Network help and shot registration tips, tricks, and help

[Tekbud]

Just wanted to consolidate and share some information that I've read in various areas of the site which helped me greatly of late.

I'd used the skytrak for some time connected via USB. About a month ago i was moving the device and didn't realize that the cord was pinched under my mat and as I'm moving it the cord caught and pulled the device out of my hands onto the concrete below. I do have the protective shield on it but I'm sure these things aren't made to tumble onto concrete. My heart sank as the unit powered itself off. When I powered it on, nothing would connect, not TGC, not the skytrak app, not JPNG. Then I realized that the mini-usb was the issue because if I push the plug slightly toward the back of the device it will charge via usb. However it will not connect to the pc over usb. So, I decided to give network mode a shot.

For the past month network mode has been a major PITA. Multiple times in a round the device would disconnect from the game, lock up, or slow down to a crawl where a shot takes 15-20 seconds to show on the screen. I had a friend over this past weekend and those issues, plus many of my shots wouldn't register in the game at all. Really took the fun out of the day.

Enough was enough so I scoured all of the posts on this site and decided that I was going to fix this problem for good, or send it into Skytrak for repair (I'll miss you skytrak). Well, I'm happy to say that after a few hours I've now played 3 consecutive rounds (1 in tourney and 2 rounds at Royal Troon TGC 2016 - and if you haven't played this course yet and own TGC put down what you are doing and DO THIS RIGHT NOW!) Here's what I did to fix:

Network:

Set device so that it doesn't get a new IP address on your router basically turning off DHCP - for me on my Asus router I had to figure out which of my devices was the skytrak but turning it off, looking at the list of devices connected over wireless, then turning on the skytrak and waiting for it to connect, then I see new device which I can now label as "Skytrak" in the router, and setting to "Manual" instead of DHCP.

Turning off 5ghz on router. Skytrak doesn't support this and none of my devices were using it anyway, so I just turned it off.

Changing the channel on the wireless advanced page to 1, instead of auto.

Changing the network mode to Legacy instead of Auto. Skytrak may support N not sure and skygolf support couldn't help me answer this. Maybe Seth SkyTrak_Seth can answer this.

I'm not exactly sure which one fixed my issue - i think that the 5ghz thing may have been the culprit or maybe the channel change. Anyway, no disconnects last 3 rounds at all when before I was getting 5-10 per round.

Shot registration:

As I mentioned above I realized playing with my friend that something was different with me vs. with him as he only had one shot not register through entire round. I had MANY tee shots not registering. That made me think it must be a camera thing - and sure enough I had changed my tee height to a shorter tee recently so that had to be the issue. I placing the tee about a half inch to the right (away from screen) and presto - no more shots not registering.

Hopefully these things help somebody in the future. It's frustrating AND embarrassing when this stuff happens, especially when you have people over to see this "GREAT NEW GEAR" and it doesn't work... If anyone has any other Network or shot registration tips and tricks add them here and maybe we could get this one stickied to help out the masses.

[GmanJeff]

A sticky or expanded FAQ here or on the ST web site would be very helpful, inasmuch as tips like this tend to be scattered through a large number of threads with varying titles; searching for assistance with a specific challenge otherwise requires a degree of luck in choosing search terms which correspond exactly to content in those threads..

[rsuslow]

I've been hesitant to move to wireless mainly because I know there is a lot involved getting my computer to connect to wifi and skytrak. When you initially connected your skytrak to your router, did you go through the Skytrak app or can you do it without having it connected to the computer?

[Dan McWhirter]

You have to use the SkyTrak app to initially register the device with your router...you will enter the router name, your router passcode and the security type...the router then accepts the device and the log in is stored in the device memory...so that in the future it will automatically connect to the router.

[penrose]

Just wanted to consolidate and share some information that I've read in various areas of the site which helped me greatly of late.

I'd used the skytrak for some time connected via USB. About a month ago i was moving the device and didn't realize that the cord was pinched under my mat and as I'm moving it the cord caught and pulled the device out of my hands onto the concrete below. I do have the protective shield on it but I'm sure these things aren't made to tumble onto concrete. My heart sank as the unit powered itself off. When I powered it on, nothing would connect, not TGC, not the skytrak app, not JPNG. Then I realized that the mini-usb was the issue because if I push the plug slightly toward the back of the device it will charge via usb. However it will not connect to the pc over usb. So, I decided to give network mode a shot.

For the past month network mode has been a major PITA. Multiple times in a round the device would disconnect from the game, lock up, or slow down to a crawl where a shot takes 15-20 seconds to show on the screen. I had a friend over this past weekend and those issues, plus many of my shots wouldn't register in the game at all. Really took the fun out of the day.

Enough was enough so I scoured all of the posts on this site and decided that I was going to fix this problem for good, or send it into Skytrak for repair (I'll miss you skytrak). Well, I'm happy to say that after a few hours I've now played 3 consecutive rounds (1 in tourney and 2 rounds at Royal Troon TGC 2016 - and if you haven't played this course yet and own TGC put down what you are doing and DO THIS RIGHT NOW!) Here's what I did to fix:

Network:

Set device so that it doesn't get a new IP address on your router basically turning off DHCP - for me on my Asus router I had to figure out which of my devices was the skytrak but turning it off, looking at the list of devices connected over wireless, then turning on the skytrak and waiting for it to connect, then I see new device which I can now label as "Skytrak" in the router, and setting to "Manual" instead of DHCP.

Turning off 5ghz on router. Skytrak doesn't support this and none of my devices were using it anyway, so I just turned it off.

Changing the channel on the wireless advanced page to 1, instead of auto.

Changing the network mode to Legacy instead of Auto. Skytrak may support N not sure and skygolf support couldn't help me answer this. Maybe Seth SkyTrak_Seth can answer this.

I'm not exactly sure which one fixed my issue - i think that the 5ghz thing may have been the culprit or maybe the channel change. Anyway, no disconnects last 3 rounds at all when before I was getting 5-10 per round.

Shot registration:

As I mentioned above I realized playing with my friend that something was different with me vs. with him as he only had one shot not register through entire round. I had MANY tee shots not registering. That made me think it must be a camera thing - and sure enough I had changed my tee height to a shorter tee recently so that had to be the issue. I placing the tee about a half inch to the right (away from screen) and presto - no more shots not registering.

Hopefully these things help somebody in the future. It's frustrating AND embarrassing when this stuff happens, especially when you have people over to see this "GREAT NEW GEAR" and it doesn't work... If anyone has any other Network or shot registration tips and tricks add them here and maybe we could get this one stickied to help out the masses.

If I had to guess which one I would say the static IP. I know my TiVo works a lot better with a static IP and so does my ipad and laptop. My garage door opener and thermostat do NOT have one and lose connection about once a week. I am too lazy to give them one.

[Tekbud]

I would have thought so too, but I actually had static IP set up during this day where it disconnected many many times. So for me, must be one of the others, just not sure which and don't want to jinx it by changing anything lol.

[TheGriftKings]

Tekbud my usb slot pushed all the way into the unit about 6 weeks ago when I went to charge my unit - had to send it in for out of warranty repair - 4 weeks and $145 to fix - I wonder if others have had that issue and whether it's a faulty design - seems to me that it simply isn't soldered properly for the location on the unit if it's going to eventually cave in without any unusual force.

[Tekbud]

4 weeks? Yikes... got the quote yesterday same thing $145 but I will be flaming mad if it takes 4 weeks to repair. Should take about 5 minutes to replace a board.

[TheGriftKings]

I'm starting to question whether it's worth holding onto the SkyTrak_Seth much longer - I'm so jealous of anyone who has had theirs without issue but I've only used it about 20 times over the year I've had it and yet have spent a 6 hours or so on the phone and chat over:
- various registration,
- game improvement package syncing,
- usb slot breaking, and
- now apparently network connecting issues.

The thing about it that really makes me frustrated is the network/wifi wasn't even an issue until I started following the chat service's directions to reset the machine tonight in order to get it to stop saying my "license has expired" so it would load the game improvement package that I paid for last month and still haven't had access to. Now it's just blinks and my iPad can't locate it on wifi nor will it connect directly.

It's like owning my first Hyundai all over again!

[Tekbud]

What LEDS are you getting now? Are you trying to connect in Skytrak app? Have you reset your router? For some reason I can't instant message on this site @protee or I would try to help live. Are you on Google hangouts? If so brentdavidwells@gmail.com

[penrose]

I'm starting to question whether it's worth holding onto the SkyTrak_Seth much longer - I'm so jealous of anyone who has had theirs without issue but I've only used it about 20 times over the year I've had it and yet have spent a 6 hours or so on the phone and chat over:
- various registration,
- game improvement package syncing,
- usb slot breaking, and
- now apparently network connecting issues.

The thing about it that really makes me frustrated is the network/wifi wasn't even an issue until I started following the chat service's directions to reset the machine tonight in order to get it to stop saying my "license has expired" so it would load the game improvement package that I paid for last month and still haven't had access to. Now it's just blinks and my iPad can't locate it on wifi nor will it connect directly.

It's like owning my first Hyundai all over again!

well, kia (big brother to Hyundaci) is the number 1 car company in initial quality. Yes, I would not listen to the frontline support of sktrak to much.

[TheGriftKings]

Thanks to those who replied - I ended up having to send it back again after spending time on the line with skytrak's commercial support team - apparently the reset button is not functioning properly since holding it down for 10 secs simply powers off the unit (LED's shut off) rather than restarting and clearing the network settings - when I get the diagnosis back I'll let you guys know - my hope is that it won't cost anything because the network issue had never occurred until I was on the phone with the frontline support team and they had me keep resetting the unit to try and get the game Improvment package to sync - we'll see.

[SkyTrak_Seth]

This is a really good thread, Tekbud! Off the top of my head, I don't believe we support N. But I'm glad you got your issue sorted. I sincerely hope it isn't this complicated for other users - it certainly shouldn't be! But great to have the information out there. TheGriftKings, I responded in the other thread too, but please keep me posted on the repair.

[jjkoolman]

Hey guys, I'm having issues getting my Skytrak connected to my home network. I've gone through most all the threads looking for a solution. It had been working up until I made a change last week. I've run ethernet cable to my garage to an access point that puts out an extended wireless network, since i'm in my garage and the wireless is weak. I've reset the skytrak to allow for the ew network name and have the skytrak and my computer on the 2.4ghz frequency. However the Skytrak times out and will never connect. I can connect through direct mode and through usb, but the network mode will not connect and the i just get 2 solid reds on top and a green on the bottom. SkyTrak_Seth Seth I know this isn't a big deal, but in a future update could the directions on connecting to network mode be changed to include connecting to pc and not just Ipad. They just seem a bit out of date. Any help on how i can get my unit to connect in network mode would be great.

[aeroburner]

I sent mine in and got the direct email for the technical support person and his direct phone number which is the easiest way to have direct contact, I did not let off on the emails like once a day, and I think he got tired of me or it was not fixable but they just sent me a new skytrak altogether but I got mine back in a week, don't know if this is the best solution but it got results and they are great to work with once you got your foot in the door, I run wireless too I will get into my router and see what my settings are thanks for the post.

[SkyTrak_Seth]

Hey guys, I'm having issues getting my Skytrak connected to my home network. I've gone through most all the threads looking for a solution. It had been working up until I made a change last week. I've run ethernet cable to my garage to an access point that puts out an extended wireless network, since i'm in my garage and the wireless is weak. I've reset the skytrak to allow for the ew network name and have the skytrak and my computer on the 2.4ghz frequency. However the Skytrak times out and will never connect. I can connect through direct mode and through usb, but the network mode will not connect and the i just get 2 solid reds on top and a green on the bottom. SkyTrak_Seth Seth I know this isn't a big deal, but in a future update could the directions on connecting to network mode be changed to include connecting to pc and not just Ipad. They just seem a bit out of date. Any help on how i can get my unit to connect in network mode would be great.

Yeah, things are going to change in a couple of releases regarding connectivity, so that whole process will be revamped - but that's a good catch. As far as not being able to connect - so before you were connecting directly to your router and it was working fine, but now you are using an extender and it is not working? Anything changed with the network name or password? Assuming you are using WPA2 encryption? I do remember hearing of some extenders being problematic, but maybe we can get to the bottom of it.

[jjkoolman]

Yes before I was connecting directly to my routers wireless and it was working well, but having disconnects every now and then because of the weak signal in the garage. I've changed the name of the extenders network it creates from the default to something simplier as it has _2ghz and _5ghz after the default names. I'm using WPA2 encryption and have reset the Skytrak on the bottom to "forget" previous networks and have updated the network when trying to sign into the network mode on SkyTrak. I was under the impression that when the middle light flashes yellow it is searching for signal, but mine never flashes yellow at all. It has a quick 3-4 flashes of red then stays red when trying to connect in network mode. Like I said, it works fine when connected via usb or direct mode, but I'd prefer using network mode. Thanks for the help! And glad to hear the connectivity process will be revamped as it seems a bit hit and miss currently.

[Dan McWhirter]

For jjkoolman...I did similar, using signal via house electric wiring, and set the "extender" as a whole new wifi router. Using the Netgear web site app, I got the extender registered with the actual dsl router (110 feet away in a bedroom) and changed the name of my new wifi to something simpler...remember, the SkyTrak can't store a name with any spaces or special characters...so I named it Netgear2 (and Netgear5, but never use the Netgear5 5 gHz band). Then, reset the SkyTrak, open up SkyTrak app, connect directly, then call for network pairing, then register the SkyTrak. Of course, I had missteps in this process because I was forgetting to do little things of great importance (lol) and it took about two hours and fifteen attempts to get it right.

[jjkoolman]

Yeah, things are going to change in a couple of releases regarding connectivity, so that whole process will be revamped - but that's a good catch. As far as not being able to connect - so before you were connecting directly to your router and it was working fine, but now you are using an extender and it is not working? Anything changed with the network name or password? Assuming you are using WPA2 encryption? I do remember hearing of some extenders being problematic, but maybe we can get to the bottom of it.

SkyTrak_Seth - Seth were you ever able to find out what extenders are problematic? I still cannot get the SkyTrak to connect to WiFi unless I connect directly to the router, which is spotted at best. I can connect via USB just fine, but would prefer using the WiFi and extender. Will there be more compatibility among extenders in upcoming releases or will I potentially need a new extender that is compatible to get WiFi working better. Thanks!

[Dan McWhirter]

Recommend the NetGear web site...it will read all your wifi stuff...strength, professed identities, etc...then, if necessary, you can rename in the same app, set passwords, etc.

[jjkoolman]

Dan,

I've already changed the extender wifi name and password to be SkyTrak friendly and have tried multiple slow typing attempts at making it work using only the 2.4ghz. The SkyTrak works on my normal wifi, but not on the extender, which makes me believe that the extender is not supposed as Seth had proposed.