We have been receiving feedback where users are experiencing issues with Wi-Fi stability when the iOS WatchMate application is in use. A symptom of this is where a blue notification banner is repeatedly displayed. On some occasions the WatchMate application may also crash.
Upon further investigation by the support team we discovered that the Wi-Fi connection to a smartAIS transponder can drop out and be replaced by a Wi-Fi connection with internet access.
Both the WatchMate XB-8000 and WatchMate Vision devices behave in the same manner in regards to this issue, therefore they are referred to as smartAIS device in the explanations below.
Before attempting to address this issue please ensure that you are running the latest WatchMate app with a version of 16544 or greater.
To check your WatchMate app version:
- Press the ‘Settings’ button on the main screen of the WatchMate app at the bottom within the navigation bar
- Select the ‘SUPPORT’ row within the ‘APP SETTINGS’ screen
- Find the row that reads ‘ABOUT APP’
- Underneath that row is a line that reads ‘WatchMate VERSION’ followed by the version number
Suggested Fixes
1 - Forget all Wi-Fi connections on your iOS device with the exception of your smartAIS device
Having a single Wi-Fi available puts a stop to iOS trying to search for the internet, and then attempt to utilize what it thinks might be a better Wi-Fi connection.
The following steps are required in order to forget a Wi-Fi connection:
- Open the ‘Settings’ app and select ‘Wi-Fi’.
- Select the information icon to the right on the Wi-Fi connection for which you wish to forget.
- Press the ‘Forget This Network’ button.
- When the confirmation dialog appears press the ‘Forget’ button to the right.
Repeat the forget process for all Wi-Fi connections with the exception of the Wi-Fi connection associated with your smartAIS device.
As a last step:
- ‘Ask to Join Networks’ - turn this to ON
- Restart the WatchMate application on your iOS device.
If you are still experiencing connection problems please trying applying the suggested fixes in 2 below.
2 - Adjust the priority of your Wi-Fi connections
The order (listed in descending priority) in which Wi-Fi connections are present within the Network settings can also have an effect on Wi-Fi stability. By making sure that the Wi-Fi connection associated with the smartAIS device is moved to the top the list ensures that your unit’s Wi-Fi connection is given a higher priority than others.
This step needs to be performed on a Mac that has the same iCloud account as your iOS device. Wi-Fi settings are synced across to iOS devices with the same iCloud account.
The following steps need to be followed:
- Open the ‘Systems Preferences’ application on your Mac
- Choose ‘Network’.
- Select ‘Wi-Fi’ in the left hand panel
- Press the ’Advanced…’ button.
- Move your smartAIS device to the top of the list with other Wi-fi connections below.
For more information on this topic please read the following article:
https://pxlnv.com/blog/prioritize-wifi-ios/
As a last step on your iOS device
- Open the ‘Settings’ application
- Select ‘Wi-Fi’
- ‘Ask to Join Networks’ - turn this to on