systems will transmit both the 2.4 and 5Ghz Wi-Fi bands under the same SSID.
Or in other words, each of these bands will always come through under the same network name.
When you're trying to connect your La Crosse Technology device to one of these networks,
you'll want to first try getting it within very close proximity to your router's central hub.
If the unit still has trouble connecting, try the opposite,
by moving the La Crosse Technology product, as well as your mobile device,
as far away from the central hub as you can get.
Turning off, or unplugging, your other satellites and extenders may help with this as well.
Basically, we're trying to ensure your mobile device is connected to the 2.4Ghz frequency
transmitting from your router.
Because some of these mesh networks do not offer the ability to specifically distinguish
which Wi-Fi band your mobile device is connected to,
this process can sometimes take a few tries.
But once your item connects, you're then free to move it about your home as you please.
It will remember your Wi-Fi settings and reconnect automatically once plugged back in.
If, however, you still find yourself having trouble getting connected,
whether it be to a mesh network or not,
please send us a message on our Facebook or Twitter page,
or follow the support link in the description below.
We'll then work with you to help resolve your connection issue.
In some cases we'll even provide a Wi-Fi Extender that should eliminate any connection troubles.
We apologize for those of you who may have had to perform these additional steps,
as we realize this isn't ideal.
But we hope this video helped you to better understand the process.
If you should have further questions or issues,
please just let us know in the YouTube comments section below.
We are here to help you.
Thanks again for choosing, La Crosse Technology.