Many people don’t actually understand the issues here, and a basic explanation may help some.
In the early days of the internet, we connected through our telephone lines via a modem. That translated the signal entering our homes to ethernet. We may also have had a router that acted as the hub of our home network (LAN), issued network addresses to devices connected to the network, and managed network traffic. Many manufacturers combined the modem and router into a single box and, when wifi appeared, these boxes sprouted aerials and became radio transmitter/receivers as well as modems and routers. Nowadays most people call their boxes their routers, and think of them primarily as wifi transmitters, overlooking the fact that acting as a router is a totally separate function. Many of the problems can relate to the performance of the router function, and have nothing at all to do with wifi.
I use a mesh system for my wifi. It is wired to the ISP modem/router via ethernet, and provides good wifi all around my home. A couple of years ago I switched to fibre cable broadband, and I was given a new router by my new ISP. Roughly one third of my wifi devices stopped working. I was confident that my mesh wifi system was good, and the prime suspect was the router part of the ISP’s box. I inserted a dedicated wired ethernet router into the chain, and switched the ISP router into “modem-only” mode. Now the ISP router is just a modem, the wired router manages the network, and the mesh looks after wifi. All the problem devices connected instantly. The problem was the performance of the “router” function of the ISP device, not the wifi. Some of them are pernickety, and will simply not allocate network addresses to some devices. Don’t overlook this possibility.
Another possible problem arises because wifi can use the 2.4GHz or the 5GHz frequency wavebands, or both. Most laptops and tablets use the 5GHz band, and your “router” may only be set to transmit on 5GHz. If your router is not using the 2.4GHz band, your QC will not connect. Both bands also have channels, and it is best to use channels that are not congested by nearby transmitters, particularly in multi-occupancy buildings or near businesses with powerful transmitters. The 2.4GHz bands has channels 1 to 11 and, because there can be crosstalk across adjacent channels, the frequent advice is to use 1 or 11. However, this means that both ends of the channel spectrum can be congested, and nobody is using Channel 6 in the middle. Try it!
Probably the most significant problem is wifi signal strength. I recently saw a post saying that signal was -60db, and the QC was struggling to connect. Firstly, -60db is pretty weak. Secondly, the signal was probably being read by a tablet or laptop using the 5GHz band. The signal on the 2.4GHz band will often be 10-15db lower still, and -75db is very low. Check the 2.4GHz band specifically, because that is the band that the QC uses.
Ways of improving wifi coverage include a main hub/router with better wifi capabilities, or to use a mesh system, or extenders. Extenders can be connected to the main hub via ethernet or solutions like power-line networking. The latter does put a ripple on your mains, and can be an additional cause of interference and noise, particularly to audio equipment. They also normally operate as a separate access point with their own network name and password, different to your main wifi to avoid confusion. However, this does mean that your devices have to log off from one access point, and log on to another, as you move throgh your house.
With mesh devices, only one node is connected to the router. All the nodes connect together by wifi, and appear as a single network with a common name and passwork so moving between nodes is seamless. Wifi on the main router is normally turned off to avoid congestion. Don’t forget that any mesh or extender system must also use the 2.4GHz band if the QC is going to work.
It should now be obvious that there can be many factors that might make it difficult to connect your QC to wifi, and it is not always appropriate to blame the QC.
Whilst what you said is helpful and may actually solve some people’s problems, I will absolutely blame the QC if it loses connection but my laptop, XBox, phone etc. have no similar issue.
I’m very capable of network troubleshooting but it’s unlikely that I’m going to so if only one device is being problematic, and - in my opinion - it’s not reasonable to ask anyone else to either.
If I were a betting man, I’d say it’s probably just not a very good WiFi module in the QC. I get two bars on my QC, and a couple of feet away I get five bars on my phone and desktop both at 2.4 and 5 GHz.
I haven’t had the problems others have had in this thread, other than a weak signal.
Yeah, I understand and agree with all your network advice. Im quite capable and set up my home network myself. The router is set up properly and other devices work well on the same frequency. QC wifi module just isnt very good and at the very least needs some firmware improvement
I’ve owned a QC for about a month now and Wi-Fi is sus as can be. I finally just turned on Wi-Fi sharing from my mac that is about 10 inches away from the QC and life has been great since then.
Thanks for the heads up!
Loads of useful info here but I totally blame the QC for continually needing my password. My phone doesn’t need this, my tablets don’t, my computer doesn’t. In fact the QC is the only thing in the house that does.
So it must be pretty easy to negate this issue surely:)
A few suggestions I might try:
- This suggestion applies to everyone running devices like the QC that only connect to the 2.4GHz and NOT the 5GHz band. Configure your router with two different names for the 2.4GHz band and the 5GHz band. Do NOT use a consolidated name for both bands, e.g. “MyRouter”. These consolidated wireless network names cause problems for many adaptors. In particular it seems to be a problem for miniaturized 2.4Ghz-only WiFi adaptors in general. In other words, your network should look something like this like this, one network name MyNetwork_2.4Ghz, substitute in whatever name you prefer, and another called MyNetwork_5GHz. That way you can specifically select the 2.4Ghz band.
I have run into disconnection problem like this before setting up smart devices with small or cheap WiFi adaptors on networks only using one name for both WiFi bands. Your router may either not always be shunting the QC properly to the 2.4Ghz when it initially connects, or periodically trying to shift the connection to 5GHz and bumping the QC off in the process. I think this issue may actually be impacting a number of users.
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Many routers allow you to set device priority. Identify the IP address/name of your QC on the router and set it to high priority.
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Many routers allow you to reserve the IP address being used to connect for specific devices. Try reserving your QC’s IP address in the event that some other device in your network is bumping it off.
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If none of this works, I would consider creating a new login at Neural and unlinking my old login and linking with the new one. You can do that under Settings → ‘My Account’. Just to cover all my bases as a last resort.
Hi,
I have wifi issues also. I have to be within 5 feet of my router. I have split my wifi signal into 2.4 and 5ghz and named them differently however still have week to no signal unless right next to router. It says “weak connection. Move closer to access point”. I also have a mesh wifi system that provides great signal around my house. Like other users, I have no issues with any other devices in my house, just the QC. It’s a big pain if I want to download a new preset I have to unplug everything and plug in my QC in the hall next to my router. It’s like being back in 1990s.
How many bars does your phone show from the same position as the QC when connected to the same 2.4GHz connection? Are you in an apartment or an area that might have a lot of routers on the same channels as your router? Might want to try changing the channel for the 2.4GHz band if you haven’t already. Worth a shot. Do you have a ton of devices already connected to your router? More than it is rated for, can max out the router’s capacity.
If working with the router settings doesn’t yield any results, you may want to try testing your QC at a friend or two’s homes that you know have good coverage to see whether the issue pops up there as well. If it does, there is a good chance the problem is with the QC and not your home network. At that point I would contact Neural support.
Hi, I live in a detached house and there no other wifi routers that I can see on my phone other than my router. On my mobile I have full bars but the QC only has one bar. Kids are in bed and wife out so I’m currently the only person using any wifi signal, phone and QC and that’s it. Like I said my wifi works with every other device with no issues but doesn’t work with the QC unless directly adjacent to the router. I will contact support and see if they can do anything for me. Thanks for your reply and suggestions, it is much appreciated.
Yes. The WiFi on the QC is terrible; it’s a hardware issue, IMHO… Technically competent w.r.t. network stuff and the QC is the only device I own that has issues on our network. I would not expect it to get better or be addressed if I were you. Neural just tells the user the problem is on their end for these issues.
You’ll need to use hotspot or similar to get solid WiFi. Thankfully it is only needed when accessing the cloud or doing an update (once, twice a year, max).
I had my first QC sent back because of the Wi-Fi issues + while the QC was trying to connect to Wi-Fi it was incredibly slow/sluggish (could barely navigate menus etc). It then got hung on one specific SSID and I couldn’t get it to “forget it” and try another one. If I wiped it to factory settings, it still had the old Wi-Fi data cached on the first reboot. 2nd unit has the same issues but it’s not that sluggish while it tries to connect to Wi-Fi. I can only get the QC connected to Wi-Fi with a hotspot from my phone (but the phone MUST be using 4G and not my home’s 2.4 GHz wireless) - it’s the only appliance in our household that’s having a hard time connecting to Wi-Fi even if it’s 30 cm away from the router.
I know this is an old thread, but it’s the right subject. Hopefully this is the right place to put this. I’m having several Wi-Fi issues as well. These things are creating a very frustrating wi-fi experience for me:
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The location that I use my QC 99% of the time has Wi-Fi that requires username and password for authentication (out of my control) and since there’s no place to put in the username on the QC it won’t connect. It will try with password only, but it fails every time. It often gets stuck trying and I have to reboot to try any other Wi-Fi options.
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There’s also a public Wi-Fi within range, but it requires a splash page to agree to terms of service before getting access to the internet and since the QC can’t load that it will never connect. It will try to connect, but it always fails and many times it also will infinitely get stuck trying and I have to reboot to attempt anything else.
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I have tried using my iPhone’s Hotspot and I have it set to “Maximize Compatibility” so it will work with 2.4GHz. I can find it and attempt to connect with my password, but 100% of the time it gets stuck in a loop while attempting to connect and but it never will. It freezes all Wi-Fi options when that happens and I have to reboot to get back to trying any other network attempts.
Anyone have ideas for me? I don’t care which way I connect there, I just want to be able to! Thanks.
I feel exactly the same way. I love the unit, but ALL or my other devices work just fine and the WIFI on the QC just sucks. I get a weak signal from my router just down the hall. I cannot for the life of me get it to hook up to my iPhone hotspot. I do look forward to the Desktop Editor because it would surely allow me to use my SUPERIOR WIFI from my Mac to transfer any relevant downloads without having to involve the built in poorly functioning WIFI. I almost sent it back, but it is great in almost every other way. It is a shame that this problem persists. But I believe it is a hardware problem and future updates will not help,. That’s my opinion and my personal experience with this unit.
EXACT same issue for me as well. I finally can get a weak connection from a router but my iPhone connection to hotspot is the same as yours. Not good.
I’m not sure what wifi you use but I can tell you that UniFi mesh works great, locks in and absolutely zero issues since day one. My closest AP is roughly 30’ away etc.
I appreciate the suggestion. My main point is that ALL of my other devices work great. I live on a half an acre and my router sends a signal to the very back of my property in my shop which can be received by any other device I have. People should not have to buy specific routers to make a device work. I am not harping on it. I can still send my unit back, but I am not because this is the only really negative thing I have to say about the whole thing. I cannot get it to hook up to my iPhone hotspot that has all the bars from 3 feet away no matter what I do. Just like other people have posted. I gave up on it. I get a weak signal that is good enough for now. I appreciate the great job you do here as a referee, er, I mean moderator. 
Have you tried all the suggestions including separate SSIDs for both 2.4 & 5? No odd characters in your SSID? You probably have, just making sure. 
Yes, I do have that and understand the QC is 2.4. I also use the enhance compatibility on my iPhone which is supposed to kick the 5K down to 2.4 to no avail. My router has two distinct channels and we do not use the 5K side of it at all. Like I said, mine works and it is good enough. I will leave it that there may be something specific in my home setup that is the culprit. IF I bought the unit you speak of I am sure it would work better than what I have now. So there is that option. Thanks again for the work you are doing here. It’s the squeaky wheel that is often heard most. It does not mean that the other wheels should be ignored or neglected!
Hi my friend. I wanted to add something into the mix here. I think I have found a solution to more than just my issue with my QC. We live in a rural area and do not have the major providers like Comcast and such. My wife works from home for a large corporation who pays for the cell internet we get. It is expensive. I went over to my friends house the other day and he was telling me about his Home Internet from T-Mobile. I checked it out today and signed up. 50.00 a month for the highest 5G speeds. Over 10 times faster than what we currently have. They give you the device which serves as both receiver and router… So I thought it would be a low risk exercise to see if it helps with cost and connection. I will report my findings. In the meantime if anyone is interested just Google T-Mobile Home Internet.
Update: I have had the unit a few days. It has had a few times where it dropped service. So far I believe it is a good solution for me. I am getting download speeds of 400mbps. That is pretty impressive. The setup was seamless and finding a place in my house to get a good signal was easy as well. The connection to the QC was also seamless and it has no issues staying connected. I do have the unit itself in the same room just for good measure. So the gateway and the connection are solid. IF I have more dropouts… one a day so far I will report on it. Otherwise it is a bargain at 50.00 a month.