Wireless Interference and How to Troubleshoot Low Signal Strength

Are your sensors showing low signal strength in the app? Or are they regularly disconnecting and reconnecting on their own? Or are you having trouble calibrating your sensors?

Any of these issues could be related to poor signal strength between your sensor and your bridge. Many factors can influence sensor signal strength, so let's dig into a handful of them and how to troubleshoot. 

Symptoms

There are a few behaviors that indicate your sensors may be suffering from interference:

• The app shows low signal strength on the sensors tab in system settings.
• Your sensors often disconnect and reconnect on their own a few minutes later.
• Your sensors might miss an alert every once in a while.
• Installing your sensor might take a long time or you get an error that says your sensor is not calibrated after installing. 

Quick Troubleshooting Tips

Every home is different, and what works for one might not work for another. Troubleshooting wireless interference can require a bit of trial and error. Here are some things to try:

• Move your bridge to a few different locations around your home. Sometimes moving your bridge just one outlet over can make all the difference! Ideally, plug your bridge into an outlet that's centrally located to all your sensors, though you may still have success if some sensors are slightly farther from the bridge than others to account for interference.
• If possible, move your sensor to a different location. The same principles apply for sensors as they do for a bridge; a small change can make a big difference!
• Unplug or move other electronics that might be causing interference. Not sure where to start? We've outlined some more details below.
• Contact support to discuss adding an additional bridge to your system. A second bridge will act like a WiFi extender for your sensors.

Want more information?  

More details below about the three most common types of wireless interference found at home.

Interference From Walls, Doors and Other Construction

To get the most out of your Notion home awareness system, you probably will install sensors in numerous rooms and on various floors. This means at least a few sensors will need to connect to a bridge through a wall or a floor. Less dense materials, like wood or drywall, won't have a huge impact on signal strength. However, avoid placing sensors where materials like brick, metal or concrete could block the connection to the bridge. For example, don't place a sensor behind your refrigerator.

Interference From Other Electronics

Any electronic device that emits a wireless signal--like cordless phones, bluetooth speakers or baby monitors--can interfere with your Notion sensors. It's also possible for larger electronics, like your microwave or TV, to emit enough signal noise to affect a sensor's connection to the bridge.

Bonus tip! To limit interference from other electronics, unplug devices when they're not in use. Or try moving your Notion bridge away from big electronics. 

Interference From Competing WiFi Networks

Have you noticed when you connect to your home WiFi that a bunch of other networks pop up as options to connect to? In cities, apartment buildings and tightly-packed neighborhoods, interference from other WiFi networks is very common.

WiFi networks broadcast on channels, and when multiple networks are set to the same channel, they'll constantly be competing with each other. When that happens, your Notion bridge might have a tough time talking to your sensors. 

If you run into this issue, invest in a router with a channel switching feature so that your network will automatically choose the least crowded WiFi channel. 

Still have questions? 

Check out this article for more information on the best placement for your bridge.

Or reach out to our support team at support@getnotion.com or by phone at (877) 668-4660 for more information.