As Rithum Switch is a WiFi-connected device is it vital for reliable operation to have a strong and stable WiFi signal connection. The majority of problems experienced is when this isn't the case.

If you have a mesh WiFi network (or any situation where there are multiple access points available with the same network name) then please first refer to this guide to disable roaming - https://support.rithumhome.com/hc/en-gb/articles/9313802525201-WiFi-Roaming-Mesh-Networks

Having a strong signal and a high SNR value aren't the only factors for having a reliable connection. A further factor is interference, which could be caused by other Wi-Fi networks and also by other devices. For example, Zigbee is 2.4Ghz which is the same band as 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, so that can cause issues, and even things like using a microwave can cause interference.

You can mitigate interference by considering how many WiFi networks are within range and which bands/channels they are using. If there are too many networks using the same channel then this congestion can result in interference and a poor connection.

Fortunately there are some tools you can use to assist. There are many more tools available than this and you may consider looking around for something suitable.

Android Users

If you are an Android user, you can use an app named "WiFi Analyzer" which is available from the Play Store free of charge (for the basic version). It looks like this:

Rithum Switch uses the 2.4GHz WiFi network, therefore, when using the app ensure that 2.4GHz is selected. When using the app, hold your phone as close as possible to the position where Rithum Switch is installed. The example screenshot below is taken from the Rithum office. The vertical line at the peak of each curve corresponds to the channel number of the network.

The graph shows that there are a number of other networks all using channel 1, so using channel 1 would be very bad. It is recommended to only use channels 1, 6 and 11 for 2.4GHz as those don't overlap with each other. So, choose one of those being used by the least number of other networks.

iOS Users

Unfortunately Apple do not make network scan data available to analyse channels in iOS apps.

Mac users

You can easily determine the best channels to use in the native Wireless Diagnostics scanner:

Open the "Wireless Diagnostics" Application
Ignore the prompts and open "Window", "Scan" in the menu bar
Press "Scan Now"

The recommended channel(s) for both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz will now be present in the Summary pane.

PC Users

Though we haven't used it ourselves, there is one option here: https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9NBLGGH33N0N

Other Interference

Whilst channel analysers may be beneficial, you should also consider other causes of interference such as Zigbee devices and bridges; microwaves and other electrical appliances; baby monitors & cordless phones; and many other things.

Changing the channel

If you need to change the channel of your network then please refer to the user guide for your WiFi router/access point for instructions.