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I am running Blu Train on my phone.  When I enable the app on my phone it says that it is looking for the WiFi box.  Sfter about a minute the app appears to timeout and states it can't find the WiFi box.  The WiFi Box is connected to my network as GAINSPAN-NNNNNN.  My Phone is also connected to my Network.  Am I missing a step that connects my phone to the WiFi box?

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Jim - It sounds like you have set up your LCS WiFi box to connect wirelessly to your home's existing WiFi network rather than creating its own WiFi network, but the app on your phone is unable to find the LCS WiFi box to communicate with.

 

Are you able to confirm the LCS WiFi box has successfully negotiated a connection with your home's WiFi network? For example, do you already have it working from an iPad using the free LCS app, or is it listed as a connected client when you look at the relevant status page of your home's WiFi router?

 

Last edited by hmb

Marty, I tried to have the WiFi join the network, but the only way to do that is use WPS.  I have two different routers I've tried, but when you use WPS on either of them, they nuke your configured networks and revert every connection to WPS.  Since some of the devices on the network don't have WPS capability, that's a no-go.

 

IMO, Lionel missed the board making this a WPS only device.  There should have been some method of connecting like a normal WiFi client.

 

Originally Posted by gunrunnerjohn:

... two different routers I've tried, but when you use WPS on either of them, they nuke your configured networks and revert every connection to WPS.

Needless to say, that shouldn't have to happen.

 

On some WiFi routers (Netgear, for example) there is a configuration checkbox called "Keep Existing Wireless Settings" that needs to be enabled if you want to use WPS to add a new/additional wireless client. If that box isn't checked before hitting the WPS button, the current configuration of the existing WiFi network gets nuked. Perhaps that is the issue?

Last edited by hmb

HMB, Gun, MartyE,

 

Both my phone, which has the Bluetrain App, and the Lionel WiFi box appear on my home network.  The WiFi box shows up with the name of GAINSPAN_NNNNNN where the NNNNNN is the last six digits of the MAC Address.  When I try to connect the App on my phone states it is looking for the Lionel WiFi box but after a minute or so times out with a connection failure

Gun, hmb, MartyE,

 

If I switch to Access Point,  I can see the WiFi Box as a network on my phone.  I can connect to it and the green light goes solid, meaning I am connected.  Start the Bluetrain App and I can talk to my Engine.  I have TPC's connected to my postwar ZW's.  I can not do TR "0" and "Boost" to apply 18volts to the track.  I do this with my Legacy Controller and then I can do ENG "13" "Boost" with Bluetrain and the Engine starts up.  Increase the Throttle, the engine heads out.  So the Bluetrain App works somewhat.  I would still like to run the WiFi box on my existing Home network and have the Bluetrain app find the WiFi box.  I still feel like I am missing a piece of the puzzle.

The IP Address when the WiFi box is in "Join Network" mode is 192.168.254.18.  Some how there needs to be a mechanism within the router that allows a device running the Bluetrain App to search for the assigned IP address.  I am not a router expert but there seems to be a connectivity process using NAT or DMZ.  Maybe NOT.  I don't know...

With both your phone and your LCS WiFi box connected to the same WiFi network, and with both devices having an IP address on the same subnet, there are no other requirements for getting these two devices to communicate with each other (i.e. it is not necessary to do any configuration of your router's firewall or DMZ settings). It should "just work".

 

Since the LCS WiFi box has an IP address of 192.168.254.18 , can you check to make sure your phone's WiFi interface also has an IP address in the range of 192.168.254.xxx ?

Last edited by hmb

Hi Jim • The OGR Member, you should talk to is Forrest Jerome.

He installed the Lionel LCS System, just last week.

Check out........

• What did you do on your layout today?

See page 139, all went well for him, at this point.

 

• Below is a screen shot of his comment.

  Click on Screen shot to enlarge. Good Luck - Cheers The Detroit & Mackinac Railway

Forrest Jerome on Lionel WiFi Module LCS

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Images (1)
  • Forrest Jerome on Lionel WiFi Module LCS

I suggest a simple test--ask a friend with an iPad to drop by and install the free Lionel LCS App. Put the LCS WiFi into Join To Network mode. Then see if the Lionel LCS app works as intended. If yes, contact the BluTrain developer. As SantaFe fan suggests, that app may not be able to connect to the LCS WiFi when it is in Join To Network mode. 

Jim,

Does anyone know how to remove an app from an Ipad?  I will be loading the LCS Software on my sister's Ipad and she won't want the app on it after I am done testing.

Press and hold on the app you want to remove until all of the apps start to "wiggle". Then, tap the icon of the app to be deleted.

 

Next, tap the little "x" on the upper left of the app icon, and press "YES" to confirm to delete the app.

Originally Posted by gunrunnerjohn:

Barry, if you read the link I posted, depending on how you sync, you may have to take some additional measures.

 

The link also correctly points out one small point, but which does bug some people a lot. Even though the app gets deleted off the iPad, it will forever appear listed on that iPad's  "purchased but not on this iPad" list of apps as evidence it was once downloaded.

John,

 

As long as it was installed directly from the iPad, rather than via iTunes, no further work is necessary.

 

As a matter if fact, even it was installed via iTunes, you really shouldn't need to do anything, either. The link you provided is more than 2 years old, and iTunes has changed as lot since then.

 

I just performed a test by deleting anm app of my iPad Mini's home screen and then syncing with iTunes. The app did not reappear.

 

Now to hub's point above, if the iPad was synced with the computer after the app was placed on the iPad, or if the setting to automatically add purchased apps to all devices (including the computer's iTunes app) is turned on, as it is for all of my devices, then, yes, the app will remain in the iTunes Library until it it's deleted. However, it still will not be automatically re-synced onto the iPad.

Last edited by Barry Broskowitz

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