Strange WiFi Issue

wobble

Member
Messages
9
Grill(s) owned
  1. Bull
  2. Trailblazer
I've read countless threads on people here having issues with WiFi trying to find a solution to my issue, but was still not able to find a solution. I thought I'd share my experience...

I bought an RT-340 summer of 2020. Worked fantastic. Easy connection to WiFi, kept stable temps, and made some fantastic meals.

Unfortunately, a few months later, I had some issues when cooking burgers set at 400. The grill would go to FULL temp by itself. I thought it was a fluke, but it happened 3 more times in the next week. I didn't want any more blackened burgers, so I contacted RecTeq support and they were great. They promptly sent me a replacement controller. After being so impressed with their customer service, I then ordered an RT-700.

The 700 was even better than the 340. No issues at all. I used the 700 exclusively until last week.

I wanted to cook some burgers, but was cooking a brisket on the 700. I put in the replacement controller in the 340 and attempted to connect it to my WiFi. No luck. Hours and hours of trying, it just wouldn't connect. I put the old controller back in, it connected right away. I contacted support again. They walked me through some basic connection troubleshooting, but it still wouldn't connect. They then had me set up a hotspot on my cell phone and it connected right away. So they concluded the issue is with my WiFi, even though my old controller connects without issue, as well as my 700.

The next day, I deleted all the grills from my app and started over. The 700 connected right away. The 340 still would not. I put the old controller back in the 340, it connected right away. I put the new controller back in, it would not connect. How can it be an issue with my WiFi when two other controllers connect without issue? I am so frustrated.
 
I thought the same thing, so I swapped antenna with the original 340 controller, but it didn't make any difference.

Even though it did connect using a hotspot, I think there is something wrong with this controller. I was told the newer controllers connect differently that the previous versions. Not sure exactly what that means.

I've been an IT guy for over 20 years. This issue reminds me of weirdness with Broadcom network cards. They work, but just have issues. I learned a long time ago to just use Intel network cards. Perhaps this is another example of lowest bidder's parts being used. In this instance, a cheaper, lower quality network card. That would also explain other people's issues connecting that they were never able to resolve.
 
Sounds fishy to me as well.. I would request another controller based on your findings with the old one connecting and the new 700. Something must be wrong with the controller that bridges that part of your internal network vs. hot spot.
 
I requested a replacement multiple times. I even offered to ship this controller back to them. I told him repeatedly that the other two controllers connect without issue. He insisted that since it connects to a hotspot, it's an issue with my WiFi and there is nothing wrong with the controller. He said the reason is the newer controllers connect differently and that I needed to contact my ISP. My ISP has nothing to do with my internal network. It sounded like an excuse to me. It got a little heated during the calls, as we were both frustrated with each other. Perhaps it's just the person I was working with. Regardless, I am not impressed. I paid a lot of money for this product and I think the warranty should be honored.
 
I requested a replacement multiple times. I even offered to ship this controller back to them. I told him repeatedly that the other two controllers connect without issue. He insisted that since it connects to a hotspot, it's an issue with my WiFi and there is nothing wrong with the controller. He said the reason is the newer controllers connect differently and that I needed to contact my ISP. My ISP has nothing to do with my internal network. It sounded like an excuse to me. It got a little heated during the calls, as we were both frustrated with each other. Perhaps it's just the person I was working with. Regardless, I am not impressed. I paid a lot of money for this product and I think the warranty should be honored.

Yeah.. they have been less supportive in some situations lately. I think they are focused on profits with the new investor as well as buying toys for themselves.

It really is a shame since that is what got them here. The unit themselves are pretty good but the reality is they are still China made as well as many others these days so these quirky things happen. Not trying to bash them not my intention just talking the truth.

Have you tried another router just out of the box to eliminate that and give you more to go back to them with? Just get one to try and bring it back if it doesn't change anything to like a Walmart or something.

Whatever you do don't give up. My Bull has been rock solid as far as wifi so something is not right with your new controller. You paid good $$ for a product you expect Recteq to standby.

Keep us posted.. these things help others when a solution results.
 
I hear ya. My buddy and I just had the same conversation regarding what happens to a company when investors get involved. Profits and growth are priority. Very unfortunate for the customer.

I have 6 or 8 other routers laying around. I could try another, but if it still won't connect, it won't change anything. According to him, if it works through a hotspot, there is nothing wrong with it. While I can see the logic in that, why do two other RecTeq controllers connect? Just doesn't make sense. Something isn't right with this controller's WiFi card. I was even going to take the WiFi card off the old controller and put it on the new controller, but they are soldered in.

I appreciate the responses. I hope I'm not coming across too abrasive. I'm just very frustrated.
 
I hear ya. My buddy and I just had the same conversation regarding what happens to a company when investors get involved. Profits and growth are priority. Very unfortunate for the customer.

I have 6 or 8 other routers laying around. I could try another, but if it still won't connect, it won't change anything. According to him, if it works through a hotspot, there is nothing wrong with it. While I can see the logic in that, why do two other RecTeq controllers connect? Just doesn't make sense. Something isn't right with this controller's WiFi card. I was even going to take the WiFi card off the old controller and put it on the new controller, but they are soldered in.

I appreciate the responses. I hope I'm not coming across too abrasive. I'm just very frustrated.

Yeah.. the problem is the folks at Recteq are actually not that knowledgeable with these things. They are working off basics and not thinking deeper.

I try not to be hard on them here since it tends to get sensitive sometimes but I have my own impression and dealings with them so I'll leave it there. I still enjoy my Bull and for what I paid I'm happy. Pretty sure I would not pay their new prices if I were in the market today.

I would just try another router especially if you have one to help back yourself up and for sanity/process of elimination.

They really do not know and are firing from the hip. I never understood customer service like this and how companies survive when they get this way.

There is a lot more to a network card than what they see. If anything the bulb should have gone off when it worked and said maybe something is wrong with the local bridge in the controller. Sorry.. frustrates me that support can get this way.. must be all the $$ and greed getting to the entire staff. They have the ability to help and are holding out. It's just wrong.
 
With your IT background, I suspect you are way ahead of me, but here are a couple of my thoughts. First, it it possible that you are somehow trying to connect to a 5G network? The Recteq boards won’t work on 5G and I suspect you know that.

I had some difficulty getting my RT-340 to connect to my 2.4G network and, when it did, it would randomly disconnect. So, I did two things. First, I picked up an inexpensive Wi-Fi range extender and located it close to where I use the grill. That seemed to make a difference, though I still had occasional issues.

So, on a whim, I reset my network settings on the iPad and iPhone. I haven’t had an issue since. Something was, apparently, blocking my RT-340 from connecting. I’m not savvy enough to figure out what, but the reset appeared to resolve the problem.

Not sure if any of this is useful to you, but it worked for me.
 
With your IT background, I suspect you are way ahead of me, but here are a couple of my thoughts. First, it it possible that you are somehow trying to connect to a 5G network? The Recteq boards won’t work on 5G and I suspect you know that.

I had some difficulty getting my RT-340 to connect to my 2.4G network and, when it did, it would randomly disconnect. So, I did two things. First, I picked up an inexpensive Wi-Fi range extender and located it close to where I use the grill. That seemed to make a difference, though I still had occasional issues.

So, on a whim, I reset my network settings on the iPad and iPhone. I haven’t had an issue since. Something was, apparently, blocking my RT-340 from connecting. I’m not savvy enough to figure out what, but the reset appeared to resolve the problem.

Not sure if any of this is useful to you, but it worked for me.

I appreciate the advice, as I posted this to see if others had ran into this and had some kind of solution. My objective wasn't to bash on them.

I have two separate SSIDs that are segregated. One is 5G that my family's personal devices connect to. The other is 2.4G that I connect all IoT devices to, as they are a security risk. My grills are connected to that. Well, not so much my 340 anymore...

I have complete coverage throughout my house, garage, and back yard. The grills are about 20 feet to the closest WiFi Access Point. Range is not an issue and I've never had disconnection issues with my 700. It has always worked flawlessly since I bought it in late 2020.

While working with their WiFi support tech, I removed and added my WiFi network on my phone many times.

Thanks for chiming in though, as even the most experienced sometimes miss the simplest things (y)
 
I requested a replacement multiple times. I even offered to ship this controller back to them. I told him repeatedly that the other two controllers connect without issue. He insisted that since it connects to a hotspot, it's an issue with my WiFi and there is nothing wrong with the controller. He said the reason is the newer controllers connect differently and that I needed to contact my ISP. My ISP has nothing to do with my internal network. It sounded like an excuse to me. It got a little heated during the calls, as we were both frustrated with each other. Perhaps it's just the person I was working with. Regardless, I am not impressed. I paid a lot of money for this product and I think the warranty should be honored.
Perhaps you’ve already done this, but sometimes I find that simply calling back later and talking to a different person makes all the difference. Unfortunately, not all customer service employees are created equal.
 
I would just try another router especially if you have one to help back yourself up and for sanity/process of elimination.
Today I tried another router (Netgear R7800, which has always been sold for me). After an hour of trying to get it to connect, I gave up and put the old controller back in. It connected on the first try.

I then put it back to my original setup (OPNsense Firewall and UAP-AC-PRO Access Points) and the old controller connected on the first try.

Perhaps you’ve already done this, but sometimes I find that simply calling back later and talking to a different person makes all the difference. Unfortunately, not all customer service employees are created equal.
I was told there are currently only two guys there that deal with WiFi troubleshooting calls. I'm sure they talk and keep logs on calls (trouble tickets).

I'm just going to use the old controller and hope it doesn't go to FULL temp again. If it does, I will use the new controller and just not have WiFi hooked up. Lesson learned for future pellet grill purchases.
 
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Today I tried another router (Netgear R7800, which has always been sold for me). After an hour of trying to get it to connect, I gave up and put the old controller back in. It connected on the first try.

I then put it back to my original setup (OPNsense Firewall and UAP-AC-PRO Access Points) and the old controller connected on the first try.


I was told there are currently only two guys there that deal with WiFi troubleshooting calls. I'm sure they talk and keep logs on calls (trouble tickets).

I'm just going to use the old controller and hope it doesn't go to FULL temp again. If it does, I will use the new controller and just not have WiFi hooked up. Lesson learned for future pellet grill purchases.

Well this to me just proves your original suspicion and you have backup info to follow up with them. I would call Ray at this point if they are not supporting you and see where that goes.

The fact your old controller connects shows your NW is not the issue. The time you spent (wasted) is already on them. These controllers I'm sure cost them dollars. I would not give up. Something is wrong with that unit.
 
I'm tired of arguing with them and have wasted enough of my time on this. They don't want to stand behind their product and honor the warranty, so be it. They lost a customer.

I am relocating across country this summer. My plan was to sell both grills and buy another 700 once I am settled in my new house, as I have been very happy with it. I will buy another brand pellet grill when that happens instead of another 700.

I just sold the 700 and will sell the 340 right before I move. The new owner will be informed of the issues and I will include both controllers. They can feel free to use whichever they choose to.

Thanks to all that responded.
 
I'm tired of arguing with them and have wasted enough of my time on this. They don't want to stand behind their product and honor the warranty, so be it. They lost a customer.

I am relocating across country this summer. My plan was to sell both grills and buy another 700 once I am settled in my new house, as I have been very happy with it. I will buy another brand pellet grill when that happens instead of another 700.

I just sold the 700 and will sell the 340 right before I move. The new owner will be informed of the issues and I will include both controllers. They can feel free to use whichever they choose to.

Thanks to all that responded.

Totally understand and it’s their loss to lose a valuable client like you. This forum is not run by them so please do if you would share your experience and future success.

Hope to see you around and all the best in your decisions.
 
I've been meaning to update this thread. I was able to get in touch with a supervisor. He sent me a replacement controller, which resolved the issue. Obviously, their "connect to a hotspot on a cell phone" troubleshooting process is flawed. My grill is up and running, but they still lost a customer.
 

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