I am having problems with wifi connectivity.

[Mike Stark]

I bought the b2 earlier this month and have managed to rip a few cds and got them to play through Sonos. Before Christmas I lost connectivity and have turned off and on many times but although the ip address comes up on the screen with the clock this freezes after about 5 seconds. This has happened countless times.

I have contacted Sky and they confirm my signal is good and no issues their end.

My iPhone, MacBook Air, Sonos and printer all wi fi enabled , work properly. I cannot get iPhone to connect with b2 even manually, (this is how I hope to operate b2). I have turned router off and restarted, no change. Any thoughts please?

[JFBUK]

Mike,

try a reset wifi

From the B2 menu 

>SETTINGS>MAINTENANCE>RESET WIFI

and then a setup Wi-Fi to connect the B2 again to your network.

John

[JFBUK]

Mike replied direct

Thanks John

I have tried this but the message I get is no connection or what ever.

Could it be the dongle?

Mike,

The fact that you get an IP address would indicate the dongle is OK.

When you say the B2 freezes does it still respond to the remote at all ?

John

[PMB]

Hi Mike,

After 'Reset WiFi' is the B2 finding any networks?

If not please email us on -   thebrennanb2   @   gmail   .   com   - no spaces, with a brief description of the problem.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[Gordon Gallacher]

Hi

I have a similar problem, purchased the Brennan recently and it initially worked fine.  Now, it can’t connect to WiFi and I’ve tried what you’ve suggested to Mike with no change, I.e. it says no network.  Do you have a solution for this problem?

Gordon Gallacher

[JFBUK]

Hi Gordon,

when you try a 'setup wifi' do you see your home network listed when you scroll through the list of available networks ?

John

[Gordon Gallacher]

Hi John

No, no Wi-Fi networks appear.  I’ve also moved the Brennan next to the router and it made no difference.

Gordon

[JFBUK]

Hi Gordon,

are you still using the wifi dongle supplied with your B2 ?

Have you tried plugging the dongle into the other USB port ?

John

[Gordon Gallacher]

Yes, it’s the Brennan dongle and no I haven’t tried the other port - I’ll give it a go.

[Gordon Gallacher]

Hi

No difference, still coming up with no network.

[JFBUK]

Hi Gordon,

apologies for the dumb question , but when you switched USB ports you did run a setup wifi again ?

John

[Gordon Gallacher]

Hi John

No problem, I went to settings and then set up Wi-Fi.

[JFBUK]

Hi Gordon,

I'm assuming you are connecting to your home network with other devices OK and nothing has changed with your network recently ?

John

[Gordon Gallacher]

Hi John

Everything else is working fine, with no problems.  I’ve even tried re-booting the Wi-Fi, all to no avail.  I get the impression, the problem lies within the Brennan.

Gordon

[JFBUK]

HI Gordon,

the only thing I can suggest is a wired connection but appreciate this may not be convenient and not what you want long term

Is there any other device you could test your wifi dongle with ?

I now use an antenna wifi dongle and I can't recall whether the Brennan supplied one has a 'link' LED that shows it is working ?

Paul from Brennan should see this thread tomorrow and have advice on next steps

John

[Gordon Gallacher]

Hi

A wired connection is simply impractical and unfortunately I have no way to test the Wi-Fi dongle.  It doesn’t have a led which shows if it is working.  It’s disappointing to find the Brennan isn’t working as expected after a few days of use.

I’ll await to hear from Paul.

Gordon

[Peter Lowham]

Hi Gordon,

Have you tried powering the router down and up?   Some of these devices have been known to go into a 'sulk' with specific devices.

Regards,

Peter.

[Gordon Gallacher]

Hi Peter

Yep, tried powering down the router and restarting, nothing changing.  Tried a few other suggestions on other forum messages, no luck, still saying no network.  Could be the Wi-Fi dongle, but I can’t check that with any other device.

Thanks

Gordon

[mr...@ymail.com]

Gordon

I have an identical problem. Brennan will not communicate wirelessly with my Orbi mesh router system. Tried everything. Finally hardwired into the router from back of Brennan. Bingo. Everything works as expected. Very inconvenient location, but I can now see the phone app and ipad screens and use the Brennan as intended. Difficult to get any help from Netgear.  I am going to try a Powerline Adapter that will hopefully act as a hardwire connection but allow me to locate the Brennan where I prefer. I will let you know if this works.

Michael

[Gordon Gallacher]

Thanks Michael, I’ll be interested to see how you get on.

Gordon

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Hi Michael,

I have noticed on the Forum that there seem to be a few problems in relationship to mesh router systems, particularly "Orbi's". 

What people are not understanding is that a Brennan DEPENDS on the WiFi/House router it is connected to.

The Brennan Must be connected to the same WiFi network as the devices that want to use it (- many mesh routers actually generate multiple WiFi networks - "guest" connections are a definite no no)

The IP number that the Brennan gets is provided by the router not the Brennan and once connected the Brennan publishes its Web UI as a web page on that IP number using the industry standard to do this "apache".

A Brennen is therefore a local "server" on the house network and is possibly the first/only server a user will have. Also if NAS, DLNA or Librespot are turned on on the Brennan it may be proving multiple server functions.

Devices a user want to connect to the Brennan (eg Phones, Tablests, Laptops, PCs, etc) have to be connected to it by the house router system, it is NOT the Brennan's function to make the connection.

Thus if Brennan has an IP number showing on the front display on power up and you cant get the Web UI up, 99% for sure this will be a problem with the house Router/WiFi, NOT the Brennan.

Fred.

[mr...@ymail.com]

Thanks Fred

There has never been an IP number showing on the front display on power up. No connectivity. No signal strength. Everything works perfectly well when hardwired to router. No NAS, DLNA, or LIbrespot

MIchael

[Gordon Gallacher]

Hi

I can’t comment on mesh routers as I’m using the Wi-Fi network and router for all the devices in my house.  The IP address did show until it seemed to lose contact and I’ve been unable to reconnect since.  From my perspective the problem appears to be with the Brennan as no other devices are experiencing the same issue.

Gordon

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Hi Gordon

Does the Brennan still display an IP number after you boot it. 

If so then the Brennan is OK and the problem is with your Router. If you can't get an IP number then the problem could be

1) a faulty Brennan WiFi dongle (it can happen!) - solution get a new dongle or connect the Brennan via Ethernet cable.

2) your router is having a "brain freeze" (it can happen) - solution reboot the router

Fred

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Hi Michael

Provided you have tried a "rest WiFi" on the Brennan, have followed the standard WiFi Setup procedure and ensured that your WiFi dongle is plugged into a USB port at the back of the Brennan (not the Bluetooth dongle if it came with one!)

AND you cant see an SSID when trying the setup  (if you can see the Brennan offering you SSID names to connect to then the Brennan is working OK!) then it is likely that either your WiFi Dongle is faulty (it can happen) - solution get this replaced or there is an issue with the Brennan software on the SD Card in the Brennan - Solution try a new SD Card (with the software on it).

However if your Brennan is brand new and has never been able to connect as it should (ie can't even see an SSID during the WiFi setup step) then I am sure Paul from Brennan will step in and sort you out.

Fred

[Gordon Gallacher]

Hi Fred

No, it no longer shows the IP address and I’ve rebooted the router.  So it’s either the Brennan or the dongle.  Waiting to hear from Brennan.

Gordon

[mr...@ymail.com]

Fred  -  

I have followed all recommended and suggested protocols. Brennan device is offering me nothing to connect to. Blank screen.  I can place my B2 very close to the main router and still get nothing. Perhaps I don't have a good wifi dongle. But a few feet away should not require one, right? Like I said - when hardwired everything is just fine. All other devices work well on the wifi system. Laptop, phone, roku. ipad. Are you saying the dongle supplied by Brennan is not the proper item??? Strange.

Michael

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Hi Michael

I am NOT saying that the the dongle supplied by Brennan is not the proper item - The WiFi dongles supplied by Brennan are third party standard WiFi dongles sourced by Brennan.

In your case it does indeed appear that your Brennan supplied WiFi Dongle unfortunately IS faulty.

I am sure Paul (PMB) from Brennan (owner and moderator of this Forum) will sort you out with a new one when he comes to look at this thread in the morning.

Fred

[PMB]

Hi Gordon and Michael,

Please email us on -   thebrennanb2   @   gmail   .   com  -  no spaces, with a brief description of the issue i.e. WiFi no longer connecting.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[Gordon Gallacher]

Hi Paul

I sent an email yesterday.

Thanks

Gordon

[mr...@ymail.com]

I also sent an email.  Michael

[mr...@ymail.com]

So...the Powerline internet Extender solved all the connectivity issues. Wifi is connected and B2 is doing it's thing as intended.

However, NOW my CD is not functioning.  NO CD MECHANISM is on the initial faceplate scroll down readout. YIkes

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Hi ,

See the other thread for solution. You have just dislodged your CD connector when you installed the Ethernet cable. Easily fixed!

Fred

[William Tefft]

I'm joining into the conversation here because I'm having similar issues with Netgear Orbi mesh routers which seem to be common in this thread. 

Purchased the Brennan B2 in last month. It works perfectly fine on a wired connection with a fixed IP address. Wireless, however, is a different story.

I'm able to connect the B2 to the wireless network and internet, as it displays correct time. It is assigned a fixed IP address, which it shows on the display. It has a WiFi signal strength of -25dBm. Wireless router is 5 feet away.

However, I am not able to connect to the Brennan through the browser. The app on the iPhone does not find it on the local network either. I have restarted the routers, the computer, and the Brennan with no change. 

I will send an email to Brennan support as a follow up, but it would be helpful if the solution is published as it seems to be prevalent with the Orbi routers.

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Hi Will.

I know it appears that this is a Brennan problem, but it is not.

You say the Brennan has been given an IP number (by the Orbi Mesh). Check that it can play the radio ( use the remote or front screen to do this).

If it can then the Brennan is functioning perfectly.

It is the job of the Orbi system to connect your laptop, PC, phone or tablet to the Brennan, the Brennan can/does not reach out to make these connections.

You should direct your queries to Netgear to resolve the problem, it appears that there is a problem with how they perform by default (some people have managed to solve the issues with them if you trawl this forum but posting to a n Orbi forum may get you to more specialist help).

Fred

[William Tefft]

Thank you for the quick response Fred. It cannot play radio. It gets hung at "waiting for data 0.0%". 

I suspect that the ultimate culprit may be the router; as you suggest. Perhaps it's a dual band issue... but it appears to be more nuanced and definitely a common issue for Orbi routers. 

Hopefully Brennan will be able to troubleshoot and post a work around for the benefit of others. 

[mr...@ymail.com]

Thanks Fred -  I was able to get the CD drive running - very delicate.  I agree that the connectivity is likely a Netgear problem. They are very difficult to get info from. I will stick with the hardwire into the Powerline solution for now. But  -  I sure wish the B2 had an ethernet connection off the back panel.Not only is it awkward to have to open the unit to plug a cable in, but then impossible to close the unit. And removing the ethernet cable is another acrobatic endeavor. Has anyone ever used a USB to Ethernet cable to hardwire the B2.   Michael

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Hi Will

If you type Orbi into the Forum search bar you will see all the Orbi issues.

Some of these Threads do seem to resolve the Issue,

I too use a Netgear router 

BUT not a Mesh system. 

I find that using the Web interface (rather than the Netgear App) provides more comprehensible information as to what is going on with my networks - The Router provides for 6, separate, active WiFi Networks across the band ranges.

I found it helpful to rename the SSIDs assigned to these so that I could see what I was connecting to. I also turned off all the Guest networks but one (do not connect your B2 to a Guest network, by default your Guest network can not see into your "Real network" and can not connect to things in your "real" network!)

Networking is a complex and BLACK art, I find it helpful to see clearly what the router (or mesh) is actually providing when I try to make a connection.

Fred

[Gordon Gallacher]

Hi

Short update, I received a different Wi-Fi dongle (different style as well) and it’s now connecting to my Wi-Fi, so the problem I experienced was with the Wi-Fi dongle.

Thanks for all the help.

Gordon

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Hi Gordon,

Glad your sorted , now enjoy your music 😀

This is a very plated thread, i think it is just "mr" that is left to sort out.plate

Fred.

[mr...@ymail.com]

Gordon  -  What dongle did you get? Where can I get one?  Michael