Losing wifi connection

36 comments started 2023-01-25 last 2026-02-25
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#1 naltsta

I have only had my givenergy system for the last 5 days but have had numerous disconnects from the internet where the portal records no information.

The timings of these starting and finishing seem to correspond to me arriving and leaving home.
!

I can only assume this is something to do with the app(iOS)/local control/my phone being on my home wifi.

Has anyone experienced this or have a fix?

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#2 cluelesscris

naltsta Looks to me that there is data there. The 'gap' suggests you system is importing from the grid to satisfy load except between 5:00am and 07:30am where the battery kicks in to cover the load. You battery is also charging at a pretty low rate: 5-25% in 8 hours. You need to review your inverter settings because I pretty sure you want something else to happen.

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#3 ToothyChris

cluelesscris
The system will draw a straight line between the last data the GE server gets, and the first new data after the WiFi reconnects. So it is visible in that graph.

Nalsta: Getting a stronger WiFi signal at your dongle would be a wise thing to try first.

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#4 cluelesscris

ToothyChris Doh! I missed that!

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#5 TX200

My inverter disconnected roughly once every 24 hrs, over several days, after I changed what WiFi the inverter uses to get to the internet.

I connected to the dongle via my phone, setup the new details, then switched back to my normal WiFi.

After having the issue for a few days, I then told my phone to forget the dongle WiFi network (well technically, told it not to auto connect to that network).

It's been fine since

Not sure what options you have on the iPhone but perhaps forget or turn off auto connect on the dongle WiFi network?

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#6 LordHippos

This doesn't make any sense unless your dongle is using your phone as a hotspot, which would be very weird.

You can easily test this by putting your phone into airplane mode for 15-20 mins or so, if the dongle starts flashing and the data stops working, then your phone is somehow responsible for the internet connectivity from the inverter.

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#7 naltsta

LordHippos Yesterday I had the reverse where it only connected for the first time when I left the house! So it can't be using my phone as a hotspot. Can also see its IP address on my home wifi etc

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#8 naltsta

cluelesscris That was solar charging my battery but I don't have any of the data! Final data point at 7.55am I think and then first one at the exact time I walked in the door!

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#9 naltsta

ToothyChris

Thanks
Signal is really solid right next to my dongle.

Should it be constantly broadcasting its own SSID? even when it is connected to my wifi as it currently is.

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#10 LordHippos

Yeah it does broadcast itself even when working.

I don't know if your SSID is 2.4Ghz only but it does only operate on that for me, my Wifi originally broadcast 2.4ghz and 5Ghz on the same channel but it failed to even see it let alone connect in that config.

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#11 ToothyChris

naltsta
I'm not seeing any missing data on that plot, from yesterday.

(For me, sometimes the graphs show my solar data - which proves that the data is getting to the GE servers) - but the running total for the day is showing as zero all day. Is that what you mean, by any chance?

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#12 ToothyChris

Some people find that even a modest WiFi signal is not enough, for the dongle to connect reliably. The fact that it is broadcasting its own SSID on the same WiFi channel probably doesn't help either (It's a bit like trying to listen for a whisper, whilst also shouting at the top of your voice).

The dongles are really weird and temperamental. And on that subject, make sure you have put a password on your dongle SSID/Access Point, otherwise it will give your neighbours a free access to your internet connection. The installers are supposed to do this, or warn you about this, but most don't bother.

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#13 naltsta

ToothyChris it doesn't start until 7.45 in the morning! Zero data up until that point!

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#14 Quassi

Hi my WiFi dogle have pernament connect problem... and GivEnergy engeneers ... me answer.. this is OK...
I exchange 6 routers !!!!!!!!!!! and dogle pernament lost connect.. now must using 2 routers and 1 extender 😃 😃 and stability is maybe 70% in mini house 😃 😃 😃

Sorry GivEnergy is very bad product.,.. this problems starting First install day!!! exchange wifi Dogle (waiting 1 week) ... exchange inverter mainboard (waiting 3 weeks) ,,,

And I pay for all new product... and installing second hand ... no more GivEnergy .,, sorry

I preferend LAN connect... in this product cannot... 1 year old .... 🙁 🙁 🙁

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#15 naltsta

Quassi Something which makes zero sense but seemed to fix my issue was...

Turning on "always" for allow access to location services in the iPhone app. I saw some people complaining about this to set up the 3 pin plugs and it bizarrely seems to have solved my inverter wifi dropouts!

If you use the iPhone app you could give this a try

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#16 Quassi

It's not a problem with the mobile application or the website... but the first problem is that the wifi doesn't always connect to your router, but the loss of a fixed connection... there are frequent connection failures.
Then no applications and settings will work for you
system!

First of all, look at how often you lose connection with the router and when!

#17 Riscy

Quassi Honestly I think you probably need to look at your own Wifi environment.

For example, you mentioned using extenders. The "shouting" problem that @ToothyChris mentioned is literally caused by extenders - that's exactly how they operate.

I doubt it's anything inherent in the GE hardware.

Wifi is hard to get right once you're needing more coverage than just a single access point. People assume it's easy because it's consumer hardware, so assume it'll "just work (TM)".

If you can at all afford it, and this is without judgement because not everyone can, then do consider a proper Mesh Wifi setup. These are night-and-day more reliable than extenders. I have a carefully set-up Mesh Wifi and the Inverter has iiterally never dropped off the network - I'm monitoring via GivTCP, which is how I can be so sure.

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#18 Quassi

AFTER my 30 years of experience with PC hardware, I can't believe that I haven't tried all the possibilities.
I tried about 6 types of routers... the 100-year-old model (I'm exaggerating) TP-Link TL-WR941ND held up the best.

Finally, my inverter is somehow defective, maybe it has some kind of interference - I don't know. It is in the warranty, but engineers from GivEnergy insist on inspection - tests. I asked for a replacement a year ago - they ignored me.

Should I sue them?

I'm losing a lot of data with these WiFi Dogle outages...

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#19 Quassi

Quassi

Asus GT-AX11000 connect AiMesh to Asus RT-AC88U (connect 1GB LAN) ... and next repeater Asus Rp-AC68U ...
🙂

Do You think, that all this ASUS is wrong ?

#20 Riscy

Quassi (shrugs) we're trying to help, but you're not giving us much to go off.

What's your physical environment like? Is the Inverter in the same building as the router? How many floors/walls inbetween? What are the nearby similar networks that might be using the same frequency? Is your router set up to auto-select (and occasionally hop) frequency? Can you give us a screenshot from a wifi analyser on your phone to show what frequencies are in-use nearby? Etc.

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#21 mikelonerider

My inverter dongal failed after 3months getting a new this week, after being off line a month. Have tried all I can to get it to connect. Nothing.

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#22 Quassi

maybe you install new dongle firmware... me this more helped

HF-A21_V5.03_2MB_20180316_07

or me write message rmacko73@gmail.com and I sending you

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#23 NotoriousPyro

Try disabling "WMM mode" on the router or create a separate SSID with it disabled using that instead for the dongle. I found as soon as I closed the door with the inverter behind it, it would disconnect unless WMM mode was OFF.

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#24 MikeyHaz

Appreciate I'm following up on an old post - but I've had similar problems getting the dongle connected - I have a gen 1 - so it's 2.4ghz only. Upgraded my access points today and lost connection - no amount of rebooting/reconfiguring would get it to reconnect. Finally separated my SSIDs into 2.4 and 5ghz only - and IMMEDIATE connection occurred. So it now is sitting on it's own SSID just for the wifi dongle - but hey - if it works!

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#25 dragon2905

Quassi you need to separate out your bands from dual band to separate a 2.4ghz SSID and 5ghz SSID.

The GE WiFi dongles are 2.4ghz only and you can experience issues where a dual band router uses the same SSID for both 2.4 and 5ghz.

If you have, or can get access to an Android Phone, you should use an app like Wifi Analyser to check the signal strength next to your dongle. See if there are any conflicting Channels nearby or overly strong signals interfering with the connection.

Typically you want to be on channel 1/6/11 on 2.4ghz and most ISP provided routers come set to 6. You can then move your Router channel up or down as required depending on whether it is an option for your equipment.

Also I recommend using Merlin Firmware on those Asus routers if you know what your doing.

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#26 Quassi

I using Merlin 388.2_2 ... now I have separe 2Ghz and 5GHz wifi...
Whenever I give the command to change the settings in the inverters, the wifi immediately disconnects.
I use channel 9, on which no one around is on that channel. The fault will be in the inverters - the motherboard, which was changed and refurbished. During the installation of the technical equipment, the inverter was immediately destroyed by a professional connection, and the guys from GivEnergy came to replace it - refurbished. Since then, I've had the third wifi ever and there are always problems And everything is under warranty...

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#27 david-rh15

I was having most of the same issues connecting to my router, I fixed it by using a Wi-Fi extender. It only took 5 minutes to set up
This is the link to Amazon but you can buy the device from a number of places.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C45ZPWRK

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#28 Jud

@Riscy Can you help if there is a built in dongle? Please see my post @Jud. I would appreciate any help.

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#29 AndyZ900rs

A wifi extender does work...but it is far better to have a direct ethernet connection from your router to the inverter. If at all possible then I would try this. It obviously depends on where both are situated but it does avoid any issues with connectivity

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#30 Kgbarnes

Quassi hi i know its been a long time but did you get it sorted after? I got same sort of issue, can not connect to the inverter, bougfht a new dongle and configured but still will not connect, it was working fine until they upddated everthing in september 25 (yes is been disconnected for all that time!!)

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#31 pwdst
  1. Have you copied the serial number of the old dongle onto the new one?
  2. Which generation inverter do you have?
  3. Have you updated the dongle firmware? This is distinct from the firmware for the inverter or the batteries.
  4. Did you try temporarily disabling the 5GHz network or connecting to a 2.4GHz only network?
  5. What is your home networking setup? Are you using a Mesh system?
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#32 Kgbarnes

Yes

pwdst
Givenergy have registered the new dongle.
It's a gen 1 inverter
I haven't updated but it says was up to date.
I disabled the 5ghz and only used the 2.4, also used the temporary method too.
I do use a tenda mesh system that it worked fine on for 2 years. I have also tried connecting to my main router that I split in to separate 2.4 & 5 GHz networks only connecting to the 2.4 but still didn't work

I'm m with virgin media

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#33 pwdst

Presumably it isn't showing as connected on your router control panel?

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#34 Kgbarnes

pwdst yeah it doesn't show on there

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#35 geoffreycoan

Kgbarnes what security settings do you have on your virgin media router/mesh ? Newer routers tend to force you to WPA3 but the GivEnergy dongles can only accept WPA2

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#36 Kgbarnes

That's a good shout, I'm not sure I'll have to check as I haven't looked at that