MTH WIFI signal cuts out? or can not find TIU?

I don't have an answer (yet), but I have experienced the same that you are describing.  I too am using MTH WiFi.  It is only frequent enough to be annoying but does not happen consistently.  I suspect that I may have something interfering with the WiFi signal which causes it to drop intermitently  (I just discovered this problem with my Lionel LCS WiFi unit tonight).  My phone / iPad are usually only 3-4 feet from the DCS WiFi unit, so I don't think signal strength should be a problem. Curious to know if anybody else has the same problem?

I had similar problems with the MTH wifi DCS Explorer from last year for my Christmas layout. I didn't dig very much, but I suspect the problem is that the DCS system is a WiFi access point, and it's not a very good one. If it's nearby another WiFi access point, or in range of a lot of them (typical urban/suburban environment), it's not going to behave very well. I can't remember if you can switch to it connecting to another WiFi AP instead of being its own AP, but that could help as it reduces congestion. Also, I think the software can be updated, which is another way to try to reduce problems. The goal would be to reduce WiFi congestion as much as possible near the layout, and try to force the MTH system onto channel 1 or 11 which should have the least congestion, but that's a guess. You can get phone apps to help you determine which WiFi channels would be the least congested, but they tend to cost money. However, given how much you can spend on MTH and Lionel, it's closer to a small drop in the bucket in the long run. If it helps make your system more stable, it's pry worth it. Finally, turn off the house WiFi as a last ditch effort to help reduce congestion.

Note, these are guesses. My chosen vocation tends to give me access to a lot of how WiFi works at the detail level, so I know a bit about how to deal with issues. But I honestly didn't spend a lot of time trying to determine why it was having more troubles than it maybe should have. There are lots of potential reasons that can cause issues. Another would be weak track connections which I found caused the MTH system a lot of trouble. Sometimes while running, it would just "lose" a train until I cleaned and tried to reseat the track section. I was using Fastrack.

That said, I got frustrated with it, so I'm switching to DCC with a wired ring bus connection to each track section despite the effort and costs. It annoys me that the DCS system has restrictions until you buy the expensive gear (Explorer hides sounds and lights while the full system doesn't), and it's just not as reliable as I need it to be, even for my smaller layout. I'm in the middle of rebuilding the layout, so I haven't tried it yet, but I should be setup in the next few weeks to a month. Hopefully DCC just works better.

Hey kj,

I 've had the problem with the DCS Explorer and my phone and Tablet.

I have my layout in the lower level ( basement ) and the signal is very weak from my home Wi-Fi system which is in the upstairs .  The floor joists are of metal construction and the house is 3900 square feet .   I don't have any problem with the DCS / TIU system.     When I am in the layout room I have internet issues with the phone and Tablet itself ,so I thought it would be good to put the layout in the living room upstairs .   This was not well received so I have not been using the DCS Explorer.

There are ways to have Comcast / Xfinity come in and boost the signal but the cost monthly already eliminates some nice engine purchases.

I hope you have good luck with your command system , whichever you chose.

Have fun .......be safe 😷

Also,

How strong is your track signal?

Does it cut out in the same place(s) on the layout?

Do you have offending pieces of equipment on the rails when it happens? (like Lionel or TMCC equipment?)

A couple things:

Update the WIU to the latest firmware (v 1.1)

Update TIU to latest software (v 6.1)

Make sure that whatever device you are using is not set to automatically connect to the internet or search for an internet connection. I.E. when the device is connected to the WIU it should stay connected.

That should solve the bulk, or all of, the issues.

Not up to speed on this ,but if the TIU is updated to the 6.1 does the handheld remote have to have anything done to it ? 

I just ask because I have my TIU at 6.1 but when I pulled my spare remote out of the drawer to use it worked fine with adding engines and operating.   I think the spare remote was purchased somewhere in the last year or year and a half.

And Lou..........The new Premier Santa Fe F7s run well with the old spare remote.  ☺

@Dallas Joseph posted:

Not up to speed on this ,but if the TIU is updated to the 6.1 does the handheld remote have to have anything done to it ? 

I just ask because I have my TIU at 6.1 but when I pulled my spare remote out of the drawer to use it worked fine with adding engines and operating.   I think the spare remote was purchased somewhere in the last year or year and a half.

And Lou..........The new Premier Santa Fe F7s run well with the old spare remote.  ☺

What firmware is on the WIU?

Sorry LOU

I just use the handheld remote presently .  I didn't know if the remote had to be set up or not.

Thanks for the tips. Yes need to do some updates when I get time. My track signal is mostly 10's around the layout did a lot of wiring work for the DCS signal to be good. And I had solved one problem I had had in the past. I have mostly MTH equipment but a very few TMCC products I park these on sidings that I can turn power off to them when not in use and I find that I have to unplug the power to my TMCC base or it causes significant interference to the DCS signal just plugging it in changes the track signal from 9's and 10's to lows of 1 - 2 or no signal at all. I have been trying to figure a way to reconfigure and wire up a loop of track and some sidings to wired completely isolated for TMCC use only.

With MTH remotes no longer available this will be a real issue in the future if the MTH DCS Wi Fi system does not work reliably. When I do not find engines on the electronic phone or devices I check the Wi Fi connection status and it says connected only to the MTH Wi Fi network not the home network. You do have to make sure that the device does not have another app open looking for a Wi Fi signal. 

@kj356 posted:

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With MTH remotes no longer available this will be a real issue in the future if the MTH DCS Wi Fi system does not work reliably. When I do not find engines on the electronic phone or devices I check the Wi Fi connection status and it says connected only to the MTH Wi Fi network not the home network. You do have to make sure that the device does not have another app open looking for a Wi Fi signal. 

Sounds like a device problem. My DCS works reliably with the app. I've read of problems with certain releases of device software conflicting with this. The device must stay on the MTH WIFI and not revert to the house's router. It even matters how you shut down the system. Mine will revert to the house router if the DCS system is shutdown before the device is. So I always turn the device off first at the end of the session.

 When the grandkids brought over their Apple devices, it threw me a loop at first. I run all android. One of the devices is older and it even drops the house router's pass word every time he comes over? I've had to learn a little about IOS to keep them running.