WiFi Sensitivity Decrease?

[RCH1708]

The wifi connection between my MS and my home network has worked flawlessly for months. However, in the last weeks, probably since the last update to 5.8.x, it seems it can no longer connect. Same thing at my office.

Yesterday evening I got to grips with the problem. After some experimentation, including tethering the MS to my iphone and using wifi diagnostic software on my Mac, I came to the conclusion that it seems to be a signal strength problem. Wifi scanner on my Mac said that the signal strength was -57db, noise -92db inside the MS, in my garage. But the MS could not get a connection. So I temporarily moved the access point nearer to the MS (cables through the house and a disapproving Mrs), at which point it could connect. But the signal strength on the MS's screen was absolutely minimal - one small dot.

Either a software update has resulted in decreased wifi sensitivity or I have a hardware problems. Any ideas?

Tnx.

 

[andrewket]

Wifi reception has always been poor for me on the MS. I'm not sure where the antenna is located. At one point I think someone said the passenger side mirror. Wherever it is it needs to move or Tesla needs to use a better antenna.

 

[ElSupreme]

My MS also gets terrible WiFi reception of my wireless networks. It can pickup all of my neighbors WiFi networks (including the people across the street. But not a single one of the 4 networks that are broadcast from my house.

I think it has something to do with the geometry of my car in the garage.

 

[brianman]

My house wifi reception is good until past the end of my driveway. So roughly 3 car lengths from where I park.

 

[andrewket]

I ended up installing a 3rd access point near my garage on a dedicated channel JUST for the MS. In the same location, my iPhone and other devices have full signals from the APs inside the house.

 

[pilotSteve]

I too have very poor reception with MS; reasonable reception with iPhone and iPad from inside the MS while parked in my garage. Conclusion: MS has a flawed antenna for Wifi, truly appears to be substandard.

Using my WiFi in garage, playing Slacker worked OK, web browsing was even slower than 3G in my garage. I've decided to disable WiFi in my garage because the car no longer respond to the App unless it was using 3G.

Tesla, this is a REAL issue. I plan on reporting it as an issue to my service center.

 

[andrewket]

I too have very poor reception with MS; reasonable reception with iPhone and iPad from inside the MS while parked in my garage. Conclusion: MS has a flawed antenna for Wifi, truly appears to be substandard.

Using my WiFi in garage, playing Slacker worked OK, web browsing was even slower than 3G in my garage. I've decided to disable WiFi in my garage because the car no longer respond to the App unless it was using 3G.

Tesla, this is a REAL issue. I plan on reporting it as an issue to my service center.

I disabled wifi for this reason as well. Remote access is less reliable. It seems to wake the car up, but then the car connects to the wifi and the app times out.

 

[RCH1708]

I checked the problem out further today. It seems that the MS does not chose the strongest wifi signal. I have four (Apple Airport) access points, with one right next to the garage. I measured the signal strength in the MS and checked on which AP the MAC address of the MS appeared. It consistently ignored the strongest signal.

I messed around with the channel settings and initially it seemed that by allocating channel 1 to the garage AP, the MS would choose it. But after returning from a trip out, it again connected to more or less the weakest signal. Very frustrating.

I suppose that I can force the matter at home by giving the AP for the garage a different SSID. But that's not going to work at the office, where I have the same problem.

Note that this problem seems to have started with the 5.8 sw update. Before then it worked just fine.

 

[andrewket]

I've discovered many clients that start scanning at channel 1 and immediately connect to the first thing that it can. Different SSIDs is one solution. You could also try MAC address filtering.

 

[iffatall]

I checked the problem out further today. It seems that the MS does not chose the strongest wifi signal. I have four (Apple Airport) access points, with one right next to the garage. I measured the signal strength in the MS and checked on which AP the MAC address of the MS appeared. It consistently ignored the strongest signal.

I messed around with the channel settings and initially it seemed that by allocating channel 1 to the garage AP, the MS would choose it. But after returning from a trip out, it again connected to more or less the weakest signal. Very frustrating.

I suppose that I can force the matter at home by giving the AP for the garage a different SSID. But that's not going to work at the office, where I have the same problem.

Note that this problem seems to have started with the 5.8 sw update. Before then it worked just fine.

I believe somewhere in the 5.8 release notes, it clearly says that when more than one remembered WiFi hotspots are detected, the car will connect to the one it had most recently connected to in the past. I assume it implies this is irrespective of the signal strength.

 

[J in MN]

So here is the proof that the "Tesla Guest" WiFi SSID at service centers is hard coded to show 4 bars signal strength, while all others are hard coded to only show 2 bars, regardless of the actual signal strength.