I recently encountered a puzzling issue with my Shelly Motion sensor, which refused to connect to my Meraki Wi-Fi network. After extensive troubleshooting, I discovered that the problem stemmed from an incompatibility between the Shelly Motion hardware and the Meraki APs. Here’s how I resolved it and what I learned along the way.
Initially, I tried several troubleshooting steps:
- Captured PCAPs from the access points, which showed no connection attempts from the Shelly Motion.
- Reviewed logs from the Meraki dashboard, confirming the device wasn’t associating.
- Tested different Wi-Fi channels and SSIDs, including disabling authentication requirements.
Despite these efforts, the Shelly Motion remained disconnected. However, when I connected it to a Mikrotik AP using the same SSID settings, it worked seamlessly. This led me to suspect a hardware-specific issue with the Shelly Motion and Meraki APs.
To resolve the issue, I:
- Set up a Mikrotik AP with the same SSID and authentication settings as my Meraki system.
- Disabled the Meraki SSID to prevent conflicts.
- Integrated the Mikrotik AP into my existing network infrastructure.
- Reconnected all devices, including the Shelly Motion, which now worked perfectly.
This experience taught me the importance of testing with alternative hardware when encountering mysterious connectivity issues. It also highlighted the value of methodical troubleshooting and not giving up when initial solutions don’t work. I hope sharing this story helps others facing similar challenges!
Happy tinkering! 