OpenSprinkler Forums OpenSprinkler Unified Firmware My Open Sprinkler has been having trouble connecting lately

Viewing 25 posts - 1 through 25 (of 68 total)
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  • #51221

    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Usually a solid (as solid as WIFI can get) connection is now crap as I have constant disconnections with my controller.
    Anyone else experiencing this?
    BTW OS was much better with a wired connection!

    #51286

    cableguy103
    Participant

    I am starting to have the exact same issues as you. My wireless SSID and network has not changed but I keep loosing connection to the controller and the only way to restore the connection is to power cycle the sprinkler controller. I am running Ubiquiti wireless access points in my house and I have no issues with all the other wireless devices in the house.
    My biggest issue is when I loose connection to the controller the controller sprinkler schedule stops so my lawn ans flower garden dont get watered. My wife is about to kill me as I dont notice that it is not working until stuff starts to dry out. I bought the controller last year and had zero issues with it until this year a few weeks into watering season.

    Hope there is a fix for this issue.

    #51316

    Ray
    Keymaster

    There are several things to check:
    1. do you have a single WiFi router or you have WiFi range extenders / mesh network at home?
    2. Note that we just released a newer version of firmware 2.1.8, which uses the latest ESP8266 core library and should have improved WiFi functionality. For OS 3.0 users we recommend upgrading to firmware 2.1.8.
    3. You can submit a support ticket to arrange for a replacement controller to be sent to you.

    As a last resort: please note that we still sell version 2.3, with built-in Ethernet — the Ethernet version still exists, it’s not gone yet.

    #51345

    cableguy103
    Participant

    1. I have a single WiFi router and 2 access points off of that. Both AP’s have the same SSID where devices can jump from one ap to the other.

    2. I just installed the latest firmware last night so we will see how it goes.

    3. I will create a support ticket if the problem comes back after the firmware update.

    Thanks
    JG

    #51542

    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Suddenly later that day it became stable again. I am convinced it is some other wireless signal blocking or interfering signals in or around my location.
    This is another reason why WIFI and wireless in general is terrible. Please bring back the ethernet connection on your product.

    #51670

    martin.pawlak
    Participant

    Hi! I am also running Ubiquiti wireless access points (UniFi AP-AC-Mesh 3.9.42.9152) and have the same problem. Opensprinkler (3.0 DC Firmware 2.1.8 (1)) lost Wifi connection so i have to reconnect or start over the controller. Now i connected the controller to a UniFi AP-AC-Pro (3.9.42.9152) and till now it works fine…i hope.

    #51679

    cableguy103
    Participant

    Ever since I upgraded my Open Sprinkler to version 2.1.8 (1) I have not had any lock up issues. I am running Unifi AP-Pro (3.9.27.8537).

    #51681

    martin.pawlak
    Participant

    There is no problem with the Pro but when connected to the ac mesh(wireless uplink)

    #51796

    Ray
    Keymaster

    @jmillerah: we do still sell the previous version: 2.3, with Ethernet jack.

    #52172

    Anonymous
    Inactive

    @keymaster: I noticed that, but how long will this older hardware version be supported? It is like buying an older computer and expecting it to work for me as long as a newer one.

    #52224

    Ray
    Keymaster

    It will be supported for at least several years.

    #52589

    Lefrancais
    Participant

    Since upgrading to 2.1.8 (1) I’m having the same issue where I can’t remotely connect to OSPI, I have to restart it, so much so that I installed a z-wave outlet so I can restart it remotely. Nothing has changed in my WiFi setup, using google mesh.
    Thank you

    #52645

    stonecrest
    Participant

    Updated firmware using downloaded os30_2.1.8.bin file and, as others are reporting, I’m now having intermittent connection problems, the system was stable prior to update. To re-establish wifi connection the OpenSprinkler unit has to be power cycled and I’ve resorted to using a time switch to power off and on at intervals
    The suggestion that an ethernet version is still available for purchase seems to acknowledge there is a problem and frankly having already spent $150 I’m not impressed by the suggestion I should purchase another to resolve the problem.
    The omission of an ethernet connection was regrettable, both ethernet and wifi would be preferable.

    #52740

    Ray
    Keymaster

    When posing please indicate what version of OpenSprinkler hardware you have. Lefrancais referred to OSPi, and stonecrest referred to OS 3.0, but I don’t know which version, AC-powered or DC-powered.

    If you take a look at the sprinkler controller market, almost no one sells Ethernet-based sprinkler controller any more — almost all are WiFi-based.

    #53006

    Val
    Participant

    Has anyone got a solution to this problem yet? I have a new unit (3 weeks old with FW 2.18(2) ) and I keep losing wifi connection with an Asus router with very good wifi next to the unit. It connects Ok quite quickly but loses its WIFI every day sometimes after a couple of hours. Powering the unit off and on quickly resolves the issue but that’s not acceptable.

    (AC powered wifi 3.0 Unit)

    #53636

    raaahbin
    Participant

    I’ve also been having this problem occasionally (maybe days or weeks apart?) where I discover the controller has dropped off the wifi network. I use OpenHab to drive the watering program, so it’s a big problem if it drops offline when I’m not around to reconnect it for more than a day or two. The display on the unit says it is reconnecting, but it does not do so until I reboot the unit (either by power cycling or holding the B2 button), at which point it reconnects immediately.

    The get info page says “Firmware: 2.1.8(1), Hardware version: 3.0 – DC”

    For now, I’ve set OpenHab up to warn me more actively if it drops the connection, but there’s something clearly not working in the firmware when it attempts to reconnect to wifi (its attempts – if indeed it is really attempting to reconnect – universally fail, whereas following a reboot it reconnects immediately… this leads me to believe it will not be solved by replacing the hardware).

    Is there any way to access the unit at a lower level than the web gui and download a system log?

    #53717

    Ray
    Keymaster

    Perhaps someone can name a specific router (Brand name and model number) that we can order and try? We have test OS 3 units connected to Netgear and Asus routers and have not have any disconnection issues, so it would be difficult to debug without having a router that it actually has issues with.

    Something else that’s worth trying is to see if settings a static IP on OpenSprinkler would help. I suspect not, since I assume the issue is in establishing WiFi connection and not in DHCP. But nonetheless it’s worth a try.

    #53738

    raaahbin
    Participant

    Mine is an Asus RT-AC88U.

    I know it’s splitting hairs, but I don’t think it’s a disconnection issue: I believe it is a *reconnection* issue. That is, connection interruptions can happen for all sorts of reasons – for example, I’ve rebooted my router three times in the past week for other reasons – and in each case the OpenSprinkler has re-established the connection just fine as soon as the router comes back up. However, when the failure arises, the display on the OpenSprinkler shows that it is reconnecting, but it fails to do so until I intervene, no matter how long it is left to attempt reconnection. When the failure occurs, the issue is resolved immediately – and 100% reliably – by rebooting the OpenSprinkler unit. That appears to be the only way to resolve the issue. It would be good if detailed diagnostic logs were kept on the OpenSprinkler itself so that we can see what is going wrong in the OS’s system when it fails, but I am not aware of any logs except those associated with the timing of watering.

    #53763

    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I agree as the unit will not reconnect.
    Maybe a auto reboot when the unit fails to connect after a number of tries or a certain amount of time on no WIFI connection.

    #53764

    raaahbin
    Participant

    That seems like a really good idea, actually – it doesn’t depend on being able to trace why it is currently failing to connect (which sounds, from Ray’s post, like it could otherwise be a roadblock if they can’t reproduce it). I don’t think there’s any need for the time tolerance to be particularly short. For example, it could be a logic like this:

    IF no functioning network connection (unable to sync NTP?) for at least 6 hours
    AND currently configured for WiFi connection
    AND unit uptime > 24 hours

    THEN reboot system

    That will mean it only tries the reboot as a last resort – not because the router it is connected to is disconnected from the internet for a while – and even then it would only reboot itself once every 24 hours.

    #53802

    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I was having the same issue. The WIFI connection drops from the OS and yet the display states it is connected and has an IP address. I am using a Technicolor MediaAccess TG789vac v2 Router. I am running on 2.1.8 (2) and only received the unit this month (Jan ’19). I may have just found a solution to this issue. I set a static IP address for OS on my router and it connected without a reboot of the OS. Hope this helps.

    #53804

    raaahbin
    Participant

    I think your case may have been a slightly different issue (or at least different to some of these cases, including mine – there could be multiple problems in this thread). In my case, the display on the OpenSprinkler indicates that it is trying to reconnect (as opposed to indicating that it’s connected and has an IP address), but it never successfully reconnects. So the OpenSprinkler unit is picking up that it has lost the connection… but the only way to do anything about it is to reboot the OpenSprinkler unit.

    I have already set a fixed IP address for OS on the router, so that has not been a solution for the problem I’m encountering.

    #53836

    John DF
    Participant

    I’m having the same issue as raaahbin. The unit will disconnect from wifi and then becomes stuck displaying a “reconnecting” message, but it never reconnects. After a restart it connects immediately. I have App: 1.8.2, Firmware: 2.1.8(2), Hardware version: 3.0 – AC, connecting to Apple Airport express router. I’m also using a fixed IP address for the unit.
    Timing is random, sometimes within 24 hours sometimes 2 weeks apart.
    Let me know if there is anything I can test/troubleshoot/log.

    #53864

    RottenMutt
    Participant

    It is probably a problem with renewing the dhcp lease, probably try static IP address. I set my dhcp lease as static on my dhcp server (router).

    If I reset my access point I find I have to power cycle usually. My OpenSprinkler is plugged into a smart outlet so I can do it remote.

    edit: i’m running on raspberry pi

    #53881

    John DF
    Participant

    I already have a static IP address, assigned by my router based on the OpenSprinkler’s MAC address.

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OpenSprinkler Forums OpenSprinkler Unified Firmware My Open Sprinkler has been having trouble connecting lately