WiFi Connection Troubleshooting

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WiFi Setup and Troubleshooting

If your RV Whisper Monitor Station (RVM2-xxxx) or (RVM1-xxxx) is having trouble connecting to your WiFi router in your RV, here are some troubleshooting steps. Do not hesitate to contact support@rvwhisper.com or call 410-286-3060 if you need help getting your WiFi connection setup properly.  If  you are comfortable connecting to different WiFi networks, the steps below may help you solve the problem on your own.

  1. Are you trying to use the “Personal Hotspot” feature on an iPhone or iPad as your RV WiFi network? If so, that can work but there is a problem with getting it to work. Read the details here: https://rvwhisper.com/2019/07/24/using-iphone-personal-hotspot-for-rv-whisper-monitor-station/

  2. Are you trying to connect to campground WiFi or some other public hotspot? If so, there are potential problems that can prevent it from working. Read about that here: https://rvwhisper.com/2020/09/26/campground-wifi-and-rv-whisper/

  3. Start by looking at this How it Works diagram and read the brief description at the bottom of the How it Works page.  It will likely help you better understand how the various WiFi connections work and help you understand the troubleshooting steps below.  https://rvwhisper.com/how-it-works/

  4. Does the “RV Whisper Launcher” phone app connect to your RV Whisper Monitor Station “Local WiFi” during the Setup / Change Settings step?  If so:

    • What is the “Currently Connected Network” displayed on the Network Settings page?  If it says “Not Connected”, then select your RV WiFi network from the list, enter your RV’s WiFi password, click SAVE AND REBOOT.

    • When your RVM is successfully connected to a WiFi router, the Currently Connected Network will show that connection.  If it is connected to your RV WiFi network, then the WiFi setup is completed. 

  5. Are you able to do the “Manual WiFi Setup Instructions for laptops, phones, or tablets” documented on page 4 of the RV Whisper User Manual:  https://rvwhisper.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/RVWhisperUserManual-V3.6.pdf

  6. Does the “Local WiFi” connection (between your phone and the RVM2-xxxx or RVM1-xxxx WiFi network) keep appearing and disappearing evey minute or s?  If so, then an incorrect WiFi password may have been entered for your RV WiFi network.  If that is happening, you can contact RV Whisper support or try these troubleshooting steps yourself:

    • Temporarily Turn Off your RV WiFi router.

    • Verify that the RVM2-xxxx WiFi network is visible from your phone’s WiFi settings and the RV Whisper Launcher phone app is now able to connect to and stay connected to your RVM2-xxxx WiFi network.  If this is successful then continue to the next steps:

      • Find another WiFi network to temporarily connect to.  It could be a personal hotspot on a phone but if it is an iPhone or iPad Personal Hotspot you MUST follow these instructions to get your iPhone or iPad Personal Hotspot feature to allow connections to it: https://rvwhisper.com/2019/07/24/using-iphone-personal-hotspot-for-rv-whisper-monitor-station/

      • Do the RV Whisper setup steps to connect to your new (temporary) WiFi network.  You can use the RV Whisper Launcher phone app (on a different phone than the phone using as a Personal Hotspot), or you can follow the Manual WiFi Setup instructions described in Step 5 above.

      • After connecting to your new (temporary) WiFi network (SAVE & REBOOT step), wait 2 minutes and validate the “Gateway Login” feature now works.  If the Gateway Login feature works continue to next step.  If not, repeat step 6 or contact support@rvwhisper.com or call 410-286-3060.

      • Turn your RV WiFi router back on.

      • Wait a few minutes for your RV WiFi router to boot up.

      • In the RV Whisper Launcher app, reload the Settings page (gear icon) and click the NETWORK button.  You should now be able to see you RV WiFi network in the list of available networks.   Select your RV WiFi Network, carefully enter your RV WiFi password, click SAVE & REBOOT

      • You may need to wait a minute, and reload the Settings page (click gear icon) to rescan for WiFi networks.  Then click the NETWORK button to see if your RV WiFi network shows up in the list of available WiFi networks.

 

 

Using iPhone or iPad Personal Hotspot for RV Whisper Monitor Station

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Depending on your model of iPhone or iPad and your cellular data plan, your iPhone may support a Personal Hotspot feature that the RV Whisper monitor station can use to connect to the internet.

However, the iPhone or iPad only lets devices connect to the Personal Hotspot while the Personal Hotspot screen is visible on the phone. This is an iPhone / iPad feature (not a bug, because it’s supposed to work that way according to Apple). Also remember, you will have to leave that iPhone or iPad behind in the RV, and you should put it on a charger because the Personal Hotspot feature can use a lot of power.

Here is the official apple support page for using the Personal Hotspot feature: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204023

The relevant part from the apple support page is this:

“On the device that you want to connect to, go to Settings > Cellular > Personal Hotspot or Settings > Personal Hotspot and make sure that it’s on. Then verify the Wi-Fi password and name of the phone. Stay on this screen until you’ve connected your other device to the Wi-Fi network.” 

So while the Personal Hotspot screen is displayed on your iPhone or iPad, you can connect the RV Whisper Monitor Station to it. Once the WiFi connection is made, you can close the Personal Hotspot screen and the monitor station will stay connected to it. Be sure to test these steps to make sure they work for your phone and for your data plan.

After you have successfully connected the RV Whisper Monitor Station to your iPhone or iPad Personal Hotspot one time, the re-connection process is easier. Every 4 minutes, the RV Whisper monitor station checks if it is connected to the internet.  If it is not connected to the internet, then it look to see if any of the WiFi networks you have ever connected to from the monitor station are in range.   (The monitor station remembers all of the wifi networks and wifi passwords you have connected it to in the past).

So to re-connect your monitor station to your iPhone or iPad hotspot follow this procedure:

  1. On your iPhone or iPad, turn on Personal Hotspot and stay on that screen.
  2. Plug in your monitor station (or leave the Monitor Station powered on)
  3. Watch your iPhone or iPad Personal Hotspot until it shows the Monitor Station is connected. (4 minutes maximum).
  4. Just leave your iPhone or iPad powered on and the WiFi hotspot should remain on and the monitor station should remain connected.

Now your RV Whisper Monitor Station should have internet access so you will be able to see the data from all of your wireless RV Sensors such as temperature, humidity, shore power, battery voltage, propane levels, door open/close status and more. You can also now receive email and text message alerts from your RV.