Wi-Fi and connection issues can be caused by various factors, including a poor Wi-Fi signal, certain network and Wi-Fi settings, or even a faulty Wi-Fi antenna in the frame.
If the frame doesn't connect to your Wi-Fi, here's a guide to narrow down and hopefully solve the Wi-Fi problem.
Wi-Fi Does Not Show Up on Frame
If your Wi-Fi isn't showing up in the list of available networks, it's most likely due to a lack of compatibility between your frame and Wi-Fi.
Step 1: Check if the frame finds any networks at all
If your frame finds other Wi-Fi's (e.g. a mobile hotspot or a neighbour's Wi-Fi), it means that the frame's Wi-Fi works. And you can jump to Step 2.
If it fails to find other Wi-Fi's too, your frame likely has a faulty network chip and needs replacing.
Step 2: Make sure your Wi-Fi runs 2.4 GHz
The vast majority of frames running Frameo only support the 2.4 GHz network band. So if your Wi-Fi uses the 5 GHz network band, your frame will most likely be unable to find and connect to the Wi-Fi.
To enable the 2.4 GHz network band, you will need to ask someone tech-savvy for assistance or get in touch with your internet service provider.
Step 3: Channel selection
Ensure that the 2.4 GHz signal only uses channel between 1 and 11.
Channels 12, 13 and 14 are banned in several countries and the frame won't be able to detect the Wi-Fi if it uses an illegal channel.
Frame Has Disconnected
If the frame disconnects regularly from a Wi-Fi, it's likely caused by a poor Wi-Fi connection or by a guest network with a time limit.
Step 1: Reset Wi-Fi
To give the frame the best condition for success, start by resetting its Wi-Fi. To do this:
- Go to Settings → Wi-Fi
- Press the three little dots in the upper-right corner
- Select "Reset Wi-Fi"
The frame will reset its Wi-Fi configuration and restart, and you can try to connect to the Wi-Fi again.
Step 2: Move the frame
Try to move the frame to a good spot to ensure that is having the best possible conditions for staying connected to your Wi-Fi. To test if the placement could because, we recommend trying the following:
- Move the frame ~2 metres / ~6 feet away from the router
- Avoid any furniture, walls, floors or electronics obstructing the space between the frame and the router
- If possible, locate it 1–2 metres / 3–6 feet above the floor
Step 3: Try another Wi-Fi
If the problem still occurs at this point, it's time to eliminate either the Wi-Fi or the frame as the culprit. This is done by connecting by the Wi-Fi to an entirely different Wi-Fi (e.g. at a family member or a friend's house).
If the problem still occurs on the other Wi-Fi, it would indicate that there's a problem with the frame's hardware and that returning it for a replacement is the best option.
If instead the problem disappears on the other Wi-Fi, the problem is likely specific to your Wi-Fi.
Step 4: Is your Wi-Fi a guest network?
Most guest networks use time limited connections and usually range between 30 minutes and 24 hours.
There is no way to work around this, as it's entirely up to how the network is configured. You can ask the network administrator or internet service provider for assistance if needed.
Step 5: Is your Wi-Fi a mesh network?
A mesh network consists of multiple network nodes spread out in the home. It is supposed to let your devices connect to the strongest one automatically.
However, some mesh networks can be problematic for some frames. It is up to the frame to determine what access point it wants to connect to, but a frame may occasionally pick one of the nodes farther away.
Further, there is a risk that the frame switches between two nodes too frequently within a short time span, causing the frame to disconnect entirely from the network due to suspected problems. It may stay disconnected for up to 48 hours if this happens several times.
One solution is to move either the network nodes or the frame to make sure that one node is significantly stronger than the rest. It should make it easier for the frame to stay connected to that one node.
Another solution is to "bind" the frame to a specific network node. All mesh networks have the option to bind devices to specific nodes. You can search the web, or you can read the user manual for your network equipment for a guide on how to bind a device to a node on your network.
No Internet or Unknown Internet
In some cases, the frame will be able to connect to the Wi-Fi, but not to the internet. This is usually caused by incompatible network settings.
Reboot all of your network equipment (i.e. modem, router, access points) as well as the frame and wait 10 minutes.
Step 2: Ensure that network uses IPv4/DHCPv4
The frame only works if given a local IPv4 address. The frame will not be able to use a local IPv6 address.
If you're not sure (or if you know that the frame isn't getting a local IPv4 address), please contact someone tech-savvy or your internet service provider. They will be able to help enable local IPv4 addresses.
Step 3: Ensure that frame is connected to 2.4 GHz
Some networks combine the 2.4 GHz signal and the 5 GHz signal into a merged network. This is also referred to as band steering, smart connect or SON. Though most frames work just fine with most of these types of networks without problems, there are occasionally issues caused by this automatic band steering.
Our best suggestion to test this is to create a separate 2.4 GHz SSID to ensure that it does not accidentally try to connect to the 5 GHz, with which it is incompatible.