Stuck in Offline

Community Support
1

My typical problem I have with this machine… stuck in offline mode. No matter how many times I restart it, the PC, the router,… it won’t come online until I send an email to you guys for some reason. So here is my topic in hopes it decides to wake up. I assume an update was pushed between the last time I used it and now, as that seems to be the culprit every time it acts like this.

2

I will add,… it is not connecting at all to my network.

3

I’m sorry you ran into trouble. It looks like your Glowforge is having difficulty maintaining a stable connection to your network.

Though network-specific Wi-Fi challenges may occur for a number of different reasons, I have a few suggestions that may help:

  • Since Glowforge only supports 2.4GHz, a connection will be harder to establish and maintain on a crowded 2.4GHz band. Many competing 2.4GHz networks and devices in one area can cause interference and an unstable connection. In your network settings, check the channel you’re using for your 2.4GHz network. Trying a different channel may mitigate these issues provide a more stable connection.
  • Though less common, DNS or name resolution conflicts may also cause intermittent connectivity problems. If you use a custom DNS configuration on your router, you might want to try default DNS settings to see if that works better.

If you’re still having trouble, there’s a test you can try that will help us narrow down the problem. If possible, could you please create a hotspot on your cell phone or mobile device and use that network to connect your Glowforge to Wi-Fi?

You can find instructions online to help you create a Wi-Fi hotspot from your cell phone. Make sure that you set it up to be a 2.4 GHz hotspot, since that is the frequency your Glowforge uses.

Once the Wi-Fi hotspot is broadcasting, you can connect to it by following these steps:

  1. Turn on your Glowforge.
  2. Wait 30 seconds. Then hold down the button for ten seconds until it glows teal.
  3. Navigate to setup.glowforge.com and follow the instructions on-screen. When prompted to connect your Glowforge to Wi-Fi, choose the hotspot you created.
  4. Once Wi-Fi setup is complete, go to app.glowforge.com.

Let us know if you still have trouble connecting to the hotspot, and we’ll be able to investigate further.

4

I can get it to connect to a hotspot and print from it. On my router, there is only 1 thing that connects 2.4 to it, and that’s my sons Kindle and it’s not on the network right now. There are only 4 things on 5GHz so I’m pretty sure it’s not bogged down or crowded. The router is 3 feet from the glowforge as well.

Neil

5

I’m so sorry you ran into trouble. It looks like your Glowforge is connected and you’ve been able to print since contacting us. That’s great!

Were you able to reconnect and print from your main home network, or are you still relying on the phone hotspot?

How frequently do you reboot your home router?

6

Using the hotspot. Reputed is only rebooted when it needs it, but I’ve rebooted it about a dozen times this weekend trying to get the glowforge to connect and it will not. The other 2.4 GHz device works and connects fine to my network, glowforge will not.

7

Since you were able to get connected to the Wi-Fi Hotspot, I’m confident your Glowforge is working properly. What’s left is to troubleshoot your home network.

Where in the connection process is the problem?

Does your home network show up in the list?

8

I’ve narrowed it down to my 2.4 GHz channel not working consistently enough for the glowforge. I have a new router coming and hopefully it solves my issues.

Neil

1 Like
9

Sounds good.

I’m going to close this thread - if the new router doesn’t resolve the issue, go ahead and post a new topic.

Thanks for letting us know about this!