OFFLINE - my Glowforge just went form "this is awesome" to "this piece of crap is going to the landfill tomorrow"{Resolved}

They already do advise that people reboot the router if they suspect WiFi issues.

For all the complaining about wifi just remember the alternative would be hardwired ethernet, not USB due to the required cloud interface.

I guessing that the majority of people on this forum haven’t wired their homes with CAT 6 cable. So for all the issues that come with wifi, the current alternative seems far less acceptable for the average household. Unless of course you are lucky enough to have your router and Glowforge in the same room.

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I was referring to a skit from the IT Crowd. Still, my response is still going to be :man_facepalming:

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OMG! That is too funny! :joy::smile:

but they always said it was wifi only and never said they would add a wired option.

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Not to derail the conversation about wifi, but 45 days sounds suspiciously like a boundary check problem on a timing variable. I think it’s something like 46 or 49 days for a Long counting the seconds to overflow and wrap around.

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49 days for 2^32 milliseconds, 136 years for seconds! 2036 might be interesting if there are any 32 processors still around then.

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I’m a big fan of an ethernet port. I think a USB port would be less useful. With cable length limitations on USB, I’d rather have the flexibility that ethernet offers in cable length.

That being said, it’s more likely that connection issues are related to the users wifi or router, or service provider, rather than the Glowforge’s inner workings.

Having an ethernet port would certainly aid troubleshooting, and eliminate one link in the chain. Having solid networking equipment and a good service provider are key. The Glowforge is so reliant on your network connectivity, that any Chinks in the armor will manifest in the most annoying ways.

I have not had ONE networking hiccup or connection issue.

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Well, as I said above, I’m not a fan of the “required cloud interface” in the first place, so this is just making it even worse :slight_smile:

Certainly, and that’s why I think going the wifi only route was such a bad idea. Glowforge has put the reliability and usefulness of it’s product in the hands of and predictably unreliable third party. Printers (ink on paper, I guess you have to specify these days :slight_smile: ) have had wifi options for a long time, but almost all of them have some other, more reliable way of connecting as well. And they cost a fraction of what a Glowforge does.

I really like having the GF WiFi. While I would certainly support an ethernet cable if it were provided, I have never had a lick of trouble with my GF connecting to WiFi, connecting to the servers, or anything else. I don’t use the ISP supplied WiFi though, I use a business class router/firewall and then a mesh WiFi system. The only problem I have ever had with the cloud system were bugs in the software that were solved within 2-3 days of being found.

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Yes to use a GF reliably you need to upgrade your WiFi to business class and upgrade your aircon to business class as well.

Meanwhile I run all my 3D printers on wired connections, no AC and some in a cold garage.

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really? cuz lots of us are using non-business class routers with no problem. so it’s not need for everyone.

that said, there have been enough issues that it makes me wonder if the wifi module they’re using in the GF needs to be replaced with something more reliable.

and air conditioning? it just needs to exist where you’re using it if you have high enough temps. business class, that’s just ridiculous? it’s not like the GF is putting off so much heat that you need dedicated air for just the space it’s living in. i have a 40+ year old sears AC that’s been “on its last legs” according to my HVAC folks for 17 years. i won’t have any problem running the GF because it still keeps the house in the low 70s no problem.

this is just you being the normal sour, grumpy GF hater that you’ve become most of the time.

i know you dislike much of what’s gone on (and at times i agree with you), but your perma-negative-everything attitude–especially since you’ve all but said you’re unlikely to ever accept the GF–is just you being more than a bit of a jerk.

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I have no WiFi problems (and coincidentally a business class access point), but I still connect anything important with wired Ethernet. I am disappointed that Glowforge left this out, it seems inexplicable for such a machine. The number of people having trouble with WiFi suggests, at least in hindsight, that it was a mistake to not include the port.

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I agree that it seems like including an ethernet port makes all the sense in the world. the added cost would be minimal.

We first had a combination Motorola modem/WIFI router (around $85) and I had dropped connections. The recommendation of a friend Who was senior network admin for Oracle was to buy a standalone WIFI router.
Bought a TP Link WIFI router, was something like $30, and has been solid for over 2 years. Never an issue with connectivity of the laser.

the combination modem/routers always seem to be a source of issues.

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@jmhawkins I’m so sorry you ran into trouble, and I’m glad you are back up and printing.

Thank you all for the feedback. We really appreciate it, and I’ve passed it on to the rest of the team.