A1 frequently disconnects from Wifi. Poor signal near the router

Bambu Lab A Series Troubleshooting
1
  • Detailed description of the problem
    I’ve had my A1 for several months. I can use it, but it is often very temperamental when it comes to connectivity. I had trouble keeping Bambu Studio connected in Windows, but I was at least able to do things - it would stay connected long enough to send a print, and watch the camera for a while. Once or twice per print, I would have to reconnect the printer. I’ve recently switched to Linux and it will not stay connected long enough to even do that.

Just to be clear, this is not a problem with being able to find/connect the printer initially. It is found and connects through all methods. It just wont STAY connected. After it disconnects, inevitably it will pop up again within seconds as an available printer on the network. Sometimes I can get a print sent off, but I have not been able to ever monitor the camera after the switch to Linux. (And again, Windows still had problems)

The signal icon consistently indicates 2/3 bars, and while that is also a problem considering the printer is less than 20 feet from the router, and there are other wifi devices in the same room and farther that report very strong signals, this tells me it’s the printer and not my wifi. I did buy an external wifi antenna to hack into the printer with, but I want to make sure I’m not missing any other options before I go that route. I read on Reddit that the wifi module on these printers is often cheap and low quality, and that hacking in an external antenna often fixes it… but again, what might I do before that?
Im sure moving the printer will help, but that’s not an option and frankly there should be no signal issues where it is. (20ft away from router where the signal is actually very strong)

I have also analyzed my wifi network and found that the channel I’m using is the best, and also changed to other unused channels but nothing has changed with the problem.

  • Printer model used
    A1+AMS
  • Slicer settings used
    Connected via automatic, via security passcode/IP and QR code.
  • Type of filament used
    N/A
  • Photos that clearly show the problem
    N/A
  • .3mf file (if the file can be shared)
    N/A
  • Any potentially useful information that is related to the problem
    OS: Linux Mint, connected via Ethernet cable, not wifi.
    I did search these forums with all the terms and phrases I could find but nothing came up.
2

We’re seeing this frequently too. Sometimes we have to hard reset the printer to get it to come back online. Seems to have been happening after a recent firmware update we believe.

1 Like
3

This is happening to me as well, with my A1. Worked fine for the first 2-3 weeks, now I’m constantly having to forget the network and reconnect. Yesterday it was so bad I had to connect it to my iPhone hotspot.

Really frustrating when it’s connected before I leave the house, get to work and try to print something, only for it be disconnected again.

4

Hi everyone,

I’ve thought of some solutions that could help; it might not, though.

  • I presume you’ve tried restarting your router already, but if not, I would try that, as sometimes it just needs a good reset. As I say, if in doubt, restart.
  • If you have a spare router or some money, I suggest using a dedicated 2.4GHz router just for the printer, especially if a lot of people are using the same network.
  • If you’ve got space, I would try moving the printer, as depending on where satellites are, it can and will impact your connectivity.

I’ll cc @gcaprio, but I presume that it has been solved already, @chadbrochills let me know if the above are your solutions.

Cheers, :crossed_fingers:

5

I agree with a lot of what the others have said. This sounds stupid, but definitely unplug your printer for 5 minutes then power it back on. That fixes a lot of software issues.

6

We switched to our 2.4 GHz wifi network and connectivity has improved, so I’m hoping that was the issue. thanks for the help everyone.

2 Likes