Apex Keeps Disconnecting

[PugsAndFish]

I have an Apex El and within the last several weeks, the Apex continues to disconnect. I keep getting a message saying "Apex Disconnected: This Apex isn't presently connected to Fusion".

To fix this I have to unplug my Apex. Then in a few days it happens again. It's getting annoying and I can't control anything if I am not at home to disconnect my Apex. I also never have had internet issues. I work at home all day and am connected from 8am to 12am most days and never have had connection issues. Anyone know what's up?

 

[Greybeard]

I'd suggest that either there is something wrong with the Apex, or something wrong with your access point. The Apex being the more expensive, and more difficult to replace, I'd first try swapping out your wifi access point.

Then, if the Apex keeps disconnecting, even with a new AP, I might contact Neptune and see what they have to say.

Oh... I would certainly check to make sure the firmware on your Apex is up to date...

Just FYI: I, too, have an Apex EL, using Google's mesh wifi AP's, and aside from power failure, I never have dropped connection from my Apex. What you're seeing is neither normal, nor, in my opinion, acceptable.

 

[SuncrestReef]

My first step would be to reboot your Internet router. Even though you say you have no Internet problems all day, I’ve worked in IT for over 30 years and have frequently seen where an Internet router selectively blocks a single device on the network for no apparent reason. After rebooting the router, everything behaved properly.

 

[PugsAndFish]

Thanks! I'll give these a try

 

[DarthSimon]

You can also try another router attached to your existing router. If you have an extra router hanging around, Ethernet out of your existing router, and plug into new one. Then plug your apex into new one. The Apex will stand behind the Firewall of the new router, and be on a different IP Schema. I just had a similar issue. If you get zero drops it tells you there is a device on your existing network causing issues.

 

[350DRVR]

I ha e had an Apex El for about two weeks and it disconnects about 8-12 times a day. My wifi is stro g and hasn’t disconnected at all during this time. Ive reset the router multiple times and I ha e to reset the Apex sometimes a few times before it will reconnect. every other device on our WiFi stays connected and has strong signals.
the Apex is only about 8 feet from the router so it’s not a distance issues. Very frustrating to spend this kind of money to monitor a tank and you spend more time resetting it and trying to keep it connected.

 

[DarthSimon]

Can you run a dedicated cat5 wire from your router into Apex head unit?

 

[350DRVR]

Can you run a dedicated cat5 wire from your router into Apex head unit?

Yes I can and after about two hours I finally got the unit to be recognize. When I initially set the unit up I had to hard wire it as well. Unfortunately that’s not why a purchased the unit to have to hard wire it. The idea of wireless was to keep a clean look to the tank and room. So for my future tank design I may have to look at other options if the wireless is this problematic.

 

[ctcarper]

I had this issue and it turned out to be my Orbi access point was bad. I connected Ethernet cable direct into Apex and it’s been working ever since. I swore it was the apex unit but come to find out my wifi access point was having issues. Replaced Orbi satellite and it worked great. I decided to keep it hardwired though since I had the cable run anyway.

 

[Eli Smoke]

Wired will always be better than wireless.

 

[Pêcheur]

Did anyone find a solution other than using an Ethernet cable. My app keeps showing “This Apex has disconnected from Fusion”, but the Apex logo is orange and my Asus Mesh Router shows it is connected to the network, but somehow not connected to Fusion. I don’t quite understand.

The only way to get it to reconnect is to plug in an ethernet cable for 20-30 minutes, and it will establish a connection to Fusion and work for 12-24 hours before disconnecting from Fusion again.

Running a permanent hard connection is not an option.

I’ve had several troubleshooting calls with Apex and they’ve made the troubleshooting changes to my network and no change.

I’m not sure what is causing the disconnection, but it seems the real issue is that the unit is not reestablishing a connection to Fusion.

 

[calimako]

i ran into this couple weeks ago. apparently they had two firmware releases which didn't sit well with my set up as I was installing a trident and two dos units around the same time. It tried to update the firmware and my system at that point kept disconnecting from wifi. (Apex isn't presently connected to Fusion) I tried everything. rebooted my mesh (orbi 6) router and satelittes, restarted the apex, changed ports on apex, etc. Then I tried to reboot the wifi set up on the apex into hotspot mode and then got stuck on the neptune "blue N" symbol.

I had no choice at this point but to set up a call with the neptune help desk. Jon the agent was very helpful and patient. We tried everything and ultimately the solution was to hard wire a ethernet cable to the apex. I basically moved one of the mesh satellites over to the tank and then ran a ethernet cable. that enabled me to get out of the wifi hotspot set up mode and reconnect apex to fusion. but Once i removed the hard wire, the wifi connection between apex and fusion kept disconnecting again.. argggh. so frustrating.

so in the end, i threw in the towel and put in a mesh router satellite in my stand so i can hardwire the apex. i hear other ppl have used a powerlink adapter. This is sad because the main selling point of the apex is the wifi capabilities. The apex and fusion were working fine before these firmware updates, so I am guessing that is what is causing the spotty wifi drops now. Anyways, i am done wasting time on trying to fix this and just going with the hardwire for now.

 

[Pêcheur]

i ran into this couple weeks ago. apparently they had two firmware releases which didn't sit well with my set up as I was installing a trident and two dos units around the same time. It tried to update the firmware and my system at that point kept disconnecting from wifi. (Apex isn't presently connected to Fusion) I tried everything. rebooted my mesh (orbi 6) router and satelittes, restarted the apex, changed ports on apex, etc. Then I tried to reboot the wifi set up on the apex into hotspot mode and then got stuck on the neptune "blue N" symbol.

I had no choice at this point but to set up a call with the neptune help desk. Jon the agent was very helpful and patient. We tried everything and ultimately the solution was to hard wire a ethernet cable to the apex. I basically moved one of the mesh satellites over to the tank and then ran a ethernet cable. that enabled me to get out of the wifi hotspot set up mode and reconnect apex to fusion. but Once i removed the hard wire, the wifi connection between apex and fusion kept disconnecting again.. argggh. so frustrating.

so in the end, i threw in the towel and put in a mesh router satellite in my stand so i can hardwire the apex. i hear other ppl have used a powerlink adapter. This is sad because the main selling point of the apex is the wifi capabilities. The apex and fusion were working fine before these firmware updates, so I am guessing that is what is causing the spotty wifi drops now. Anyways, i am done wasting time on trying to fix this and just going with the hardwire for now.

Sounds very similar to my problems, I have a ASUS ZenWifi AX Mesh router with one satellite. My wifi speeds are typically over 800Mbps. No issues with anything else dropping.

Granted, I got my Apex at the beginning of May and it worked fine at first but after the first firmware is when I started having it “disconnect from fusion”. I was under the impression is was losing connection to wifi but after a ticket in they said that the orange logo meant that it was still connected to a network. My asus app showed it connected as well but I couldn’t get it to acccess fusion. Not until I stretched an Ethernet all the way across my living room did it reconnect, for a few days. When it disconnected again I tried the resetting the wifi hotspot, and it would reconnect….until that stopped working. Now the only way for me to connect to fusion is via Ethernet, then it works wirelessly for 4 - 48 hours and I have to reconnect the Ethernet. I have a call on setup on Tuesday, they did offer to let me send it in for troubleshooting.

I’m pretty disappointed that a $400 piece of technology can’t maintain a wireless connection to stay in working order. A permanent Ethernet connection is not an option, and I don’t think I should have to spend money on an extra satellite or even a powerlink.

 

[calimako]

pecheur, I am glad I am not the only one. Yes, we are in a very similar situation. my wifi speeds are 400+mbs and the apex reads very strong wifi signal. I too experienced the orange logo but "disconnected from fusion" issue. In desperation i tried the wifi restart hotspot set up and it kicked it to the blue logo mode and I got stuck. (do not do this). the only way i was able to get out of it was to hardwire the apex (based on the direction from the helpdesk). I have the exact same symptoms. When I disconnect the wire, it works wirelessly for 4-48 hours and then disconnects from fusion. I pretty much got fed up and threw one of my two satellites in the stand. I've had my apex for almost two years now and never experienced this before, so I almost am certain it is the firmware updates they did in late May. Before that, it was working like a dream.

I agree with all your statements except for the $400 part as most of us have pbb spent thousands on the overall set up (in my case i have the apex/dos/trident/fmm/gro/etc) IME, the support from Neptune is great, but i just wish the wifi capabilities on this apex would be better or fixed asap.

let me know if you ever get it to work and I will do the same
cheers

 

[Pêcheur]

pecheur, I am glad I am not the only one. Yes, we are in a very similar situation. my wifi speeds are 400+mbs and the apex reads very strong wifi signal. I too experienced the orange logo but "disconnected from fusion" issue. In desperation i tried the wifi restart hotspot set up and it kicked it to the blue logo mode and I got stuck. (do not do this). the only way i was able to get out of it was to hardwire the apex (based on the direction from the helpdesk). I have the exact same symptoms. When I disconnect the wire, it works wirelessly for 4-48 hours and then disconnects from fusion. I pretty much got fed up and threw one of my two satellites in the stand. I've had my apex for almost two years now and never experienced this before, so I almost am certain it is the firmware updates they did in late May. Before that, it was working like a dream.

I agree with all your statements except for the $400 part as most of us have pbb spent thousands on the overall set up (in my case i have the apex/dos/trident/fmm/gro/etc) IME, the support from Neptune is great, but i just wish the wifi capabilities on this apex would be better or fixed asap.

let me know if you ever get it to work and I will do the same
cheers

I almost said $1000+, but felt that was hyperbolic since the controller is the part not working correctly and I think it costs about $400, but then again, nothing else will work without it.

I’ll keep you posted if I get it figured out

 

[calimako]

@Pêcheur , reviving this thread as I had a break through on this earlier this week. I kept looking to resolve this as I hated having a mesh satellite in my tank stand. Hoping this works for you too. It has been 3 days of continuous wifi connection w/o a disconnect and I finally think I figured it out.

in short, the problem was that the Apex kept it's original IP address after reboot and router reboot. So after my router rebooted, another device took the same IP address as the apex while it was offline. So when I try to connect the apex to the network, it would for a while and then disconnect when the conflicting device connected with the same IP address ( was also on the same 2.4hz network). This is my theory and why I would get random disconnects happening ranging from hours to days.

The fix: Per Neptune's help desk, I downloaded the Apex browse utility program. See screen shot of it. This program is a lifesaver. What I was able to do is manually assign an IP address to the apex. I chose it to end in .99 as the other devices start at .01 and work up in number. previously it ended it .26 and was conflicting with another device with the same address.

Restarted the apex and confirmed with the router that it sees the apex on .99 - see screen shot.
After that, it has been working without a hiccup. On day 3 with solid connectivity and the best part, without having to use a satellite in the stand to run an ethernet cable to the apex.

hope this helps and works for you.

 

[Gabev44]

I'm reading this thread now as I've been dealing with this issue now for the last couple months. Same symptoms as everyone else. My device shows an orange light, but I can't connect to fusion even though my Asus router says it's connected to the Apex. I have a 1gb fiber connection with a pretty new WIFI6 router. I have some other IOT devices in my house that never have these issues (including an IceCap2k gyre pump...). I received a new APEX unit from Neptune, hooked it up, and am still having the connection issues. I have another e-mail into the Neptune team, but was curious if anyone else has still been having these problems? Also, @so_cal_cbz has that fix worked out for you? I'm hoping I get this resolved soon, it's pretty annoying.

 

[Pêcheur]

I'm reading this thread now as I've been dealing with this issue now for the last couple months. Same symptoms as everyone else. My device shows an orange light, but I can't connect to fusion even though my Asus router says it's connected to the Apex. I have a 1gb fiber connection with a pretty new WIFI6 router. I have some other IOT devices in my house that never have these issues (including an IceCap2k gyre pump...). I received a new APEX unit from Neptune, hooked it up, and am still having the connection issues. I have another e-mail into the Neptune team, but was curious if anyone else has still been having these problems? Also, @so_cal_cbz has that fix worked out for you? I'm hoping I get this resolved soon, it's pretty annoying.

I ended up buying a Powerline Ethernet Adapter. The last few days, that’s not even working.

 

[e3pillereefer]

My Apex is a big PITA also. Have to hard-wire it. Neptune had no clue either and couldn't see where the Apex was communicating at all with anything. They sent me a replacement but that too was doing the same. After disconnecting a 100' long ethernet cable I ran to my garage, problem solved? All these questions and no answers? I shouldn't have to be a computer geek to get this to work...crazy

 

[Pêcheur]

@Pêcheur , reviving this thread as I had a break through on this earlier this week. I kept looking to resolve this as I hated having a mesh satellite in my tank stand. Hoping this works for you too. It has been 3 days of continuous wifi connection w/o a disconnect and I finally think I figured it out.

in short, the problem was that the Apex kept it's original IP address after reboot and router reboot. So after my router rebooted, another device took the same IP address as the apex while it was offline. So when I try to connect the apex to the network, it would for a while and then disconnect when the conflicting device connected with the same IP address ( was also on the same 2.4hz network). This is my theory and why I would get random disconnects happening ranging from hours to days.

The fix: Per Neptune's help desk, I downloaded the Apex browse utility program. See screen shot of it. This program is a lifesaver. What I was able to do is manually assign an IP address to the apex. I chose it to end in .99 as the other devices start at .01 and work up in number. previously it ended it .26 and was conflicting with another device with the same address.

Restarted the apex and confirmed with the router that it sees the apex on .99 - see screen shot.
After that, it has been working without a hiccup. On day 3 with solid connectivity and the best part, without having to use a satellite in the stand to run an ethernet cable to the apex.

hope this helps and works for you.

They tried this on mine and it didn’t last.

I'm reading this thread now as I've been dealing with this issue now for the last couple months. Same symptoms as everyone else. My device shows an orange light, but I can't connect to fusion even though my Asus router says it's connected to the Apex. I have a 1gb fiber connection with a pretty new WIFI6 router. I have some other IOT devices in my house that never have these issues (including an IceCap2k gyre pump...). I received a new APEX unit from Neptune, hooked it up, and am still having the connection issues. I have another e-mail into the Neptune team, but was curious if anyone else has still been having these problems? Also, @so_cal_cbz has that fix worked out for you? I'm hoping I get this resolved soon, it's pretty annoying.

I have the ASUS Wi-Fi6 mesh router as well. I decided to try one last thing before ordering a node to plug it in to.
I separated my 2.4/5GHz networks and gave them different SSIDs. Seems to be working momentarily, whereas in the past I couldn’t even get it to connect any longer without a direct Ethernet line.
I’ll report back in a couple of days.