If you have WiFi setup problems

[GEON]

I recently purchased a Model S and found that it wouldn't connect to my home network. The Model S would recognize the broadcasted SSID's of my access points (Unifi AP-AC-LR & AP), but the Model S wouldn't actually connect to any of them. The Model S would attempt to connect (tried multiple SSID's) and then it would drop the WiFi connection reverting back to the 3G connection. After creating a new SSID with different password variants, different bands (2.4/5) and installing a repeater in the garage, I found that the fix was in the technology. The Model S requires that you broadcast using legacy protocols and bandwidths. I was able to configure these settings within the Ubiquiti Networks Unifi console for the Unifi AP (Guest AP) and it solved the problem. Attached is a screen shot of the actual configuration page that solved the problem. I hope this prevents hours of troubleshooting by other Tesla owners.View attachment 209443

I recently purchased a Model S and found that it wouldn't connect to my home network. The Model S would recognize the broadcasted SSID's of my access points (Unifi AP-AC-LR & AP), but the Model S wouldn't actually connect to any of them. The Model S would attempt to connect (tried multiple SSID's) and then it would drop the WiFi connection reverting back to the 3G connection. After creating a new SSID with different password variants, different bands (2.4/5) and installing a repeater in the garage, I found that the fix was in the technology. The Model S requires that you broadcast using legacy protocols and bandwidths. I was able to configure these settings within the Ubiquiti Networks Unifi console for the Unifi AP (Guest AP) and it solved the problem. Attached is a screen shot of the actual configuration page that solved the problem. I hope this prevents hours of troubleshooting by other Tesla owners.View attachment 209443

Thank you for your post - I just deployed a Ubiquiti wireless system in my home, have a pro AP near my Tesla and was starting to diagnose why it was not connecting!!! I'll create another wireless network for the Tesla and set it up as you have suggested - hopefully that will cure the Tesla's legacy issues.

GEON

 

[mianesva]

hifienthusiast,

Do you know if the settings you describe in the ubnt settings photo are equivalent to the existing ubnt defaults for a network? The UI has changed and now has:

Clicking on the first one provides:

My interpretation is that it is already providing the minimum required rate (1Mbps) by not clicking on the box and what they allow one to do is to change it to require higher speeds instead.

I just left then checked to make sure... perhaps should be asking this in the ubnt forum instead.

Just removing obstacles to get v9 here to model 3

 

[K-MTG]

hifienthusiast,

Do you know if the settings you describe in the ubnt settings photo are equivalent to the existing ubnt defaults for a network? The UI has changed and now has:
View attachment 342929

Clicking on the first one provides:
View attachment 342930

My interpretation is that it is already providing the minimum required rate (1Mbps) by not clicking on the box and what they allow one to do is to change it to require higher speeds instead.
View attachment 342932

I just left then checked to make sure... perhaps should be asking this in the ubnt forum instead.

Just removing obstacles to get v9 here to model 3

I have that setting unchecked and got the update on my X. Still waiting on the 3.

 

[Vinc]

Sort of related but while I've never had a problem connecting the car to my home wifi, I did have what I *thought* was a problems staying connected.

I'd pull into the garage and the car would connect but checking later it would sometimes still be connected and sometimes not.

So I installed a program on my iMac that would monitor the connection and found the car was only on wifi part of the time.

Thinking this was a problem I tried 3 different routers. Same result.

Even went to the trouble of running ethernet into the garage so the router sat within a few cm of the car's wifi antenna. Same result.

But the car always seemed to get the updates ok so I wasn't sure what was going on.

Then yesterday I stopped by the service center and spoke with the manager and one of the techs.

Turns out what I was seeing is normal. If there is wifi available the car will hook to it but will not stay connected unless there is some reason (like maybe needing to download an update) at which time it will switch itself over to wifi.

So now what am I going to do with the two extra routers?

Interesting. My MS connected to my guest WIFI after many tries (literally I was driving the car around the house in search of better signal). It would see the network but it would not connect. Until it did. And since then, I have never seen it connected to my WIFI again...

 

[Ande]

I tested with my car and rather professional AP (access points) on my property:
Those notes does not mean other encryption schemes are not supported today, nor that only those settings work. : but this DOES work:
Tesla likes: 802.11gn
Both 20/40Mhz channel width is ok.
Best supported encryption seems to be (was then) WPA2-PSK + AES
And it does *not* like 2.4Ghz channels >11.

 

[whitex]

I tested with my car and rather professional AP (access points) on my property:
Those notes does not mean other encryption schemes are not supported today, nor that only those settings work. : but this DOES work:
Tesla likes: 802.11gn
Both 20/40Mhz channel width is ok.
Best supported encryption seems to be (was then) WPA2-PSK + AES
And it does *not* like 2.4Ghz channels >11.

Tesla WiFi sucks, plain and simple. New MCU is a little better but still sucks. I've tried so many settings, channel widths, channels, etc, sometimes would get it to work for few days and them back to continuous reconnect loop. Settled down on a relatively stable configuration of 2.4GHz channel 1, no 5GHz band, 20MHz, 100% firewalled private networks dedicated to the Teslas.

PS> Old MCU does not do 802.11ng, only 802.11g. The new one will do n.

 

[Ande]

PS> Old MCU does not do 802.11ng, only 802.11g. The new one will do n.

"n" specifies that the access point is using MIMO, it has nothing to do with the ability of the other radio of having this option.
The "Tesla Wifi" is using Parrot chip (radio) - at least in my MCU.
" continuous reconnect loop" *after entering PSK* indicates mostly encryption trouble, the handshake and general communication is already done well before any authentication attempt the user sees. - try to "forget" that net, is connection problems spawn after you try to reconnect and enter PSK, then it's most likely encryption problem, like I mentioned above.

 

[whitex]

"n" specifies that the access point is using MIMO, it has nothing to do with the ability of the other radio of having this option.
The "Tesla Wifi" is using Parrot chip (radio) - at least in my MCU.
" continuous reconnect loop" *after entering PSK* indicates mostly encryption trouble, the handshake and general communication is already done well before any authentication attempt the user sees. - try to "forget" that net, is connection problems spawn after you try to reconnect and enter PSK, then it's most likely encryption problem, like I mentioned above.

The old MCU doesn't do n, therefore doesn't do MIMO. New one does.
As for encryption troubles, possibly, but the car does connect for a few seconds before disconnecting. I did encounter a problem with "connection failed" once on the new MCU only, but it never happened again. Forgetting and reconnecting, even forgetting, rebooting and reconnecting never worked (and I tried it many, many times). In my current setup I have both cars (old and new MCU) connected to 2.4GHz only network. If I enable 5GHz band for that network, the old MCU immediately goes into reconnect loop. I think it's band steering, somehow the old MCU tells the AP that it's 5GHz capable, so the AP disconnects because signal strength is 99% (AP right above the car) so it figures it should be well within 5GHz range.

Bottom line is this, I have about 20 different wifi devices in the house, varying in age, some 2.4GHz only, others dual band, and none of them have any problem connecting to my WiFi network. Tesla cars do. Obviously Tesla is unable to provide the same quality WiFi as a cheap $20 USB stick.

 

[ramonneke]

I wish they supported wifi >11, wifi is super dense here in Europe and most routers are set to automatically select the channel with the highest SNR value. I understand that this is region specific but as a *client* they should just allow to use 12 and 13!

Also, 5GHz seems to be more stable here than 2.4GHz. Not what I expected as I thought higher frequencies have a harder time penetrating walls.