MTH WI-FI Module issues

I tried some more troubleshooting tonight:

1.  I replaced the USB the cable from the WiFi unit to the TIU.  Android APP works fine.  Apple-no joy.

2.  I "reset" the Wifi unit by holding in the reset button for 5 seconds.  Not sure if that is the correct procedure as I couldn't find any documentation on it.

3.  The WiFi Unit has version 1.1

4.  The Apple App is 1.2  (Paid version)

5.  The LuCi gooey can see my MAC laptop, the Android Phone and the Apple Ipad 2.  

6.  I'm still getting the timed out messages after the searching and interrogating engines messages.

All of these steps were taken with the Android phone and Apple Ipad leveraged on the MTH proprietary WiFi, not connected to the home router.  I also have Fixed One and Fixed Two on the TIU connected to 18V to the each of the two loops.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Todd

Some more troubleshooting this morning:

1.  I removed the Fixed 2 18V input, so only Input 1 is powered.  The TIU is separately power by a outboard supply.

2.  I removed everything on the track except for a PS/2 3V engine.

Still no joy with the Ipad 2 and getting the Timed Out Messages.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Todd

Focus on getting the comm between the apple and the wifi would be my only thought. If the system works with the android, I can't see making any changes at the TIU. I don't own any apple products. I barely know anything about android. I can only guess that there's something in the apple's settings that aren't correct. So I believe you're wasting time with the TIU changes.

 Hopefully others will help you better than I can. Basic troubleshooting still applies and helps rule out where not to look.

Thanks Joe.  The LuCi interface does see the Apple Ipad.  The communication is there.

Since the Android phone has been working, I deleted an engine from the Android Phone app and now tried to re add it, and now no joy with the Android as well.

One thing I noticed is after the Apple Ipad did not add the engine, the TIU (purple light) on the WIU began to steadily blink.  Once I tried to re add the engine using the Ipad, it stopped blinking and went steady.

There has got to be something I'm missing here.

Thanks for any help.

Todd

I guess I'm luckier than I had thought. I don't know about these devices. Mine did not work at first. I found that the phone settings kept trying to go back to my house's router and kept dropping the MTH WIFI. I made some changes and it worked. It has worked well ever since.

 I got this info about the phone's settings by doing a WIFI search of posts here on the OGR. There is some great info spread out in old posts since the release of MTH WIFI.

I did try to "reset" the WiFi unit back to factory settings by holding in the recessed button for 5 seconds, but not sure if that is the correct procedure.  I couldn't find any documentation on it.  When I did reset it, the unit still had 1.1.  I would had thought it would have reverted back to 1.0, but it didn't.

Thanks!

Todd,

I would had thought it would have reverted back to 1.0, but it didn't.

Resetting a device should never affect that device's firmware. Reset should only affect the user-entered contents of a device.

If you had given the device a static IP address, or your router had done so when it connected via WPS, that would have reverted the WIU's IP address to its factory setting, as well. That's possibly why the Android device now also no longer works.

Regardless, it sounds as if the problem is now more than just the iOS devices and that Android devices are affected, as well. Based upon this, I suggest that you "go back to basics" and proceed as follows:

• Disconnect the WIU from its power source and also from the TIU.
• Power-off the TIU.
• Connect the WIU to the TIU. If you have a Rev. L TIU use the cable that accompanied the WIU to do so.
• Set the WIU to MTH mode.
• Power-on the TIU and wait for its red LED to come on steady.
• Power-cycle an iOS device. Even better, reboot it if you know how.
• Power-on the WIU, wait a minuet or so and then follow the instructions to connect an iOS device to the WIU via the iOS WiFi settings.
• Run the DCS App and tap "Run My Trains" from its Home screen.
• Tap the app's refresh icon at the top left of the screen.
• Procede to add and operate an engine.

If the above works, repeat the last 5 steps with an Android device.

Thank you Barry for the clarifications.  Here is what I did and the results:

1.  Doubled check to ensure the TIU USB physical hard port was working.  I connected to my laptop for the Loader Program and worked fine.

2.  I changed the target engine to add-and it worked, both on the Ipad and the Android.  The issue was the engine not anything else.  The TIU and Wifi appear to be functioning normally.

Now the question is why would the engine not add.  One thing I did notice is the description on the engine that is usually there, is not.  (30-4173-1) When the software is interrogating engines, you can see it come up with its engine number, but the description is missing.  Then it doesn't add it.  Perhaps a Factory reset to the engine might help?  There is a new, from last year, MTH rechargeable battery, so that should be ok.

Any thoughts on this engine specific issue?

Thanks!

I did a Factory Reset of the engine with the normal DCS remote and it also does not show the engine description, just the assigned engine number.  This might be the reason the WiFi can not see it.  It did re add to the normal DCS hand held remote without issue, just no description.  

Thoughts?

Thanks.

has the engine's board been changed? is it an upgraded engine?

I saw this the other day when the WIFI was struggling to find an engine on the track. I hate to say I can't remember how I fixed it?

 I believe the engine's battery was low when it was last added to a spare remote. The WIFI showed a blank engine at #24? I had to charge the engine. I found it with the computer at address #1. It should have been 24. I don't think it was anything to do with signal. When I was swapping controls I must have mixed up the address. When I repeatedly tried to add it, I even got TIU not found message on the phone. When I swapped engines, everything started to work.

 I have had some issues lately that I did not keep records of. I just plugged thru them to get things working. When I swap TIU's, I need to develop a procedure. I believe I was all over with reboots and stuff needlessly. I think when you swap TIUs, you just refresh the program?

No, nothing was changed there.  Runs great and has a lot of mileage on it.    It is 3V PS2.  Good news is the WiFi is working great with the Android and Apple.  It appears to be an engine specific issue.  I'll look forward to any suggestions.  Thank you once again.

Engr Joe:  You said, "I found that the phone settings kept trying to go back to my house's router and kept dropping the MTH WIFI. I made some changes and it worked. "

I have an old, retired, Samsung Android phone that does that, despite various settings I changed.  What did you change?

I believe I had to disconnect or "forget" the house's router connection.

It was back in the spring time and again, I forget! I just play with the controls til they work. I'm a dinosaur when it comes to this.

After another Factory reset to the engine, it finally added to both the Apple and Android apps.  Please see attached picture of the screen shot after it was added.  I was able to change the name in the APP.

Thank you!  

This might be the reason the WiFi can not see it. 

No, the blank name has absolutely no bearing on the engine's ability to be added by either the DCS Remote or the DCS App.

Thanks Barry.  It was the only element that I could nail down that was causing this during the Wi Fi troubleshooting because it added to the normal DCS remote without issue.  Obviously, the Factory reset (done a few times) did the trick.

Thank you for all your help.