Warning: That "5 minute" router fix took me 6 hours

I was setting up a mesh network in my house last Saturday, the kind where you plug in three nodes and it's supposed to be simple. The box said 5 minute setup using the app. I spent the first hour just trying to get the main router to connect to my modem, it kept saying no internet. Turns out I had to call my ISP because my modem was locked to my old router's MAC address. Another hour on hold. Then the app kept crashing on my phone, so I had to use my wife's phone instead. After that, two of the nodes refused to sync because they were too far apart, even though the signal meter said it was fine. I ended up moving furniture around and running an ethernet cable through the attic to make it work. Has anyone else had a "simple" tech setup turn into a full day project?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby_morgan1810d ago

Twenty years in IT and I still fall for that "easy setup" nonsense every time. Did you check if the mesh system had a web interface option before you gave up on the app, or was the phone your only way in?

daniel_cooper3410d ago

Got halfway through setting up a new smart thermostat last month before realizing I had to download a separate app just to see the manual. Spent twenty minutes fighting with it until my wife pointed out the paper manual was sitting right there in the box. Felt about as smart as a brick that day.

jordan_henderson139d ago

Ha, I'm gonna push back a little here. Paper manuals are great and all, but the whole point of a smart thermostat is that you're supposed to be able to control it from your phone. Having to dig out a physical booklet kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?