Wi-Fi DCS Update from MTH

On the point of a ethernet jack, it is also worth noting that Wifi is SLOW compared to a hardwired connection.  if you have a lot of Wifi devices taking up bandwidth on your network the hardwired connection will allow for a much better connection to your home network.   From what I can see in the instruction manual it looks like the DCS Wifi device uses a b/g/n standard wireless adapter, which is actually pretty good with up to 300mbps data transfer.  What you have to take into consideration id=s that if you have a weak signal, or any interference on the 2.4GHz frequency, that speed can drop dramatically as the wifi must keep sending the same data back and forth until it gets a clear message.  Also worth noting that that speed depends on you having a higher end wireless router in the first place, capable of the higher speed.  A lot of folk have only the b/g standard router which caps at 54mbps.  When compared to the 1000mbps and (mostly) complete lack of interference of a wired connection, having the ethernet plug is a good call on MTH's part.   

Short version of this, taken from page 8 of the manual;  "The smart device typically connects to the router via Wi-Fi, so there is limited benefit to using this configuration. It may improve overall performance in an environment with unreliable Wi-Fi network signaling."

JGL

I'll just wait for this to work correctly before i get it I guess.

From a "Fully Authorized Dealer and Service Center"

After watching over a dozen public videos on You Tube as related to learning, MTH-DCS, Wi-Fi. This is the best as of January 11, 2016. As more You Tubers purchase Mike's Wi-Fi, this number will grow.  

This video is where the steel, meets the rails, with no sand.

I am working with a Model Railroading friend and we have the 5.0 up grade done, to the TIU & Controller, been to the Apple Store to get the APP.  We have followed these steps, on page 5 of the manual and have watched this video & we are up and running.

1. Attach the antenna to the WIU.

2. Set the MTH/HOME selector switch to MTH.

3. Connect the WIU to your TIU with a USB cable (included*).

4. Apply track power through the TIU.

5. Plug the WIU into an AC wall outlet. 

6. Wait 1 minute for the WIU to initialize. When ready, the PWR, WI-FI, and TIU LEDS will be lit.

7. If you haven’t already, go to the iOS App Store or Google Play Store and install the app on your smart device. Search for MTH DCS to quickly find the app in either app store.

8. In your smart device, navigate to Wi-Fi settings and connect to the MTH DCS network. The network name (SSID) and network key are printed on the label affixed to the bottom of the WIU.

9. Open the app and tap RUN MY TRAINS.

10. Tap CHOOSE OR ADD AND ENGINE near the top of the screen and follow the prompts. 11. After adding an engine(s), tap START UP and enjoy running your trains in Wi-Fi DCS.

Gary & Cheers from The Detroit and Mackinac Railway

Interesting part is that he already assumes in the video you've had it connected and functioning.  Many of these questions are related to setting it up and getting it started.

bluelinec4 posted:

OK a few things   Since MTh doesn't recommend more than 5 TIU's anyway I don't see any reason that the Wifi wouldn't work with six   That's a non point.  To further my question on Ethernet is WHY would I want to connect it hardwired to a home LAN when these are WiFi units   Doesn't make sense to me  Don't see any advantage   Thanks for the link to the manual   So I should be safe if I buy the units now  and will be able to upgrade  Correct???

Do you have a computer at home?  It kind of is a standard, hardware and wifi.  In fact, in most instructions if you have an issue connecting a device to a wifi unit due to your security setting, they recommend using the hardwire until set up is complete.  Also as stated hardwire is normally faster, and much more secure.

My computer and printers are hardwired to my router, and the wifi is for portable devices only.   If the access port bother you, you could cover it with electrical tape.  G

I have been using the MTH DCS WIFI for a couple of weeks now utilizing the Wired Ethernet Network.  I have a great WIFI signal in my train room but I was having problems accessing my Home WIFI.   I really didn't want to use the MTH Network because of the inability to access the internet while operating in that mode. My router is in a room on the other side of the house so it wasn't practical to run a Ethernet cable over that long distance.  I got around this by using a Cisco Wireless-N Gaming and Video Adapter, Model WET610N that I had originally purchased years ago to access my DirectTV receiver and was no longer using because of technology advances made by DirectTV since then. 

Just had to place the adapter under the table and plug the Ethernet cable into the adapter and plug the other end into the DCS WIFI Module and problem solved. The WET610N receives the wireless signal from my home router and transfers the signal to the DCS Module via the Ethernet port.

The Model 610 Adapter that I used is one of many that are available on the market.  There are also WIFI range extenders that are available.  Just make sure that they have an Ethernet port available.  Hope this helps others that  are having difficulties accessing their Home WIFI in their train room.

That's good information. 

Thanks, John

I'm adding this from a conversation in email with another user, because I think the info pertains to the conversation here about ethernet ports and why folks might want to use them when they have the option.  There is some un-related material at the start but I decided to leave the full email intact.  

JohnGaltLine said:

I'm unsure what equipment, and what provider you have for Internet. That said, I think Ethernet plug is probably more accurate than t-1. Ethernet is basically the hard-wired connection to your internet modem. T-1, on the other hand, is a very old term that basically means a telephone mainline. A t-1 line is exactly the same thing as having 24 phone lines. These connections became popular with folks that could afford them, in the early days of the Internet as having 24 phone lines let you download data 24 times faster than a single dial-up modem. Since the 1990's, however, broadband cable and DSL have virtually made dial-up extinct as they are faster and more reliable. A t-1 line tops out a little over 1 Mbps (million bits per second) where as many cable and other internet providers offer speeds of 300-2000 Mbps today. To judge what you need, to stream HD quality video requires a speed of 3 to 5 Mbps, if you are doing absolutely nothing else on the internet and have no other devices connected. 

 

Anyway, on to the wifi,  the higher end wifi devices out for the last few years transfer data plenty fast enough to not really be worth talking about right now.  However a lot of folks are running older equipment, or running inexpensive equipment that will limit wireless speed to 54 Mbps. This is still very fast for one device to download with, but a lot of folks don't understand that if their router is limited at this speed, every device connected takes away something.  

Think of your wifi connection like a bunch of hoses connected to a large bucket. The bucket holds 54 gallons of water.  Radio interference acts like poking some holes into each hose, forcing you to lose some water(data) on the way to your phone or computer. In addition wifi is a redundant system that self corrects errors.  In the bucket analogy, once the water gets to your phone, the phone has to pump it back to another bucket to make sure the phone got the right amount of water. All of this back and forth of water(data) takes time, and when all is said and done, that 54 gallons is down to 25-30 that can actually be used on your phone or computer. Then it has to be split up again to go to each device connected. Your train wifi app? 2 gallons. The train wifi base, another 2.  Your kids and other family members watching Netflix?  There goes 15 gallons. Soon enough the water starts flowing slower.  Not enough data can pass through the wifi to keep up with demand. 

To the question of why have, or use an Ethernet port on a wifi device,  the answer is simple.  You free up a bit of data flow for other devices that actually need a wireless connection, like your phone or tablet, and...  Going back to the bucket of water again, that plug is like replacing the 54 gallon bucket with one that holds thousands of gallons. The wired connection transfers data dozens, if not hundreds, of times faster than wifi.  

 

I got a bit off course here in my response  to you and more into my reply to the folk on the forum, so I'm going to post much of this there as well. Anyway, I hope there is something useful to you in my ramblings.  

The take away from this as it related to this conversation is, if it is not too much of a headache, always use a wired connection if you can.  Every device you use on wifi slows the rest down, so if you can plug something in, do it.  Wifi is convenient.  Hard wired ethernet is fast and secure.  

JGL

Bluelinec4, Ben I will use the ethernet port to connect my computer to each WIU to upgrade the firmware when MTH releases it... I generally upgrade my router firmware using the ethernet port and I find it to be more reliable than upgrading "over the air"...  That's one specific use for the ethernet port

Has anyone had the problem of being unable to get engines off the inactive list?  I have experienced all the issues with multiple engines and multiple TIUS and when engines get moved to the inactive list the touch screen for the inactive list does not respond... Is this also part of the upcoming fixes?

Only way I've found to get them onto active list is to do another read, and hope it doesn't drop a few off the active list.

Dave Allen posted:

I have ordered a Wi Fi module, but have just discovered that the app is not available from the Apple site in Australia. How can I get around this please? ( Obviously, I'm in Australia).

Barry Broskowitz, can you help on this one?

JimQ posted:

Has anyone had the problem of being unable to get engines off the inactive list?  I have experienced all the issues with multiple engines and multiple TIUS and when engines get moved to the inactive list the touch screen for the inactive list does not respond... Is this also part of the upcoming fixes?

Hi Jim - We are all going through a learning curve. The best is yet to come from MTH, with the Advance APP. Just hang in and it will all come together.

Dave,

Another member had a similar issue with the Canada App Store. The solution was to search using combinations of "DCS", "WiFi" and "MTH", 2 terms at a time.

It really should be there; it may just be tagged wrong.

Trainroomgary, thanks for the reply... I know it will work out in the end...  I have been working around the problems just by limiting the number of DCS locos I put on the layout... Seems to work out OK... also, I am only using the app to run steam engines since I never lash them up...  Peace and harmony reign in the Shire for now!!

Barry Broskowitz posted:

Dave,

Another member had a similar issue with the Canada App Store. The solution was to search using combinations of "DCS", "WiFi" and "MTH", 2 terms at a time.

It really should be there; it may just be tagged wrong.

Thankjs Barry, I'll try that.

I had problems finding app with instructions given by MTH. I tried 'wi-fi dcs', and it came up on Canada Apple store. Al

Guess I'll miss out on this one.  Don't see the value as I don't WiFi and upgrading my layout control system is always a huge PIA.

Someday the software may be stabilized, but based on past releases, re-releases, bug-fixes, etc, I don't see it happening in the near future.

Running the TMCC engines more these days as they are pretty much problem-free and have most all features now one finds in basic operations with DCS.  I did stop purchasing MTH locomotives a while ago, due to the frustrations.  And it's not just my own layout; two other friends with large layouts are continually having problems with DCS.

Maybe we in the Northwest are the only ones experiencing these type of problems?  I just went back to working on the track and scenery and quit running trains for a while until I figure out where to go from here.  Know of one guy on the forums who said enough and converted his DCS engines to the new TMCC software and is very happy he did, apparently.

Maybe the computers out here are not up to the task of the new upgrading protocols, where one almost needs a new PC with WIN10 to get anywhere?

Kerrian.  I have 2 wifi units running on my layout.  IMHO, the wifi is fine if you like to play with gadgets (I do), but if you want to run trains (I do), stick with the remote.

Dave Allen posted:

I have ordered a Wi Fi module, but have just discovered that the app is not available from the Apple site in Australia. How can I get around this please? ( Obviously, I'm in Australia).

Both apps have been released to Australia for several weeks.  I am not sure about the process or timing for availability but, we have released them.  I think it is now in the hands of Apple and Google.