Rubbish Wifi?

[WannabeOwner]

an old wifi signal finder that I once had

We have some dead-spots around the house, various transmitters on different channels, etc. and I'm planning to use Netspot to map the signal strength, particularly where the kids complain "Useless" and I say "Get a cable"

I am currently using an additional access point, that's hard wired, and powered by PoE.

I have several around the house (like you hardwired and PoE), car is within easy reach of two of them ... results have been "mixed" (hence my plan to Netspot ... just need to get around to it.)

 

[WannabeOwner]

Does it really need wifi?

With WifI then likely that Updates will download sooner (prioritised over WiFi as costs Tesla money to send them over mobile network)

Big updates, such as Maps, may only download over WiFi (would be handy if Tesla also provided a self-download and transfer by USB, as iPace does ...)

If you don't have mobile signal e.g. in garage then WiFi will allow preconditioning the car, checking charge remotely on APP / 3rd party utilities and so on

 

[mick4545]

Previous info said the M3 antenna was in the right mirror. Is it now confirmed as being in the left? Do you have a source?

I have no source, just my observation that when parked with my RH mirror nearer my AP I get one dot, no bars. When parked the other way round I get 1 dot and one bar.
.

 

[Avendit]

I'm getting the 'can see the network, and correct/incorrect wifi passwords behave differently, but can't actually connect problem. Car has connected in the past, but not for a while.

I've not been as far as getting out a sniffer to work on, but I have a suspicion that it isn't liking my extenders. As it tries to logon it pops up to 3 bars but then drops out again to a single dot and complains. It looks like its trying to communicate with the main point rather than the extenders (although how it can tell I don't know). I've moved my core router back to a position it was in a month or so ago, which happens to have a less occluded path to the car. Will see if that has helped, although I think I am parked the wrong way around tonight.

 

[MrBadger]

just been trying update and ditto.

I even get it saying connected, then wifi info disappears and signal strength stays as lte.

I though I had this sussed. The only thing I forgot to try was a reboot. But if its like what happened last time, i'll wake up in the morning and it will be connected.

 

[Avendit]

I'm getting the 'can see the network, and correct/incorrect wifi passwords behave differently, but can't actually connect problem. Car has connected in the past, but not for a while.

I've not been as far as getting out a sniffer to work on, but I have a suspicion that it isn't liking my extenders. As it tries to logon it pops up to 3 bars but then drops out again to a single dot and complains. It looks like its trying to communicate with the main point rather than the extenders (although how it can tell I don't know). I've moved my core router back to a position it was in a month or so ago, which happens to have a less occluded path to the car. Will see if that has helped, although I think I am parked the wrong way around tonight.

So, sitting in the car it claimed moving my router made no difference, same behaviours, not even a different number of bars or anything. But... 40 minutes later the app is offering me the opportunity to run the upgrade. So its downloaded it from somewhere... Coincidence or not?

 

[Roy W.]

My car hardly ever connected to wi fi even though our phones / iPads picked up good signal so I lashed out £60 odd on a Nova Mesh wifi system. Easiest thing in the world to set up and with the strategically placed mesh units (window sill, garage, etc) the car picks up a full signal just about everywhere on our long drive or inside the garage. Well worth the investment.

Plus one for the Nova MW-3 mesh system. I’ve got three nodes, one in the kitchen cupboard with my modem, one in the conservatory, and one in the garage.

That setup gives me a full strength WiFi signal from the bottom of the front drive to the end of the back garden

It’s the best £60 I’ve spent on IT in a long time. If you’re interested in one I suggest you watch out for Black Friday deals at the end of the month.

 

[jimbo_hippo]

Plus one for the Nova MW-3 mesh system. I’ve got three nodes, one in the kitchen cupboard with my modem, one in the conservatory, and one in the garage.

That setup gives me a full strength WiFi signal from the bottom of the front drive to the end of the back garden

It’s the best £60 I’ve spent on IT in a long time. If you’re interested in one I suggest you watch out for Black Friday deals at the end of the month.

Plus 2 for mesh setups. I use the BT branded Whole Home mesh system. Whilst I wouldn’t normally recommend anything branded from a supplier such as BT, these were reviewed to high standards and I took the gamble. Sorted out a host of none Tesla related issues. I binned a host of other solutions including the flawed AirPort devices from Apple. Been running them 2 years with no traumas at all unlike before when I’d regularly have a teenager saying their snapchat story chain had been broken..... whatever the hell that means!

can’t comment on the Tesla element as no Model 3 yet but I have high hopes, especially as it’ll be parked close to a window with line of sight to the transmitter about 5m away.

 

[MrBadger]

But... 40 minutes later the app is offering me the opportunity to run the upgrade. So its downloaded it from somewhere... Coincidence or not?

I was half expecting this this morning, but from everything I can see remotely, its still not on wifi.

I even get it saying connected, then wifi info disappears and signal strength stays as lte.

https://videos.files.wordpress.com/2luyYhva/20191116_082921000_ios_hd.mp4

And yes, it does the same when 3 wifi bars and a line of sight to WAP where I can see each individual status light - about 15 ft. Oh yes, and this kit has already done 5 software updates.

Doesn't help that one screen shows 1 bar, the other screen shows 3 bars.

 

[nigeldodd]

I, too, have observed the wifi to be less good than other devices: an Acer Chromebook and a oneplus 6 phone. Although I get reasonable wifi connectivity at home where there is a strong signal, at another place I park both phone and chromebook connect but the Tesla 3 does not.

 

[Avendit]

I was half expecting this this morning, but from everything I can see remotely, its still not on wifi.



https://videos.files.wordpress.com/2luyYhva/20191116_082921000_ios_hd.mp4

And yes, it does the same when 3 wifi bars and a line of sight to WAP where I can see each individual status light - about 15 ft. Oh yes, and this kit has already done 5 software updates.

Doesn't help that one screen shows 1 bar, the other screen shows 3 bars.

See if you can get it to connect to a hot spot on your phone? Just to prove basic functionality. Also, forget and re add your normal hotspot?

 

[MrBadger]

I had it working for 2 months, then had turned WAP off for a few days to do a few tests for another user, then last night turned it back on expecting it to work, then all sorts of problems. Yes, I ended up forgetting the hotspot.

I'll have another play later, and check that is hasn't reverted its wifi channel.

 

[mick4545]

Mine has no 2.4g only 5g. I turned off 5g on the AP and got no Wi-Fi at all to the car. Although I have only the dot signal strength showing, speedtest shows a download speed of 22 Mbps out of my maximum of 28 Mbps.

 

[MrBadger]

The only thing I forgot to try was a reboot.

Well that was a time consuming omission. MCU 2 button reboot fixed it right away. Now downloading.

 

[thegruf]

i've always wondered about the wing mirror location.

slab of metallic silvered mirror glass on one side (which must affect the antenna), metallic chrome bracket underneath and optionally for many - metallic paint which is not exactly going to help. Also highly likely to mean wrong side of car going to really hamper reception.

I know the roof glass has a metallic heat reflecting coating, as do some windscreens, but i dont believe the side windows have any metallic coating, nor the rear glass other than the heater which is unlikely to affect wifi much, in cabin seems more sensible but I'm sure Tesla have their reasons.

 

[Adopado]

i've always wondered about the wing mirror location.

slab of metallic silvered mirror glass on one side (which must affect the antenna), metallic chrome bracket underneath and optionally for many - metallic paint which is not exactly going to help. Also highly likely to mean wrong side of car going to really hamper reception.

I know the roof glass has a metallic heat reflecting coating, as do some windscreens, but i dont believe the side windows have any metallic coating, nor the rear glass other than the heater which is unlikely to affect wifi much, in cabin seems more sensible but I'm sure Tesla have their reasons.

Inside my car a knackered old android phone or my laptop gets full signal even when the car struggles... yet the car's antenna is "outside" .. whichever mirror it's in!