• working on DNS.. links may break temporarily.

Smoke Gateway won't hook up.

7

70monte

is Blowin Smoke!
Joined
Apr 29, 2017
Messages
1,210
Reaction score
753
Points
0
Location
Aurora, Mo
Does anyone else have issues trying to get their Gateway to hook up to their WiFi?

I have not used my Gateway in awhile so I was going to use it today for the heck of it. I did update the firmware last year when they sent an email saying it needed to updated to continue to work.

Now, I cannot get it to hook up to my wifi for anything. I have to manually enter my wifi info and then it will show the Gateway in my wifi setting.

I can go through all of the steps in the process as shown on thermoworks website but when I get to "searching for Smoke Gateway" message and then get the message that Smoke Gateway doesn't have internet access, it will not let me hit "options" so I can choose "stay connected"

I have always had problems getting the gateway connected to my wifi and it is very frustrating. This should be a simple process but instead it seems to be complicated.

Does anyone else have these issues with the Gateway and have any advice for what I should do?
 
I had a similar problem last year after the firmware update - ended up having to call Thermoworks CS and their tech walked me through some steps on the phone. Unfortunately I can’t remember what I did but it’s been working fine now.
 
KORND4WG X said:
I had a similar problem last year after the firmware update - ended up having to call Thermoworks CS and their tech walked me through some steps on the phone. Unfortunately I can’t remember what I did but it’s been working fine now.
Click to expand...

This was the first time since I updated the firmware that I tried to use it. I tried it multiple times today to get it to connect to the Wifi and every time it said at the end that the setup failed.

I even removed the app from my phone and re-installed it and that didn't work. Now I can't even get my Smoke alarm to show up in the app and trying to add it back does not work either. I will have to call tech support tomorrow and see if they can walk me through it.

I'm about to throw this thing in the trash.
 
Try giving it a nice dinner and pleasant conversation. Then you two can have a couple of drinks and if everything goes right you'll be hooking up in no time. Just don't try to force it. That is illegal.
 
I called tech support today and they walked me through the same steps I did yesterday and it still will not hook up to my wifi. We changed some settings on my phone and checked some settings on the router and it still did not work.

He suggested taking it to some other place that has wifi and seeing if it will hook up to theirs. If it won't, I have to send it in for them to check out and see if they can get it to hook up to theirs and repair it if it won't. If it hooks up at other places, I'm not sure what to do. Our router is new and more powerful than the one we used to have.

We got this new router after I updated the firmware so it's never been hooked up to it. I may be throwing this thing away after all.
 
Here is an update on my issue. I ended up sending it to Thermoworks and they had it for about 2 weeks. I guess I did the update correctly last year since they said it was updated. It hooked up for them with no problems and they ran it for three hours with no issues.

I get it back yesterday and I still cannot get it to hook up. I call tech support and we go back through the set up procedure with no luck. I try setting it up through my fiancee's phone which is the same as mine, a Galaxy S6 with no luck either.

The part that I think is the issue is when you come to the part where the message says something about there being no connection and to hit "options" and then hit "keep connected" I never get that message or anyplace to hit to stay connected. At one point the Gateway shows connected but not the phone wifi. I think this is where the problem is.

Does anyone with a good knowledge of these phones know if there is some type of setting that I need to change. I've been through everything that I can find but I'm not very knowledgeable about these phones even though I've had it for years. The tech that was helping me today is an iphone guy so he wasn't sure either.

As of now, the Gateway is just a paperweight. Thanks.
 
The only things I can suggest at this time are to

(A) ensure your phone is on a 2.4 GHz wi-fi network when going through the initial setup.

(B) remember that wi-fi passwords are case sensitive.

(C) location services must be enabled on the phone and for the ThermoWorks app.

What version of Android are you running on your phone? I'm on a Galaxy S8 with android pie, vaguely recall some issues after a gateway FW update but I think it was due to attempting the setup on my 5 GHz network.

Regards,,
-Dom
 
lunchman said:
The only things I can suggest at this time are to

(A) ensure your phone is on a 2.4 GHz wi-fi network when going through the initial setup.

(B) remember that wi-fi passwords are case sensitive.

(C) location services must be enabled on the phone and for the ThermoWorks app.

What version of Android are you running on your phone? I'm on a Galaxy S8 with android pie, vaguely recall some issues after a gateway FW update but I think it was due to attempting the setup on my 5 GHz network.

Regards,,
-Dom
Click to expand...
I am using the 2.4GHz network and I'm making sure that I'm entering the password like it's supposed to be.

My location services have not been enabled while trying to do the setup and so I will try that tomorrow after my phone is fully charged. None of the techs ever mentioned anything about that. Hopefully that is the problem. Thanks for suggesting that.

My phone is running Android version 7.0 That is all I can find. It doesn't have a word like yours anywhere that I can find.

Thanks for the help. I will let you know if enabling the location services fixes it.
 
I'm curious about devices like this - I sort of get the itch but keep resisting because of posts like this. When these gizmos get as trouble free /simple to use as a toaster, I might give one a spin. I'm nowhere close to being a Luddite but I'm afraid of being snake bit.

There is nothing as frustrating as something being "easy install /plug and play" and it being anything but.

I feel your pain - good luck.
 
Nuco59 said:
I'm curious about devices like this - I sort of get the itch but keep resisting because of posts like this. When these gizmos get as trouble free /simple to use as a toaster, I might give one a spin. I'm nowhere close to being a Luddite but I'm afraid of being snake bit.

There is nothing as frustrating as something being "easy install /plug and play" and it being anything but.

I feel your pain - good luck.
Click to expand...

Setting up this Gateway has always been kind of a hassle but at least when I would call tech support in the past, we could get it to work. Ever since I did the update to the Gateway last year, it will not hook up to my phone anymore.

I tried turning on the location services like lunchman suggested and the only thing that did was that the app would find my wifi instead of me having to manually input the name of the router.

When I get to the box that says "Searching for Smoke Gateway, check for system notification that wifi has no internet access, tap for options and select stay connected". This is where the problem is because I get a notification at the top of my phone that says wifi disconnects but there is no "options" tab and no way to hit anything that says "stay connected" After a minute or so, the wifi connects back on but by that point the set up procedure fails.

It is very frustrating and I'm ready to throw this thing away. I have the newest updated app installed on the phone so I know it's not that. The only thing I can figure out is that my phone is no longer compatible with the Gateway app. Everything else hooks up to the wifi with no problem so it can't be the router which is fairly new too.

I'm at a total loss.
 
I do recall having some connectivity issues after I did a FW upgrade, but found this Thermoworks video on FW updates and initial setup that was helpful. I'm certain watching this is how I got mine up and running. I think the step I was missing was pressing the Sync button on the back of the main unit.

The "no internet" and "wi-fi disconnects" messages you're getting is simply android complaining that it has found a wi-fi signal (the one from the gateway) but there's no means of connecting to the internet which obviously the gateway can't provide. I go through the same issues at times when setting up my Smart bulbs in the house.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faIgOFruAHw

As an fyi, Android 7.0 is Nougat. 8.0 is Oreo, 9.0 is Pie.
 
70monte said:
When I get to the box that says "Searching for Smoke Gateway, check for system notification that wifi has no internet access, tap for options and select stay connected". This is where the problem is because I get a notification at the top of my phone that says wifi disconnects but there is no "options" tab and no way to hit anything that says "stay connected" After a minute or so, the wifi connects back on but by that point the set up procedure fails.
Click to expand...

I'm thinking that at this point in the process, your phone is disconnecting from the Gateway wi-fi and returning to your home wi-fi. I don't recall what the Settings screens look like on Nougat, but you may have to go back into Settings, choose Connections/Wi-fi and reselect the wi-fi signal from the gateway to continue with the setup process.

Any reason you're still running a version of android that is two versions back?That would be the big hammer approach, but I can understand when customers are reluctant to upgrade. If it ain't broke, don't fix it only applies sometimes. (Can you tell I was a Support Engineer in a previous life?)

BTW, I didn't see anything in the Play Store description for this app that says it requires a minimum version of android. But Thermoworks is probably not testing on older android versions these days.

-Dom
 
lunchman said:
I'm thinking that at this point in the process, your phone is disconnecting from the Gateway wi-fi and returning to your home wi-fi. I don't recall what the Settings screens look like on Nougat, but you may have to go back into Settings, choose Connections/Wi-fi and reselect the wi-fi signal from the gateway to continue with the setup process.

Any reason you're still running a version of android that is two versions back?That would be the big hammer approach, but I can understand when customers are reluctant to upgrade. If it ain't broke, don't fix it only applies sometimes. (Can you tell I was a Support Engineer in a previous life?)

BTW, I didn't see anything in the Play Store description for this app that says it requires a minimum version of android. But Thermoworks is probably not testing on older android versions these days.

-Dom
Click to expand...
I will check out that video you linked. I have been pressing the SYNC button on back of the Smoke so I know that is not it.

The Gateway never disconnects from the wifi, it's always the wifi on the phone that temporarily disconnects and then reconnects. When this happens is when it seems like the setup goes sideways.

The big reason I'm still using this phone is that it still works fine and I don't want to pay $1,000+ to upgrade to a new version. I guess when it comes to new phones, I'm cheap. LOL

I imagine that the upgrade to the Gateway somehow made my older phone not compatible with the Thermoworks app. I don't know what else it could be when it used to work on this same phone. I've had this phone for almost four years, before I even bought the Gateway.

I guess if the video doesn't give me any new info, I will just live without the Gateway and try it again when I do get a new phone. Thanks for your help.
 
I just checked out the video and it didn't help. My firmware is already updated but it just won't complete the sync setup. I can't see the very last things he did on the phone to hook the Gateway up because the picture is blurry.

My app never shows the Gateway as being one of my devices. Mine is blank.
 
Had some problems with mine a while back. Gateway wouldn’t work anymore. The handheld receiver wouldn’t work and the lcd would go out in the sun. They said this, that and the other... but in the end, they replaced them with refurbished equipment (I’m assuming) for $25. If this is a normal protocol for them, I take it as their product is inferior. Probably won’t buy another. Then they said the lcd display was going out because it can be exposed to direct sunlight. Really? I’ll just run my stick burner in the Faimly room next time. Lol
 
Sickboy579 said:
Had some problems with mine a while back. Gateway wouldn’t work anymore. The handheld receiver wouldn’t work and the lcd would go out in the sun. They said this, that and the other... but in the end, they replaced them with refurbished equipment (I’m assuming) for $25. If this is a normal protocol for them, I take it as their product is inferior. Probably won’t buy another. Then they said the lcd display was going out because it can be exposed to direct sunlight. Really? I’ll just run my stick burner in the Faimly room next time. Lol
Click to expand...

Right now I doubt I will buy any new Thermoworks products. This entire experience with my Gateway has really irritated me.
 
Resurrecting this old thread to add a troubleshooting tip.

Yesterday I was using the Smoke for a cook and decided to make use of the gateway. No matter what I tried, it would not connect to the Thermoworks BBQ Android app. This has been working fine for two years or so and it was a bit perplexing as to why it suddenly wasn't connecting.

I deleted the gateway from the app and went through the pairing process again, actually a number of times, all unsuccessful. During the steps when it's supposed to be making a wi-fi connection with the gateway blinking blue, it was still blinking purple. I gave up after about an hour of fiddling but wasn't about to let this device beat me.

So last night I fiddled with it again. Same thing, purple LED. Then it dawned on me that about a week ago I had increased the Security settings on my Xfinity gateway from Medium to High. I reset it to Medium and this time the Smoke setup process completed successfully. I don't know what the Security setting actually changes in the Xfi gateway, probably something with port forwarding.

If you're having issues with Smoke gateway setup, this is another point to consider. There could be a router setting preventing successful setup.

Regards,
-Dom
 
I had the same issue when hooking mine up out of the box. I had to do the update on the Gateway and had to keep messing around with the settings on the phone , S8. I was about to give up also but it finally connected and has been working great.
Dont give up. There is some setting somewhere in the phone that I cant remember that seemed to fix the issue. Also make sure in the wifi settings on your phone that you "forget" the 5ghz connection or the phone will keep connecting to it instead of the 2.4. Do this in wifi settings and go to advanced and then to manage networks. Click on your router and forget the 5ghz one then click on the Gateway and make sure auto reconnect is switched on. Then follow the set up steps to the T.
Hope that helps.
 
Ive completly lost interest on the whole setup. Dont think I really need it anymore but even if I did its not usually with the tinkering to get it to work right
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
Buying a new smoker/grill. Which one?
Replies
1
Views
638
bschoen
B
Jason TQ
Remote Thermometer Replacements Recommendations (Inkbird?)
Replies
15
Views
988
cayenne
cayenne
PitRow
Recommendations needed: freezer alarm
Replies
11
Views
1K
nmeyer414
N
T
New Backwoods Cabinet - How do I get more smoke flavor?
Replies
13
Views
785
snadamo
snadamo
T
Wireless Thermometer
Replies
10
Views
718
Twangzer Mike
T
Back
Top