My Tailwind controller won't connect or stay connected to my WiFi network

Is the status light on your Tailwind controller not showing the nice, pure green status light that tells you from across the garage "yep, I'm online"? Is it showing offline? Maybe flashing red?

It could be a sign of poor WiFi signal strength or integrity (signal to noise ratio). This is most likely the cause for your connectivity issues. It's not the only one, but it's the most likely. There can even be reasonable WiFi signal strength, but interference by other equipment can cause connection problems. 

You can actually see the RSSI signal strength (an indicator of WiFi signal strength) of your Tailwind controller right in the Tailwind app (assuming of course that it is actually online). If you are the device owner, just tap on the gear icon to the right of your controller in the "My Devices" screen.

At the top of the next screen that comes up, you'll see technical information regarding your controller, including the RSSI signal strength. Again, you will only see this if your controller is online.

Here is an article explaining RSSI values https://www.netspotapp.com/what-is-rssi-level.html

If you're seeing RSSI values in the -70 to -90 range, please consider relocating the Tailwind controller to a slightly different location. Ideally you would like RSSI values that are in the -40 to -69 range. There are a few common culprits for WiFi connectivity problems:

1) WiFi signal just doesn't reach the exact location of the Tailwind controller with enough signal strength

2) Many LED light bulbs emit excessive electromagnetic interference. If one is near the controller it could cause problems

3) Some garage door openers themselves (and the radios inside them) can block / interfere with the signal. For example, the garage door opener body is metal. If the Tailwind controller is mounted on the side of the garage door opener that is opposite from the WiFi router, the metal body of the opener can act as a shield.

4) The presence or absence of your car can have a profound effect on the WiFi signal. Some customers have reported "I have great WiFi in my garage", but when they moved their car they discovered it dropped dramatically.

5) Our homes are getting more and more WiFi devices in them. You may want to check the DHCP settings on your router. People are often surprised to find out just how many WiFi devices are actually on their network, and in some cases, the number of IP addresses available is simply not enough and needs to be increased - especially when you have guests over for a party!

A simple test to determine if it is a WiFi signal integrity issue is to simply bring the Tailwind controller into the house, closer to the WiFi router / access point and power it back on. If the Tailwind controller connects and stays connected at a location that is closer to the WiFi router and the app is reporting a much better RSSI signal strength, you can be reasonably certain the connectivity issue is caused by either a lack of WiFi signal strength at the original mounting location, or interference from other devices.