Reconnecting APEX to WIFI.

acrum222 · Feb 23, 2021

So every time we lose power it seems the apex does not reconnect itself to the wifi. Happened maybe last year and got it to reconnect. Now I can not remember how I did it. And everything I have tried does not work. Put the apex into wifi mode. Connected to that on my laptop, and nothing I use lets me connect to it (apex.local, 4 different browsers), tried to find its IP address but could not find it. Very confused any help is appreciated!!

SuncrestReef · Feb 23, 2021

If you put it into WiFi Setup Mode by pressing the reset button for 6 seconds until the logo turns blue, you need to follow these steps:

1. Connect your phone to the Apex_Setup### WiFi network
2. Browse to http://172.16.0.1
3. Select your WiFi name from the list
4. Enter your password
5. The Apex will reboot and connect to your WiFi. The logo will turn orange.

However, this procedure is not necessary every time you have a power failure. The reason the Apex doesn't automatically reconnect is because your Internet router takes much longer to boot up than the Apex, so it's not yet ready to hand out IP addresses through DHCP when the Apex starts requesting an IP address on the network. The workaround for this is to simply reboot the Apex after the Internet router is fully booted up and back online.

Another option is to turn off DHCP on your Apex and configure it with static IP address settings.

acrum222 · Feb 23, 2021

And all I needed to do was post here. Then apex.local worked after a few different days of me tying to get it to connect. . And was able to select my wifi and enter the password. And now it's all working again. Lol

acrum222 · Feb 23, 2021

SuncrestReef said:
If you put it into WiFi Setup Mode by pressing the reset button for 6 seconds until the logo turns blue, you need to follow these steps:

1. Connect your phone to the Apex_Setup### WiFi network
2. Browse to http://172.16.0.1
3. Select your WiFi name from the list
4. Enter your password
5. The Apex will reboot and connect to your WiFi. The logo will turn orange.

However, this procedure is not necessary every time you have a power failure. The reason the Apex doesn't automatically reconnect is because your Internet router takes much longer to boot up than the Apex, so it's not yet ready to hand out IP addresses through DHCP when the Apex starts requesting an IP address on the network. The workaround for this is to simply reboot the Apex after the Internet router is fully booted up and back online.

Another option is to turn off DHCP on your Apex and configure it with static IP address settings.

If I configure it with the static IP then it should connect when the power flickers?

SuncrestReef · Feb 23, 2021

acrum222 said:
If I configure it with the static IP then it should connect when the power flickers?

Yes, with a static IP it will automatically reconnect as soon as the Internet router is back online after the power flicker.

If you have frequent short power outages, you should consider placing both your Internet router and your Apex on UPS backup batteries so they don't shut down when the power is out. See my tutorial on Apex Power Monitoring for instructions on how to integrate Apex with a UPS battery:

Neptune Apex Programming Tutorials, Part 4: Power Monitoring

Part 4 of our series on programming your Neptune Apex: Power Monitoring

www.reef2reef.com

91mini · Jan 17, 2022

SuncrestReef said:
If you put it into WiFi Setup Mode by pressing the reset button for 6 seconds until the logo turns blue, you need to follow these steps:

1. Connect your phone to the Apex_Setup### WiFi network
2. Browse to http://172.16.0.1
3. Select your WiFi name from the list
4. Enter your password
5. The Apex will reboot and connect to your WiFi. The logo will turn orange.

However, this procedure is not necessary every time you have a power failure. The reason the Apex doesn't automatically reconnect is because your Internet router takes much longer to boot up than the Apex, so it's not yet ready to hand out IP addresses through DHCP when the Apex starts requesting an IP address on the network. The workaround for this is to simply reboot the Apex after the Internet router is fully booted up and back online.

Another option is to turn off DHCP on your Apex and configure it with static IP address settings.

I've followed these steps and the status light remains blue.

Sean Clark · Jan 17, 2022

91mini said:
I've followed these steps and the status light remains blue.

Is this the first time setting it up?

bevo5 · Jan 17, 2022

Mine goes out all the time. I go through the display and reset the unit. It goes back online within about a minute.

91mini · Jan 18, 2022

No. I changed internet providers and trying to reconnect.

I wish I could use my display but after spending several hundred dollars in replacements they all seem to go out within a year.

I also switched to an Android device

Sean Clark · Jan 18, 2022

91mini said:
I've followed these steps and the status light remains blue.

Try putting your phone in "Airplane" mode and then go through these steps. That way your phone will be forced to use the Apex wifi ssid, and not try to use cellular data. Or use a computer to connect to the Apex ssid. Just a thought.

91mini · Jan 18, 2022

I got it going. Just had to do it over and over again until it took.

scottyroj · Mar 8, 2022

SuncrestReef said:
If you put it into WiFi Setup Mode by pressing the reset button for 6 seconds until the logo turns blue, you need to follow these steps:

1. Connect your phone to the Apex_Setup### WiFi network
2. Browse to http://172.16.0.1
3. Select your WiFi name from the list
4. Enter your password
5. The Apex will reboot and connect to your WiFi. The logo will turn orange.

However, this procedure is not necessary every time you have a power failure. The reason the Apex doesn't automatically reconnect is because your Internet router takes much longer to boot up than the Apex, so it's not yet ready to hand out IP addresses through DHCP when the Apex starts requesting an IP address on the network. The workaround for this is to simply reboot the Apex after the Internet router is fully booted up and back online.

Another option is to turn off DHCP on your Apex and configure it with static IP address settings.

Thank you so much!

LowDime · Jul 12, 2022

i changed isp and have been trying to get my apex 2016 to connect and cant get it to work. When i connect to the apex set up there is no internet so it wont do the router page

Sean Clark · Jul 12, 2022

LowDime said:
i changed isp and have been trying to get my apex 2016 to connect and cant get it to work. When i connect to the apex set up there is no internet so it wont do the router page

Have you held the reset button down for 4-5 seconds to put the Apex into wifi configuration mode? After the reset it will broadcast its own ssid that you can use to connect to and set up your new information.

The reset will not change any of your existing setting. Just the wifi.