BG Smart Sockets - Absolute pain to connect to WiFi

B0bbyEwing

https://www.amazon.co.uk/BG-Electrical-Socket-Compatible-Moulded/dp/B07VC1GWV9/ref%3Dast_sto_dp_puis

Have any of you bought the above & if you were plain sailing then what did you do?

I remember when we first got them we had an absolute nightmare connecting them. Managed it in the end.

Since left BT WiFi & gone to Sky so needs re-connecting.

After numerous attempts we managed to get one of them connecting but the other just wont.

We have a TP Link Archer AX53 router and in another room we have a TP Link RE700X extender.

YES, I HAVE TURNED OFF 5GHZ CHANNEL. (I've also tried with it turned on too).

Tried WiFi mode which just constantly refused.

Tried AP mode I think it's called which constantly refused before finally connecting.

I saw a YouTube video & the chap had no problems whatsoever. Is it really just a case of repeating the same steps over & over and it may eventually work, be it 1st try or 1 millionth try 24 hours later?

bjorn_toby_wilde

Not the same device, but I did have problems connecting a smart bulb which I eventually sorted by fooling it into connecting to my phone (on the advice of their helpline - I’m not that clever!)

Basically use your phone as a hotspot and rename it to match your router or WiFi network name. Make sure it’s on 2.4Ghz (the method varies by phone). Change the hotspot password to match the router too then turn off the router.

Once I’d connected the bulb to the phone, when I turned the router back on again it connected no problem.

Could be worth a try.

FreeBear

I've recently moved from Virgin to Vodafone and have had to go through all my smart devices to change the wifi credentials. Fortunately, most are running Tasmota which makes life a little easier - I can always flash new firmware if the Access Point doesn't work… Have slowly been setting up a dedicated wifi hot spot just for the smarts so that I don't have to rely on a broadband provider's hub for home automation.

One issue may be that all your BG sockets are broadcasting the same IP address as an Access Point - That could cause conflicts when you try to connect using your phone/tablet. If you could power up each socket in turn, that might help. But without a tame electrician on hand, probably isn't practical.

casper_gutman

When I switched my broadband from Virgin Media, then to BT, then to EE, I didn't bother changing the settings on all the various smart devices around the house. I just changed the settings on the new router so it had the same SSID name and password as the old one. Everything connected fine.

Cornucopia

Smart home products can often be problematic to connect. The issue is that the device needs you to connect to it before it knows your wifi credentials in order that you can give it your wifi credentials.

Options for that vary, but AP mode and Bluetooth are common. AP Mode means that the device will establish its own wifi hotspot that you can then log in to (probably with your phone) to access the device settings. Bluetooth provides a potential local connection to your phone.

When the device is ready to connect to your new router is when you have to fiddle with the 2.4/5 Ghz settings (because many of these devices do not support 5Ghz).

I agree with the advice above to make the new router's SSID and Password the same as the old one. I had around 20 devices (smart home & others), so avoiding changing all of their wifi connection details was a good idea. Everything worked except one smart bulb, which I had to reset manually using Bluetooth.

bjorn_toby_wilde

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82136271#Comment_82136271

Excellent advice. I’ve filed that for future use.

Thanks.

FreeBear

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82136271#Comment_82136271

When Virgin sent me a new hub, I also changed the SSID and password to match the old one. Swapping to Vodafone, I very quickly found they have hard coded a different subnet in to their router. Virgin was 192.168.0.1, and Vodafone is 192.168.1.1… Short of opening up the new router and trying to root the darned thing, the computer that runs home assistant has now grown a wifi dongle and acts as an access point for all smart devices.

bjorn_toby_wilde

I have a TP Link mesh network so I turn off the main router WiFi and just use that.