Satellite SW v1.3.5.015
GFS Password Compatibility issue:
- The GoFlex Satellite forces me to use a weaker non-standard Internet Access WiFi Router password.
- example: It will pass a password of 12345abcde along to the WiFi router.
It will NOT pass along a password of !1234abcd+, so it could not connect to my WiFi Router.
That's a big problem since the GFS is a very mobile/portable device. It must be able to connect to internet at Hotels, businesss, etc. where the WiFi network is NOT necessarily an "open" one.
I know it's possible since an earlier GFS beta version worked fine with my router password.
(A Later beta version no longer did, My report of that issue was not replied to, so no clue why it was changed back.)
I'd finally noticed an iPOD statement just below where I was trying to type in the password. It said to use 8 characters minimum, Letters A to Z, and numbers 1 to 9 only.
This fact is NOT mentioned anywhere in any of the documentation that I could find on the GFS, nor in the GFM App in iPOD or Droid.
In fact the documents seem to all state that a "normal" password should work OK.
It's very strange because the documentation DOES state that the password to connect to the GFS itself may be 8 characters up to maximum of 64 charactsrs, and ALL ASCII characters on a QWERTY keyboard are acceptable. (making anyone think that the WAN access password would have the same protocol)
My Temporary Solution:
Instead of changing my WiFi router password to something weaker, (and then also changing the password on all the other devices that connect to it!)
I brought in my mobile "PepWave Surf On The Go" set up as a WiFi Repeater Access point, and weakened it's local wifi password instead, to allow the GFS to be able to connect to it, (and in turn it then connects to my main internet WiFi router). -- so my GFS can now finally access the internet again.
NONE of our other devices have a problem with the normal WiFi router password except the GFS.
(Droid phone, WiFi Picture Frame, camera, iPod, iPAD, iPhone, Kindle, Laptops, Desktops, xbox, Playstation)
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Regarding the Documentation:
On the iPOD GoFlex apps WiFi internet router password entry page, it says to use 8 characters minimum, Letters A to Z, and numbers 1 to 9 only.
(below where I type in the password.)
However, none of the 3 "Getting Started" manuals make any reference to that password entry at all.
But they do mention the other password entry:
The GFS Drives "browser" Getting STarted section, and in sections of both Droid and iPOD, all state that when setting the password to access the GFS itself:
the password must be 8 characters up to maximum of 64 charactsrs. All ASCII characters are acceptable found on a normal keyboard.
NOTE: It's apparent that the "Browser" version of the "Getting Started" file on the GFS drive itself wasn't updated along with the Software upgrade because it still
states:
"No Internet While on Satellite"
"Can't use internet while streaming from GoFlex Satellite." etc. etc, and you must disconnect your device from GFS to then re-connect it direct to internet.
-- Please update the GFS "Browser" version of the "Getting Started" document. It seems no one thought to updated it also, when they updated the Droid and iPOD versions.
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NOTE: The Goflex iPOD: "Getting Started" document does state that if the goflex itself is setup with an access password then only 5 users may connect, and if no password is setup, then up to 8 users may connect.
I did NOT see that important fact mentioned in the browser "Getting Started" version at all. Seems like that document change could save someone some headaches also.
(Seems like a good place to mention that fact would be on the setup page where I can actually select how many users may connect to the GFS.
- Arrgh, - Except now that I try to find that page view again (where I select how many users can connect) - I can't find it in "browser" view, nor in Droid and IPod apps pages. (I'd just set it to "4" yesterday, - where did it go now? Searched the Getting Started "manual"- no mention of it at all either.)
Also, with the varying page views of the GFM apps on different devices, it can be a bit frustrating.
