Doxie can see my network, but it won’t connect to it.

This is the toughest kind of issue to diagnose, because there are many reasons why this might be the case. In this case, you’ve tried to add the network, but it wasn’t able to connect during restart, so Doxie proceeded to create its own network again.

When you join a Wi-Fi network with your computer and it doesn’t work out, you usually don’t get a very helpful error – it’s just something like “could not connect”. That could be anything – your password was wrong, the router is too far away, whatever. Doxie has the same issue as computers – if you add the network, let Doxie restart, and it proceeds to create its own direct network again, that means it didn’t successfully connect to your Wi-Fi network and, therefore, didn’t add it to the scanner’s configuration.

Here’s some ideas as to why it might not be connecting, in order of likeliness.

Most likely: You’re too far away from your router.

Doxie has a long range, but it has a smaller antenna than your laptop. Try moving Doxie closer to your router and re-adding the network to Doxie’s settings. Remember, Doxie isn’t connecting wirelessly to your computer – it’s connecting wirelessly to your router, which your computer is also connected to. Also note that Doxie may have a smaller antenna than some larger Wi-Fi devices, so, it might need to be closer if you’re right on the edge of your Wi-Fi signal.

Regardless of the potential reason, try moving Doxie closer to your router to see if it helps.

Next most likely: Are your absolutely sure your Wi-Fi password is right?

It’s very possible your Wi-Fi password isn’t what you think it is. Make absolutely sure it’s correct.

Does your router have DHCP enabled?

If you’ve configured your router to require a static IP address – never a default option – you need to configure Doxie manually.

Does your router use MAC address or device filtering?

Some routers are configured to only allow specific devices to connect. If this is the case, you’ll need to add Doxie to the trusted device list. Refer to the router documentation for more information.

The MAC address for the network Doxie creates is printed on the bottom of the scanner. The same value plus one is the address of the interface that joins existing networks. Use the latter in your trusted device list.

Is there nearby interference?

Microwaves and cordless phones can interfere with Wi-Fi devices. Older buildings with plaster walls (which have a metal mesh inside that blocks radio signals) can also be a major factor. Try moving closer to your router.

Are you connecting to a network with some kind of special authentication?

If your router requires some special connection mechanism, like a login screen at a hotel, it won’t work with Doxie.

Least likely: Doxie “just isn’t working” with your particular router.

We’ve never encountered a router that Doxie wouldn’t work with, however, it seems likely that there are routers out there that Doxie might be entirely incompatible with. If we find one, we’ll add it to this document. We’ve tested with all popular routers, but maybe your router just doesn’t work.

If you think something like this might be the case, an easy way to tell for sure is to connect to another Wi-Fi network at work or at a friend’s house – does it work? That means there’s something about your configuration that Doxie just doesn’t like.

First, take a look at the Chromecast Wi-Fi router compatibility list. Chromecast is a hardware product that, like Doxie, joins your Wi-Fi network. Is your router listed as one having compatibility issues with Chromecast? Try Google’s recommended solution to see if it that fixes it.

If that doesn’t work, you can always use Doxie in direct mode.