Do not believe your post…
I think most of the problems people encounter is because they have their 2.4/5GHz networks configured with the same SSID (network name). Some devices do that by default (eg. airport extreme), some of the mesh networks (eg. eero) make it next to impossible to have a 2.4GHz network with a unique name (in that case, often a guest network is your only option).
Me, I think Anova should have done a WPS button (which we debated on the older community board a couple years ago) 
but I’m sure there’s ramifications to their cloud setup during initial configuration that we’re unaware of (and I wouldn’t expect them to share all of the “why’s” from a security standpoint).
I’ve had my v1 wifi more than two years now (just checked - October 2015) and, barring defects in the app, I haven’t had any issues with my wifi. (but, again, I work in tech…so I know how to troubleshoot if things go sideways).
I’ve also run a few of their beta versions. Hmm. Reminds me I should pester to get on the new one…I’m sure there’s some interesting bits in there for the Nano. 
Not the case here. I have different SSIDs for them. The 2.4 is named identically to my former network and everything, including the Anova, connected to it automatically without any problems. Everything else has remained so. Anova periodically likes to get lost at whim.
It’s no big thing, for me. I just use it manually now and without any timer and get a surprise on the odd occasion when a notification comes up on my phone.
How far away is your APC from your WAP/router? Also, what make/model is it?
I know a lot of the combo WAP/Router/Modem units from the Telco’s/ISP’s often have settings that you can boost the gain of the radios. (the APC doesn’t have a very powerful wifi radio…)
Jennifer,
I agree with all you’ve said, had same problems, over and over. Got it working, but then a month later it lost my WiFi info, and wouldn’t connect again. Sigh. Had to start all over. Has happened several times.
However I do enjoy it working, since I can see the temp and timer info (and adjust them) when I’m not home. Not a deal-breaker that I don’t use it, but it’s way more hassle than the convenience factor. BT has become my default.
Netcomm NF18ACV and about 5m (15’ for you guys ).
Heh. Ok, yes, I do still think in Imperial, but we’ve been Metric here in Canada for quite some time. 
Think we did the switch when I was in grade school.
Ok, the user guide for your WAP/Router is here: https://support.netcommwireless.com/sites/default/files/NF18ACV-User-Guide.pdf
Page 82 is where it details the network parameters.
How congested is it where you live? If you’re in a dense apartment complex, that could be part of the problem. If you’re in a rural area, then you shouldn’t be getting interference at all (with the exception of your own devices). Doesn’t help that a lot of cordless phones are using 2.4/5GHz bands these days. 
Do you buy the unit or rent it? If you navigate to that settings page - you want to make sure the transmit power is set to 100% (does it go any higher?). If it’s a rented unit, I’d definitely set it at its highest settings.
You can change the channel selection from auto to a specific channel. If you’re getting interference, this may help get you onto a channel where there isn’t a problem.
Also, how many wifi devices do you have in the house? If you’re maxing out your 2.4GHz channel, maybe configure several to only use the 5GHz band (those that stay in the house preferably…2.4GHz gets you better coverage outside, further away from the WAP).
My router is a Cisco-Linksys E3000 and also approximately 5 meters between APC and router (through a wall as well). No problems connecting during setup, and no special steps taken.
I guess I’m one of the lucky ones when it comes to connectivity - but I only use it to check to make sure the cooker is still running when I’m away from home. There are too many issues with the software control of the APC to make it useful for me at this point.
Additional info (per the excellent diagnostic suggestions advised by @fischersd )
I live in a residential/light commercial neighborhood. At the moment there are currently 6 WiFi networks in range of my phone. Router channel selection is Auto. Usually between 8 to 12 devices active on the WiFi.
If you have a laptop handy, you can likely google a “wifi sniffer” for your laptop’s OS - you’re not really interested in doing any beyond identifying what channels those local networks are using - then setting your channel to one that won’t be interfered with.
But I do…
Low density rural town. There are only ever 2 other Wifi networks identifiable in any search. It’s a brand new modem that I purchased myself and output is max. There are only 2 of us in the household, so the network doesn’t have a large load on it. I’ve configured most things to use the 5GHz network, so mainly APC, 2 tablets and a printer (rarely on) on the 2GHz. The only thing that constantly drops out of the network is the APC. Everything else is stable.
About the only thing I haven’t checked on is the channels of the other two visible networks.
I’ve had this problem right from the beginning of having this APC, which is about 11 months. The first one I had was reliably visible on the network for the time it was working. But as I said, I’ve learned to deal without it. The only occasional annoyance is when the phone tells me it’s connected suddenly mid cook.
Yeah, I found the WIFI connection to be buggy. There are times that I set the recipe using the Anova app, but it doesn’t communicate with the Anova equipment. So, I have to restart the whole thing over again. 
Though, there was a time that my phone was connected to a 5G network of the same router and it worked. 
Weirdness.
Once you’ve done the initial setup and the APC has learned your 2.4GHz network, it doesn’t matter what data connection your phone has - as long as it has internet connectivity, it should be able to converse with the APC.
@Ember - yeah, the wifi radio’s pretty weak in the APC. Mine is about the same distance from my WAP as yours and around a couple concrete corners. Did a ping the other day and it was 900ms (so, not far from timing out) - certainly shouldn’t be almost a second for a returned packet.
Other elements that use 2.4GHz - satellite radio, bluetooth, some microwave ovens and some cordless phones.
I went through Anova support and followed their instructions, without any success in setting up WiFi.
The bluetooth works very well and I don’t think the WiFi is necessary. Just send me the extra $50 I spent on this model and we’ll be even
Exactly what I did, several times, through telephone support and email support. Ridiculous. That’s why I made the original post. I agree with this last guy, just refund us the $50 extra we paid for WiFi and we’re even…
I Agree with you. I have tried multiple times to connect and nothing happens. It says please login. I log in. I say connect. Please login. I login say connect. Please login. And I wanna use the WiFi. When I cook SV, I regularly go upstairs to play a game what so ever. There I’m just out of reach of BT, so I explicitly bought the WiFi version for this purpose. Help guides don’t work. I’m very bumped.
Some of the posts seem to suggest that people are trying to connect the Anova to their phone via wifi. That’s not how it works. The Anova connects to your home wifi, not to your phone. When you’re away from home, not within range of your home wifi, your phone connects to the phone network, and you connect to the Anova over the phone network to your home router then to the Anova.
Use Bluetooth for connecting to the Anova when you’re at home, and use Wifi to connect to the Anova when you’re away from home.
You also can’t connect your phone to the Anova using your home wifi directly. You have to connect via the phone network. If you’re at home but out of range of Bluetooth to the Anova, you have to turn off Bluetooth on your phone and connect to the Anova via the phone network.
After connecting my Anova to my wifi network, I walked up the street, well out of range of Bluetooth to the Anova and out of range of my wifi network. I was then able to connect my phone, via the mobile phone network, via my hone wifi, to the Anova.
Either:
Phone <> Bluetooth <> Anova
Or
Phone <> Mobile phone network <> Home wifi <> Anova
You can’t do:
Phone <> Home wifi <> Anova.
I’ve had no problem with my Bluetooth or Wifii connections.
My ANOVA is connected to my home WiFi… And I’m outside home now. Here’s what I get (attached; I’m posting on the move, so not sure if the screenshot upload went through. Anyway all the app says now is Connection Lost). USELESS!
Tech support? Care to explain?
I guess that I should count myself as one of the more fortunate users, then. My Anova’s connection drops sometimes as well, but the connection is usually reestablished in about 5 seconds from relaunching the app. As I have changed phone recently, I had to re-pair my Anova to my phone using bluetooth, then link through wi-fi again. the process went smoothly, though i don’t understand why the device wasn’t bound to my account to be auto-re-paired after I signed in. That is my only gripe with the experience.
Regarding the timer, I have recently taken to avoiding the timer completely. i just set the temperature on the unit and let it run, while mentally estimating the times elapsed and left. Thankfully sous vide gives us plenty of flexibility in that aspect, so none of my cooks have been ruined.
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You’re missing something in those diagrams - the Anova cloud. Your wifi APC makes a connection to the Anova cloud (that’s how they manage the connection) - otherwise, you’d have to open up ports in your firewall to be able to connect over the internet.