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

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4 comments

  • Fred Fred

    This article seems to be missing something. Let me write it for you:

    Because we know that wifi can be unreliable, and we have basic common sense, we have included the option to use a wired Ethernet connection and bypass all the problems with wifi. To use it, all you need it a cat5e or better cable that runs from the LAN ports on your home router, to your garage, where you plug it into the Ethernet port on the Tailwind, and it will automatically establish and maintain a highly reliable connection.

    (Of course, if you DON'T have basic common sense, and have made this device capable of working ONLY with wifi, well, then I guess you can't add that to the article just yet, until you come to your senses and add the Ethernet option. Not that I'm holding my breath, since if your designers were foolish enough to not include it from the start, they probably aren't all that smart. Either that or it adds 15 cents extra cost to each unit, and that would cut a percentage point off your profits)

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  • Scott Riesebosch

    Thank you for your feedback Fred. Actually during our initial design steps we always talk with potential customers and get feedback from them. I lead the design of the system and received the feedback directly from customers. We asked them if they wanted a wired ethernet port and in our initial design reviews we did build one into the product. Customers answered "YES" that they did want an ethernet port. Then the next question on the survey was "Do you currently have an ethernet cable running to your garage door opener? If not, would you be willing to install one?".

    Not one single person in our survey answered "YES", which made the ethernet port a "nice to have" option and certainly an occasional person may actually use it. If 1 customer out of 10,000 customers actually has an ethernet cable at their garage door opener, it simply doesn't make sense to put an ethernet port on the controller.

    The ethernet port was removed from the design based on this feedback.

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  • Erik Neu

    Helpful article, thanks. I didn't know the RSSI readout was available, that is a nice touch (as well as the uptime counter, which I also hadn't noticed).

    You might add the suggestion of a wifi extender as a solution. And unless I am mistaken, the Tailwind unit does NOT need to be on the same network as one's phone. That means a plain old extender (with a different network SSID)--very cheap--will do, you don't need the fancier mesh. That worked like a charm for me (24 hours in :) )

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  • Scott Riesebosch

    Hi Erik,

    Glad the WiFi extender worked for you, and generally speaking as long as it is on the same LAN it can work locally even without an internet connection because your router assigns all the IP addresses, even to devices connected to WiFi extenders.

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