Troubleshooting - ntsecrets/espclock GitHub Wiki

So I have a few units out in the real world now and I'm collecting some information on what to do when things don't work.

I can't connect to the clock over wireless to set it up!

Don't panic. There are some tricks to doing this. Some devices don't like connecting to an access point that has no internet access and if it sees another network it knows, it will just jump back onto it. If your PC refuses to connect, or it connects but not for long or you can't load the page, try this:

  • Use a mobile phone or tablet instead: And if the device doesn't stick to the clock long enough to configure it, you can just forget / delete your existing network from the device and then add it back in when you're done.
  • Make sure you use the PSK/Password 12345678 on the initial connection when the clock is in AP mode.
  • Make sure you check off "Update Wifi config" before clicking Update at the bottom!
  • If it refuses to connect at all, you can also try power cycling the clock. Each power cycle will cause it to pick a different channel.
  • Is there a lot of interference? If there are a lot of wifi networks around, it can make it harder to connect. You can try moving it to somewhere where there aren't as many networks to set it up and move it back after you enter in the network information.
  • Try a different power adapter. Some cheaper adapters may introduce a lot of noise which can cause issues with the ESP8266.
  • iPhone / iPad with celluar data: You may need to go into Settings - Cellular - scroll to the bottom and disable "Wi-Fi Assist" which may get enabled when it can't connect to the internet while setting up the clock.

I configured it but all it shows is dashes and the clock ID, or the time is 2:23 AM.

There are several reasons why this can happen, so here is what to check:

  • Did you enter in the right wifi network name AND password? Remember, both are case-sensitive. If you're not sure, try it again by pressing the button on the back right after you power the clock on. Make sure you check off "Update wifi config" before pressing update.
  • Is your internet working?
  • Is your clock close enough to the access point? You can move it closer to see if it helps. If it does start to work, the web interface shows signal strength. The lower the number the better.
  • Did you enter in a NTP host that doesn't work, or doesn't resolve? 0.espclock.pool.ntp.org should work.