Another connectivity issue

[AkBillyBow]

Hello,

New here and new to the Traeger grill. Have a new Ironwood 885. Cooks great, but have not been able to connect to the Wifi. I will spare you all of the issues / things I have done (for almost a week now) and get right to todays issue. I got further along with the registration and connection to the wifi today than I have before. What does "Device to use with Traeger" refer to? During my initial connection, after scanning the QR code, a pop-up appears that asks: Device to use with Traeger. The first try, it automatically loads with my router.....then tells me I am connected to my router. Before the background screen of "checking wifi connection" will complete the connection, the "Device to use with Traeger" pop-up comes up again, but this time is auto filled with the name of my Traeger......then says wrong password. This cycle just continues and I cannot get past the window with it connected to use the app. I also have no way of choosing the device or entering a password.

What device is the "Device to use with Traeger" looking/ asking me for? I am very confused on how this works. The grill connects to the home wifi, yet I connect my phone to the grill? Please help. Love the grill....hate the wifi….which unfortunately was one of the big selling points !!

 

[dunawayfamily]

To clarify a few things up front ... the only time the App Device connects 1:1 with the WiFIRE Controllers is during the setup process ... after setup is completed successfully, all communications are brokered via the Traeger Cloud back-end, allowing Traeger to collect usage data and perform analytics ...

Attaching a couple photos - is the WiFIRE Controller display matching the Connected State or the Disconnected State?

Since some folks have purchased grills in the past week that have been sitting in the dealers inventory for 8+ Months ... I gotta ask what are the installed Firmware and Config Version levels?

Your responses will dictate next steps

 

[NYRICO]

I was having problems with WiFire on my new Timberline 850. I tried a bunch of advice that I read on here and nothing worked. A few annoying CS calls with traeger and hours on hold and they finally determined that my controller was on the wrong firmware. A couple of more calls and 3 weeks wait and I received my controller and installed it today. WiFire was set up in a breeze as I expected from the beginning.

 

[dunawayfamily]

I was having problems with WiFire on my new Timberline 850. I tried a bunch of advice that I read on here and nothing worked. A few annoying CS calls with traeger and hours on hold and they finally determined that my controller was on the wrong firmware. A couple of more calls and 3 weeks wait and I received my controller and installed it today. WiFire was set up in a breeze as I expected from the beginning.

You had obsolete/vintage firmware (1.x) running, which is no longer supported by the Traeger Cloud back-end or via the App ... it is discussed here and on various Traeger-related FB groups, but is not a well known "issue", hence people start giving out advice assuming the controller is running 2.00.01 at a minimum, when it is running 1.x ... only a controller swap with updated firmware will get the WiFIRE Controller setup/connected ...

 

[AkBillyBow]

OK, thanks for the help. Finally had time to check my grill. I have : Software: 02.00.01, Config Vers: 05.008.

Where does this leave me?

Thanks again for all of your help !!

 

[dunawayfamily]

OK, thanks for the help. Finally had time to check my grill. I have : Software: 02.00.01, Config Vers: 05.008.

Where does this leave me?

Thanks again for all of your help !!

On the WiFIRE Controller Display - which picture represents what you are seeing in the upper right hand corner? Outline of an upside down triangle (Wi-Fi is disconnected), or Bars in the shape of an unside down triangle (Wi-Fi is connected) ...

 

[AkBillyBow]

On the WiFIRE Controller Display - which picture represents what you are seeing in the upper right hand corner? Outline of an upside down triangle (Wi-Fi is disconnected), or Bars in the shape of an unside down triangle (Wi-Fi is connected) ...

It is showing disconnected. It did show connected once and started the upgrade download, but it never got off of 0%. My phone shows connected to my wifi as well as connected to the grill, during the initial software set-up and registration of the grill. But then it always tells me there was an issue and never completes the registration.

 

[dunawayfamily]

The App on the phone is providing "bad data" - either bad data stored locally in the cache of the App on the device, or bad data stored in the Traeger Cloud relative to the connectivity status of the WiFIRE Controller itself ... I would delete the App on phone and purge the cache, and then Factory Reset the WiFIRE Controller, power cycle the grill, re-install the App, and start the setup process fresh ... from that point, troubleshooting whatever comes up during a "clean" setup ...

 

[AkBillyBow]

I have already done that once, but will try it again. I didn't remember my password for the Traeger app....so I had to reset it too!!

Thanks again for your help !

 

[AkBillyBow]

Please explain one more thing.....does my phone ever connect directly to the grill? It continually shows it attempting a connection to the wifi (which is normally successful), then it goes right to connecting the phone app to the grill itself (by grill wifi name). Should this connection ever be made? I am thinking I read where you said it all goes through the home wifi then to the Traeger cloud......meaning my phone should never connect directly to the grill.

 

[dunawayfamily]

Please explain one more thing.....does my phone ever connect directly to the grill? It continually shows it attempting a connection to the wifi (which is normally successful), then it goes right to connecting the phone app to the grill itself (by grill wifi name). Should this connection ever be made? I am thinking I read where you said it all goes through the home wifi then to the Traeger cloud......meaning my phone should never connect directly to the grill.

Only during the setup process is there a 1:1 connection - at the point your App Device joins Traeger-XXXX (unique name for your WiFIRE Controller's internal network) - this is when it hands off the Home Wi-Fi Network information (Network Name (SSID), Encryption Type, and Password (which you type in)) ... once this point of the setup process completes, then your phone rejoins your Home Wi-Fi Network, as does the WiFIRE Controller, and all communications from that point forward are brokered by the Traeger Cloud back-end ...

 

[dunawayfamily]

There are a few reasons why the setup process fails - they are almost always a result of the configuration of the Router / Wireless Access Point and/or the App Device ... I will paste in the first few things to review:

-----------
First step in troubleshooting issues with WiFIRE: One thing to verify on your end is the need to use separate network names (SSIDs) for the 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wireless frequencies - depending on what WiFi Router/Access Point you use, as well as what mobile device you are using to run the app on, it may be a requirement ... when the network names are the same, and if your mobile device supports 5GHz, the mobile device will by default attach to the 5GHz frequency, while the Grill is connected on the 2.4GHz frequency, resulting in no connection between the App and the Grill ... giving one of the wireless network frequencies a different name allows you to "force" the mobile device to attach to the 2.4GHz network and successfully connect ...

I call my IOT-based device Wireless Networks...
idIOT
idIOT 5GHz
...to support this specific scenario

Additional troubleshooting scenarios and information listed here:
https://www.traegergrills.com/support/wifire-controllers
https://www.traegergrills.com/support/wifire-troubleshooting

WiFIRE Troubleshooting Wizard: http://wizard.web.traegergrills.io/wifire/welcome
-----------

Failed / Hung Setup of WiFIRE | Airplane Mode Workaround

ISSUE: Multiple people have reported that the initial setup of WiFIRE will fail/hang before completion ... this is due to the App device defaulting back to the "preferred" 5GHz Wireless Network after handing off the necessary 2.4GHz Wireless Network information to the Grill (Network Name (SSID), Encryption Type, Password). The App Device MUST reconnect back to the 2.4GHz Home Wireless Network in order for the setup process to successfully complete.

WORKAROUND: The best way to eliminate the failed/hung setup state for WiFIRE is to first put your App Device into Airplane Mode, then manually turn Wi-Fi back on, then "forget" the 5GHz Wi-Fi network, then connect to the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network and start the setup process from the beginning ... this eliminates any potential issues with regards to the App Device reconnecting back to the wrong (i.e. 5GHz) Home Wi-Fi Network during the setup process ... once the setup process has successfully completed, you can take the App Device out of Airplane Mode, and reconnect to the 5GHz Wireless network on your App Device (if desired) ...

 

[Bgilmore]

I’ve tried all of these things and still nothing. I received a survey from traeger today asking if the warranty part I received fixed the prob?! Seriously? What part was that? I never received anything. I left a detailed description on the first traeger survey about this POS grill that cannot connect to WiFi. No one has contacted me. I refuse to call customer service again. So bummed about this whole experience- will never recommend a traeger to anyone. ?

 

[Bgilmore]

I was having problems with WiFire on my new Timberline 850. I tried a bunch of advice that I read on here and nothing worked. A few annoying CS calls with traeger and hours on hold and they finally determined that my controller was on the wrong firmware. A couple of more calls and 3 weeks wait and I received my controller and installed it today. WiFire was set up in a breeze as I expected from the beginning.

How can you skip the overseas CS calls and go straight to someone who can actually help? I’m in the same boat- my grill connected when it was first setup but never again. The app can’t find Wi-Fi. I’ve tried every combination of any tips found here on on YouTube and nada. If you have any email addresses from someone you dealt with, could I get it from you?

 

[dunawayfamily]

I’ve tried all of these things and still nothing. I received a survey from traeger today asking if the warranty part I received fixed the prob?! Seriously? What part was that? I never received anything. I left a detailed description on the first traeger survey about this POS grill that cannot connect to WiFi. No one has contacted me. I refuse to call customer service again. So bummed about this whole experience- will never recommend a traeger to anyone. ?

I can help if you want to step through everything ... if the D2 WiFIRE Controller is running firmware 2.00.01 (or later), then the issue is usually tied to the configuration within the Router / Wireless Access Point and/or the App Device ... if the firmware version is 2.00.00 or earlier, you need a replacement controller ... reach out if you want to dive into the specifics of troubleshooting ...