Tidesy WiFi Setup Guide

What Are 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz?

Your WiFi router sends signals on radio frequencies, just like a radio station. Most modern routers use two frequencies:

Think of it like AM and FM radio — they’re both radio, but they use different frequencies. Tidesy listens on the 2.4 GHz “station,” so your router needs to be broadcasting on that frequency.

macOS (Mac)

Newer versions of macOS (especially Sequoia and later) can hide WiFi networks that have no internet connection. Since TidesySetup only connects your Mac directly to the Tidesy device and does not provide internet, macOS may suppress it from the normal WiFi list.

1. Check “Other Networks.” Click the WiFi icon in the menu bar. Scroll down past your known networks — TidesySetup may appear under an “Other Networks” section at the bottom.
2. Option-click the WiFi icon. Hold the Option key and click the WiFi icon in the menu bar. This shows an expanded list with all detected networks, including hidden and low-priority ones.
3. Join manually. Click the WiFi icon → “Other...” or “Other Network...” at the bottom. Type TidesySetup as the network name and tide1234 as the password. Set Security to WPA2.
4. Use System Settings. Open System Settings → WiFi. The full list of nearby networks appears here, including ones the menu bar may hide. Look for TidesySetup and click to join.

iPhone & iPad (iOS / iPadOS)

iOS may hide or auto-disconnect from networks that have no internet access.

1. Open Settings → WiFi.
2. Look under “Other Networks” below your saved networks. TidesySetup should appear there.
3. Tap TidesySetup and enter the password tide1234.
4. If iOS shows a “No Internet Connection” prompt, tap “Use Without Internet” or “Stay Connected.” Do not let iOS switch you back to your home network.

Windows 10 & 11

Windows usually shows all nearby networks without filtering. If TidesySetup doesn’t appear:

1. Click the WiFi icon in the taskbar (bottom-right).
2. Click “Show available networks” or the arrow next to the WiFi toggle.
3. Wait a few seconds — the list refreshes automatically. TidesySetup may take a moment to appear.
4. If your PC keeps reconnecting to your home WiFi before you can finish setup, right-click your home network and choose “Forget” temporarily. You can rejoin it after Tidesy setup is complete.

Android

Some Android phones have a feature called “Smart Network Switch,” “Switch to mobile data,” or “Auto-switch to best network” that automatically disconnects from WiFi networks that have no internet. This can disconnect you from TidesySetup before you finish the setup wizard.

1. Open Settings → WiFi (or Settings → Connections → WiFi on Samsung).
2. Tap the three-dot menu or “Advanced” and look for:
   • “Switch to mobile data automatically” — turn it off
   • “Smart Network Switch” — turn it off
   • “Wi-Fi assistant” or “Adaptive Wi-Fi” — turn it off
3. Connect to TidesySetup with password tide1234.
4. If a notification appears saying “Internet may not be available”, tap the notification and select “Stay connected” or “Yes”.

Chromebook

Chromebooks behave similarly to Android and may auto-switch away from networks without internet.

1. Click the WiFi icon in the bottom-right shelf.
2. Click the WiFi section to expand the list of available networks.
3. Select TidesySetup and enter the password tide1234.
4. If Chrome OS warns about no internet, choose to stay connected.
5. Open Chrome and go to 192.168.4.1.

Step 1: Open Your Router’s Settings

On a phone or computer connected to your WiFi:

1. Open a web browser (Chrome, Safari, Edge, etc.)
2. Type one of these addresses in the address bar and press Enter:
   • 192.168.1.1 (most common)
   • 192.168.0.1
   • 10.0.0.1 (Xfinity/Comcast)
3. Log in with your router’s admin username and password. This is often printed on a sticker on the bottom or back of the router. It is not the same as your WiFi password.

Step 2: Find the WiFi / Wireless Settings

Look for a section called one of these:

• Wireless or WiFi
• Wireless Settings
• WiFi Networks
• Radio or Band Settings

Step 3: Enable the 2.4 GHz Band

Make sure the 2.4 GHz radio is turned on. Some routers show a toggle switch or checkbox for each band. Enable it if it’s off.

If your router combines both bands under one network name (“band steering” or “smart connect”), that usually works fine. But if Tidesy still can’t see it, try this:

1. Turn off “Smart Connect,” “Band Steering,” or “Auto Band”
2. This will create two separate networks, for example:
   • MyHome (2.4 GHz)
   • MyHome-5G (5 GHz)
3. Connect Tidesy to the 2.4 GHz network name

Step 4: Save and Restart

Click Save or Apply in your router settings. The router may restart, which takes about a minute. After it’s back, restart Tidesy and try the setup again.

Taking Tidesy to a second home, a rental or a boat is a different situation from setting it up for the first time, and mostly it handles itself.

• Somewhere it has been before: nothing to do. Tidesy remembers up to 30 networks and rejoins on its own.
• Somewhere new: it keeps showing the tides it last fetched and adds an OFFLINE — STALE DATA badge after half an hour. Unplug it and plug it back in, wait 90 seconds without touching it, and the TidesySetup hotspot comes back so you can point it at the new network. Your other networks are not forgotten.
• Your tide stations do not move with you. Tidesy will connect happily at the new place and keep showing the stations you chose at the old one. Change them in Edit Settings on the dashboard — the timezone updates by itself, but the stations are yours to pick.

Checklist

• Is your router’s 2.4 GHz radio turned on?
• Is Tidesy within range of your router (same room is best for setup)?
• Are you entering the correct WiFi password (case-sensitive)?
• Have you restarted both the router and Tidesy?
• Is “Band Steering” or “Smart Connect” causing issues? Try disabling it.
• Does your network name contain unusual characters? Try a simpler name temporarily.
• Is your router using WPA2 or WPA3 security? Both work. The difference only shows up when a password is wrong: WPA2 reports code 15, WPA3 reports 202. If you cannot connect on WPA3 after checking the password, switching the router to WPA2/WPA3 mixed mode is still worth a try.
• Did your phone previously fail to connect to TidesySetup? Go to WiFi Settings, “Forget This Network,” and try again fresh.

Read the code on the screen

When a connection fails, Tidesy names the reason and puts the router’s own code in brackets — for example Wrong password for ‘BeachCondo’ [15]. The same message appears at the top of the setup page the next time you connect to the TidesySetup hotspot. That number tells us exactly what your router said:

Give it 90 seconds. After a failed attempt Tidesy keeps trying for about 20 seconds, looks for other networks it knows for another 20, and only then brings the setup screen back by itself. Unplugging it before that starts the whole sequence over.