MTH DCS WiFi

Your engine is not controlled by Wifi directly.  Goes from your phone to the Wifi unit to the TIU to the engine via the center rail.  Something else is wrong.  Your location for everything is fine.

WilliamJ posted:

I am retired and setting up my first DCS system. Sorry for being so uninformed, but I just bought the engine, TIU and Wi-Fi and hooked them all up.  Does the Wi-Fi have to be direct line of sight with the engine?  My engine runs, but then sometimes just stops and will not move forward again.  The Wi-Fi and TIU are under the platform.  Any help is welcome.

Thank you so much.  This helped me narrow down the issues.  I am so new at this.  I built a layout (about 12 x 7) in a spare room in my basement.  I used 2 inch foam for the top of the benchwork.  I didn’t want to glue the track (Realtrax) to the foam in case I had to make changes.  I worked out a system with thin short plastic cable ties through the screw holes in the track.  It appears that one of the square ends of one of the cable ties was not well seated in the screw hole and was raised.  It appears that the wheels or some part of the locomotive hit it and raised the engine just enough to interrupt the signal and things stopped.  I am only guessing that was the cause because I filed down the cable tie end and now things seem to be working fine.  Just passing this along in case anyone tries a similar solution to fasten done track.

WilliamJ posted:

I am retired and setting up my first DCS system. Sorry for being so uninformed, but I just bought the engine, TIU and Wi-Fi and hooked them all up.  Does the Wi-Fi have to be direct line of sight with the engine?  My engine runs, but then sometimes just stops and will not move forward again.  The Wi-Fi and TIU are under the platform.  Any help is welcome.

superwarp1 posted:

Your engine is not controlled by Wifi directly.  Goes from your phone to the Wifi unit to the TIU to the engine via the center rail.  Something else is wrong.  Your location for everything is fine.

When a MTH engine loses signal, it keeps doing what ever it was doing last. It shouldn't stop.

Usually an engine that stops, is losing power at the rails for any number of reasons. The first thing to do is check the track and the track joints for power.

You found the issue but the engine lost power. It takes a few seconds for it to shut down.

This forum is great.  Thank you for the insights.  I also detached and reattached the bar between the engine and the tender.  That also may have done some good because I believe it carries a signal.  All we can do is ask train friends and try to do our best.  Thanks again.