‎Base station 'loses WiFi' every few hours ... even within 8ft of the router! | SimpliSafe Support Home
 
pbarham's profile

Monday, August 23rd, 2021 12:15 AM

Base station 'loses WiFi' every few hours ... even within 8ft of the router!

Since I installed my SimpliSafe system last week, I have been getting frequent notifications on my phone about the base station 'losing WiFi connection' and then 'regaining WiFi connection' a few minutes later.

This happens every few hours.  Initially the base station was positioned two rooms away from the nearest WiFi access point... but I moved it into the same room as our main Ubiquiti WiFi router and the messages are still happening.   When I have my laptop in either location it shows great WiFi signal strength, so I'm pretty convinced it isn't a signal strenght issue.  (perhaps Simplisafe can't handle a WiFi setup with more than one access point for the same SSID?)

Is this normal, or is this a faulty base station?  Is there any way to suppress the phone notifications?   Are there any diagnostics I can check?

739 Messages

3 years ago

First, no, it is not normal. Second, while other forum members will address your questions specifically (unfortunately, I am currently short on time), do your Base Station and Keypad have the latest firmware software update (Update 2.3)?

https://simplisafe.com/forum/customer-support-forum/installing-and-using-simplisafe/system-firmware-23-july-2021#new

4 Messages

Thanks for the reply...

The keypad says the system is up to date and running 2.3.4
Not sure whether this is the keypad firmware version or the base station?  Or how to check?

739 Messages

I cannot be sure, but I feel as if I have read about your problem here on the forums. Unfortunately, when I searched Google, I could not get forum results (this was not a problem in the past).

Hopefully, Johnny M. from SimpliSafe will be able to find a solution. Johnny M. is very active on the forums. I have never encountered your issue. The only time my system ever disconnects from Wi-Fi is when my Internet is out, or I reboot/unplug my modem or router. Otherwise, it remains the primary connection at all times (defaulting only to cellular during an interruption of the wireless network).

If everything else stays connected on your network, it sounds like a problem with the Base Station itself.

1.3K Messages

3 years ago

To me it's plausible if you have multiple APs there could be some lag if it tries to change to a different "tower" so to speak. But, if the base is a lot closer to one AP then you'd think it would have no reason to seek a different connection unless Ubiquiti stuff is doing something in the background.

Are you doing anything like MAC filtering/blocking or short DHCP lease times that maybe affects getting an IP address?

Can the base be set with a static IP and reserve that in your router system to see if that would help, at least a workaround.

732 Messages

3 years ago

@Shiherlis

"I cannot be sure, but I feel as if I have read about your problem here on the forums. Unfortunately, when I searched Google, I could not get forum results (this was not a problem in the past)."

I've also noticed this recently stopped working and I wasn't sure if it was a Google issue or a SS issue.

739 Messages

@Worthing

It was a surprise when I attempted a Google search, and no forum results appeared. I thought I had made a mistake, but I realized that was not the case after numerous tries.

Have you gotten the frequent Wi-Fi disconnection problem sorted out yet? I am amazed SimpliSafe has skipped over this topic. Also, the lack of Google advanced results of the forum is troubling as with no internal search function, most of us solved our system issues before calling in or posting utilizing the method.

(And we have been doing so for many years)

732 Messages

3 years ago

@shiherlis

It wasn't me reporting the frequent Wi-Fi disconnection problems but someone else.

739 Messages

My apologies for confusing you with the OP, Worthing. I usually do not make such mistakes. Thank you for responding and letting me know.

I do always wonder about the solution just in case it happens to any customers in the future.

4 Messages

3 years ago

I have been having a similar issue. It's only been a few days but I think I have figured out a solution you might want to try. One rep finally told me that the devices really only work 2.4ghz bandwidth. While my wi-fi configuration supported both 2.4 and 5, it was still under one network so I reconfigured it to two separate networks. I then reconnected my base station to the 2.4ghz network and it has been much much more reliable now. Highly recommend giving this a try if you might have a similar situation with your wi-fi network.

732 Messages

3 years ago

If you have a router where you can't manually split out your 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands into separate SSIDs see if there's a guest network option, enable it and try your SS devices there. For some routers (Google WiFI specifically comes to mind) the guest network prioritizes the 2.4GHz band for maximum compatibility. I had a few issues with setting up SimpliCams before I enabled my guest network (and had to use the distance trick, which did work but was annoying) and after I switched to the guest network I've yet to have a SS camera, any SS camera, not connect on the first try.

I can't guarantee this works on every router w/ a guest network but it can't hurt to try if you're having issues.
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