Cannot connect to some Wifi SSIDs

Power & Lighting
1

I just got my WyzeCam V2 about a week ago, but am having trouble connecting it to my wifi. A bit of background on this.

My network setup is: Ubiquiti EdgeRouter4 → 3 seperate UAP-AC-Lite’s. One AP is at each end of my house and the 3rd is in my detached garage. I have 3 seperate VLANs: Home (computers, phones, etc.), IoT (Home automation, Foscams, Rokus, Google Homes, Ring cameras, etc…and now WyzeCam, and Guest.

Each VLAN has its own SSID which is also dual 5/2.4 Ghz. I have about 45 devices on the network, all work perfectly. Broadcast power on all APs is set pretty low so that there is not excessive overlap between access points. Also, each AP is on a different channel. For 2.4 Ghz, this is 1, 6 and 11. Channel scan shows them each on the right channel for the least amount of interference.

When I try to connect to any of the three SSIDs, setup never completes. It scans the code OK, but eventually says the network wasn’t found. I can see it connected on my Unifi controller (99% / -30 dBm), and it pulls an IP OK, but it just won’t register as connected.

As part of troubleshooting which included downgrading firmware, a lot of reboots of the camera, access points, router, etc., I found that if I create a new SSID and only enable it on one of three APs, then setup completes properly. This is true on any of the VLANs/subnets. To summarize, the ONLY difference between the new SSID and existing is that there is only one AP broadcasting it, regardless of the fact that the other 2 are very weak signals in that location. To test this further, I then unplugged 2 of the APs and went through wifi setup again with a normal SSID and it completed setup right away and streaming worked fine. When I plug the other APs back in, I can’t connect to the camera via the app any more. The Unifi controller still shows it connected to the same AP and the signal quality is excellent.

To take it a little further, I tried the Dafang mod, input my normal SSID and it connected properly right away, streamed properly, etc. no matter where in my house or garage I plugged it in. I’ve used Wifi heat map apps and other scans and am 100% confident this is not an interference, overlap, or other wifi issue, but purely a software issue.

This isn’t a huge deal since I can create an extra SSID, attach it to a VLAN, and hide it, but its not ideal in any way. Every one of my other 45 devices can connect quickly to any AP and roam between them with no issues. Wyze Cam is the only problem and its only on stock firmware.

If there is anything else I can provide to help track this software issue down, please let me know.

2

I have 2 access points that use the same SSID so I can roam from one AP to the other. My Wyse cams and Amcrest cams were unreliable until I created a guest network at each AP with a unique name and I manually selected the closest AP.

Not exactly the same symptoms you described, but similar

3

The WyzeCams are 2.4 GHz only and from my own experience, it would have issues connecting to WiFi systems that are dual band. If I set a SSID for 2.4 GHz only, the Wyze would reliably connect.
I am also running a more involved WiFi network that the typical home unit.

4

Wyze Cams simply will not connect to any SSID that broadcasts at 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz and even if you can temporarily disable the 5Ghz signal, like when trying to install a Wyze Cam, as soon as you turn 5Ghz back on you will lose connection. I use Netgear Model EX2700 N300 WiFi Range Extenders for all my 2.4Ghz devices.

It is too bad that just about all (99.9%) “security” cameras currently have transceivers that cannot differentiate between a 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz signal. Since the 5Ghz signal is actually stronger it overpowers the 2.4Ghz signal and there goes your connection.

So no matter how much you like your router, stop beating your head against the wall and get a WiFi Range Extender that is 2.4Ghz ONLY and the Netgear EX2700 is considered the Gold Standard.

5

This really is the same problem to some extent.

6

There has to be some kind of software tweak to fix this though. The reason I mention it is because if you install the Dafang Hack (hopefully not against the rules to mention it here), it will connect to any wifi SSID you throw at it, dual band or not. I just typed in SSID and password, rebooted camera, and the Dafang modded version connected instantly and was available as soon as the web server loaded.

I have to say I do like the features of the stock firmware better though since I want local recording, so I came back and just have a separate SSID for Wyze right now that seems to work as a workaround.

7

if it is possible, can you check if your router has any of below setting enabled ? they all have something to do with prioritize certain device over others

ATF - air time fairness
QoS- Qaulity of Service
WMM-Wifi multimedia

8

QoS is disabled on my router.

On my Unifi controller:
ATF disabled
Fast roaming disabled
Multicast enhancement (IGMPv3) enabled (default setting)
Min RSSI enabled at -75 dBm
Band Steering is off

9

There are 2.4ghz-only devices on the market the have problems when a WiFi network uses the same SSID for both 2.4ghz and 5ghz, so if Wyze is having this problem, it is not unique to them.

As an example, Rachio wifi sprinkler controllers, which are a 2.4ghz-only device, have this problem.

Marc

10

This really sucks. They should advertise this problem more clearly. Who only has 2.4 any more? I got my camera as a gift and I feel bad for the cousin who wasted their money to give it to me.

11

Did you try to set it up. In most cases, it will work fine on routers that use a single SSID for both 2.4 and 5GHz bands.

12

We have separate names for our 2.4 and 5. I’m not very techie, so I don’t know how to remedy that, and I don’t think we want to change that anyway because we want to know which one we’re connecting to at any given time.

13

but i will look into it and work on that–thank you!

14

If you have separate SSIDs for 2.4 and 5GHz, then the camera should set up fine on the 2.4. Before you try to set it up, make sure you connect your phone to the 2.4 SSID. Then go through the setup. Once you have the camera up and running, then your phone can be connected to either 2.4 or 5. The camera will remain connected to 2.4.

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15

Thank you! I was indeed sure to choose the 2.4ghz and my phone was on the 2.4 as well. But no dice.

16

Carrie, you haven’t said exactly where the setup process fails for you. Please refer to the Setup section in the link below and try any that might apply:

https://support.wyzecam.com/hc/en-us/categories/360000596591-Troubleshooting

17

Sometimes you just have to let it sit. Even if it says connection failed, What I have done is leave my phone on the QR code screen and let the camera sit for awhile. After a few minutes it will say connection succeeded, even though it previously said it failed. Then continue on your phone. Can’t guarantee it will work but give it a try. Wyze hs a lot of work to do on this. Giving out work arounds that involve reconfiguring a working wifi environment should not be the norm here and should be discouraged.
As a side note, the Dafang firmware connects to any wifi you throw at it. Not recommending it for a normal use case, but point is, it’s a software issue not a hardware issue.

19

Good for you.

@gregg098 What WiFi router are you using?

Are you sure that you are connecting to a channel that is broadcasting the same SSID to 2.4GHz and 5GHz?

If so, you are working some mighty fine magic as the Wyze Cams will not connect to a dual frequency SSID during initial setup.

Now once the Wyze Cam has been set up (using a 2.4GHz frequency only) on your WiFi network it will be visible on any device that is within your entire WiFi network (which can have different SSIDs and be using different channels within the WiFi network).

Add/Edit: My experience is using multi-channel (2.4GHz and 5GHz) WiFi Routers by D-Link, Linksys (models from before they were bought by D-Link), and Netgear.

20

Who are you replying to?

21

I too have a camera that was set up on a dual band SSID. Setup and connection are no problem. This is not a stated limitation of the Wyze Cam. However, there may be issues with specific routers or router settings that prevent setup to work on specific dual band SSID.

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