Apple Watch+iPhone WiFi need help

[d112]

Hello,

I have my netgear router upstair it's connected with my iPhone.
Downstairs I using TP LINK RANGE EXTENDER it's created the same network as upstairs (NAME, SECURITY, CHANEL), iPhone does'nt even see the dowsntairs network as separate. But when iPhone is upstairs my apple watch doesn't connected to the range extender. Anyone can help ?

 

[r0k]

How do you know the watch doesn't connect? First of all, if the phone and watch get more than about 50 feet apart, you'll get a red phone icon with a line through it meaning you've lost BLUETOOTH which is the main method the watch and iPhone stay in sync. If anything, I think the wifi on the watch never connects to the same SSID as iPhone. I speculate that the phone and watch set up their own ad-hoc network for things like software updates, watch backup and watch restore. I would know because I would have been billed for the Apple watch as an extra device during my hotel stay a few weeks back where I was limited to 7 devices included with the in-room wifi and had to log in from each device. I took 3 with me (iPhone/iPad/AW) and only 2 showed up on the bill as actually having used the wifi. I've never had to put in wifi credentials for my home network and I haven't noticed what I would think is an AW mac address in my router logs.

I do pretty much the same thing as you. I have a router in the basement and two access points placed near known dead spots at opposite ends of the house. All are on the same SSID and I've never had a situation where this setup didn't work flawlessly. If I leave my phone on my nightstand and go to the opposite end of the house, I see the red phone with a line through it until I get back in bluetooth range despite the fact both are in range if the same wifi SSID.

 

[d112]

Which chanell do you have your wifi ?

 

[fischersd]

How do you know the watch doesn't connect? First of all, if the phone and watch get more than about 50 feet apart, you'll get a red phone icon with a line through it meaning you've lost BLUETOOTH which is the main method the watch and iPhone stay in sync. If anything, I think the wifi on the watch never connects to the same SSID as iPhone. I speculate that the phone and watch set up their own ad-hoc network for things like software updates, watch backup and watch restore. I would know because I would have been billed for the Apple watch as an extra device during my hotel stay a few weeks back where I was limited to 7 devices included with the in-room wifi and had to log in from each device. I took 3 with me (iPhone/iPad/AW) and only 2 showed up on the bill as actually having used the wifi. I've never had to put in wifi credentials for my home network and I haven't noticed what I would think is an AW mac address in my router logs.

I do pretty much the same thing as you. I have a router in the basement and two access points placed near known dead spots at opposite ends of the house. All are on the same SSID and I've never had a situation where this setup didn't work flawlessly. If I leave my phone on my nightstand and go to the opposite end of the house, I see the red phone with a line through it until I get back in bluetooth range despite the fact both are in range if the same wifi SSID.

If you don't know, you really shouldn't be giving other people advice. You, obviously, just like the OP, don't have your wifi working properly. The watch will communicate with the phone over wifi or bluetooth - when neither is available, that's when you get the red icon indicating it can't talk to the phone.

The watch does have its own wifi radio. What it doesn't have is software to configure wifi networks. It takes this information mirrored from the phone. The watch only has 2.4GHz 802.11 b/g/n. It does not support 5Ghz, nor 802.11 AC.

@d112 You may need to have your phone forget, then re-add your wifi network for the watch to get it (seems there's a race condition / bug). Ideally you want your phone on the same SSID (some people have had success connecting their iPhone to their 5Ghz radio, with their watch connected to 2.4GHz after the fact, but it's just better not to complicate things). To keep things simple, make sure you're only connecting to 2.4GHz and not 802.11AC.

 

[Rok73]

If anything, I think the wifi on the watch never connects to the same SSID as iPhone.

Wrong. The watch connects to the same SSID even if it is invisible. It also does connect to a repeater with the same SSID as the router.

I know because I've tried.

As mentioned before the watch DOESN'T connect to the 5GHz band. I have a dual band router so the iPhone is connected to the 5GHz and the watch to the 2.4GHz band.

I also can see the AW in my router logs when I turn off BT.

 

[d112]

Do You think thaat if I bouy router and set it as wds repeater this will be better than range extender ?

 

[Rok73]

The point is that the devices (router, repeater) have to be properly configured. I don't see how buying a new router solves your issues.

Is the repeater a 2.4 Ghz model? And the router?

Did you activate the MAC filter on any of the devices?

 

[d112]

Both are 2.4 Ghz, Repeater is TP-LINK WA850RE. The name of the SSID is both the same, both are open without WEP. But why my apple watch don't conecct with the repeater when it lost signal from upstairs main router. Mayby becouse router and extender have two diffrent mac adresses ?

 

[r0k]

If you don't know, you really shouldn't be giving other people advice.

You have overlooked the words "I speculate" in my previous post.

You, obviously, just like the OP, don't have your wifi working properly. The watch will communicate with the phone over wifi or bluetooth - when neither is available, that's when you get the red icon indicating it can't talk to the phone.

I take pride in the way I have my wifi set up. It works from my front lawn to my back fence, on all 3 levels of my house from one end to the other and even up on the roof while I was adjusting my OTA TV antenna. I even walked around with a signal meter making sure there were no dead spots and I relocated APs accordingly. I will take a look at my router logs when I get home and see if there is a MAC address showing up that I suspect to be the phone. This still doesn't explain why my hotel bill only showed iPhone and iPad when I know the AW was active while I was there.

 

[GeekyGrannie]

... This still doesn't explain why my hotel bill only showed iPhone and iPad when I know the AW was active while I was there.

Could it be that in the confined space of your hotel room, your watch was always close enough to your iPhone to use Bluetooth and hence not need wifi?

 

[r0k]

Could it be that in the confined space of your hotel room, your watch was always close enough to your iPhone to use Bluetooth and hence not need wifi?

I suppose. And I think that those times I decided to put my phone on charge, I happened to decide to put the watch on charge at the same time even though it didn't need it. The next time I'm in this situation, which will be in a couple of weeks, I'll be sure to switch off the phone bluetooth to see what the watch does.

 

[fischersd]

You have overlooked the words "I speculate" in my previous post.
I take pride in the way I have my wifi set up. It works from my front lawn to my back fence, on all 3 levels of my house from one end to the other and even up on the roof while I was adjusting my OTA TV antenna. I even walked around with a signal meter making sure there were no dead spots and I relocated APs accordingly. I will take a look at my router logs when I get home and see if there is a MAC address showing up that I suspect to be the phone. This still doesn't explain why my hotel bill only showed iPhone and iPad when I know the AW was active while I was there.

You really shouldn't be "speculating" when people are asking for support. If you don't know, let others answer.

Heh, you can have all of the coverage in the world, but it still sounds like you haven't gotten your watch using it.
Regardless of whether the watch is using the BT channel or not, it should be showing up in the wireless clients in your WAP, if it isn't, then you don't have the watch configured to use your wifi.

 

[melman101]

I definitely can confirm that if the iPhone / Watch does not have bluetooth connectivity, the Watch does connect to Wifi. An easy way to check to make sure everything is working is to turn off bluetooth on the phone. You may get disconnected, but then it should connect again.

I just tried it now, and everything is working .

 

[LewisChapman]

I suppose. And I think that those times I decided to put my phone on charge, I happened to decide to put the watch on charge at the same time even though it didn't need it. The next time I'm in this situation, which will be in a couple of weeks, I'll be sure to switch off the phone bluetooth to see what the watch does.

I am guessing that because you had to 'log in' on your other devices that your Apple Watch was never actually connected to the WiFi and was always within range of your phone to utilise the Bluetooth.

Hello,

I have my netgear router upstair it's connected with my iPhone.
Downstairs I using TP LINK RANGE EXTENDER it's created the same network as upstairs (NAME, SECURITY, CHANEL), iPhone does'nt even see the dowsntairs network as separate. But when iPhone is upstairs my apple watch doesn't connected to the range extender. Anyone can help ?

When you are connected to the extender/main AP using your computer can you see devices (printers, NAS etc) on the main AP/extender?

I apologise if this is not worded very well I'm unsure how else to explain it.

 

[melman101]

BTW - This is straight from Apple

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204562

Compatible Wi-Fi for Apple Watch
Your Apple Watch can connect to a Wi-Fi network:

• If your iPhone, while connected to your watch with Bluetooth, has connected to the network before
• If the Wi-Fi network is 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz

For example, Apple Watch won't connect:

• To 5GHz Wi-Fi, or public networks requiring logins, subscriptions, or profiles
• If your paired iPhone has never connected to that network before

--------

My guess is it never connected to the hotel wifi because it required a login.

 

[Rok73]

Both are 2.4 Ghz, Repeater is TP-LINK WA850RE. The name of the SSID is both the same, both are open without WEP. But why my apple watch don't conecct with the repeater when it lost signal from upstairs main router. Mayby becouse router and extender have two diffrent mac adresses ?

Every single device has a different MAC address, so have your router and repeater but that doesn't matter. However, I am not sure how to help you further. Some devices just don't work properly together for some reason.

I learned that it's better to spend more money for high quality products when it comes to network devices. I know this is a very general opinion but that's my experience, however.

 

[Kahalu'u Bob]

My Apple Watch wifi connection is sporadic. I have a solid network of 100% Apple Airport equipment, and the Airport utility shows my iPhone always connects and the watch connects sporadically. Furthermore, due to the way the watch connects to wifi, it is very difficult to debug the source of the problem (and, of course, it could be my watch is defective). I have read enough of the problems others have had to think this us just an aspect of the watch software that is going to need improvement. In the meantime, I'm off to the Genius Bar to see if they can sort it out.