We moved the glowforge from the house to a work room above the garage and now when I turn the glowforge on it says its offline. So I thought I might need to go back to setup and start there, and it can’t find the glowforge wifi setting, all it finds is my wifi. Will I need to get a wifi extender or something else?
I think you need to re-do the wifi setup by holding down the button until it turns teal (like 10 seconds) and go through wifi setup again. This video might help refresh you on the procedure:
Ok I will try it from there. Thank you.
Alright I went through the whole setup again and I connect with glowforge wifi and my router connects then when I go and upload a new file again the background picture shows up so I go and lift the lid like Jules recommends I do and then upload again at which point it is no longer online. It shows no wifi connection. I would really love for this to be explained by someone please.
It sounds like you have a very weak WiFi connection - it’s struggling to maintain connection and transfer data.
Does your phone connect to the WiFi network while in that location? How many bars? Which may not be a good test if you have a dual-broadcast 2.4/5ghz network… if it’s just a 2.4 network, it might be a decent indicator.
Yes my phone connects from up here but I do think I have a weak connection and don’t know what to do to make it stronger.
You will probably need to either move the router closer to the machine or pick up a Wifi Signal Booster or Range Extender. (Available at any electronics store or Amazon.)
I have a tp link extender but it won’t connect to my router. Is there one that is better than most and strong enough to make my router signal stronger? Because moving my router isn’t and option.
I don’t have one but I understand that the home mesh systems are the best for strong signals. They’re a lot more expensive though and I’m not sure they would extend to a garage.
So there might be some research ahead. Sorry. I don’t know.
I just bought this one for the top floor of our house:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R92CL5E
Amazingly, it transmits a strong signal all the way down into my basement shop. I alrady have an AP down there dedicated to my GF, but I could easily run it off of this extender. Took 30 seconds to link it to my WiFi router. 
A great deal at $40, and they are often on sale for as little as $30.
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Thank you, I will see about getting this one.
extenders have to be placed carefully. If you place it too close to the main, you risk interference. too far, it’s only boosting the little signal it gets.
If you need to go any distance, like to an adjacent building, get something like this:
https://amzn.to/2Izybd1
Not the easiest to setup, but once you’ve got it set it will cover an acre or more…
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That is what I need to do. The router is in the house and my shop is above the garage, which is separate from the house.
It works quite well - I used it to extend wi-fi from a beach house that was 150 feet off the water - down to the beach. The house has that low-e glass that blocks wi-fi and cell signals like crazy.
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Thank you for the help, everyone.
I’m so sorry you’re having trouble, @mckinley5317. I extracted the logs to investigate the problem you reported, and it does appear that your Glowforge is re-connecting to Wi-Fi often.
We have a few suggestions for issues like these that often make a big difference:
Improve the signal path between your Glowforge and your Wi-Fi access point
Given that your Glowforge is in a detached garage and you wanted your router to stay where it is, a few things that could help are:
- To echo what others have said in this thread, try installing a Wi-Fi range extender closer to your Glowforge
- Try tunning an ethernet cable and installing a second Wi-Fi access point next to your Glowforge
Reduce electronic and Wi-Fi interference
If your unit is near other devices that use Wi-Fi or a large number of electronics, temporarily turn off other electronics and devices in the area.
Please let us know if any of these resolve your issue.
It’s been a little while since I’ve seen any replies on this thread so I’m going to close it. If you still need help with this please either start a new thread or email support@glowforge.com.