Forest Wi-Fi Dongle Support

What steps are needed to configure the Dongle on a Shuttle® curtain track:

  1. Make sure the Shuttle® and curtain track on which this Dongle is installed are configured and in working order

  2. Connect the Dongle to Port 1 on the Shuttle®

  3. Connect your mobile phone or tablet to a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network on which the Dongle needs to be configured.

  4. Download and install or open the Forest Connect app - Register a new account - and/or login.

  5. Click "Add device" or the "+" symbol in the upper right corner and choose "Forest Shuttle®"

  6. Follow the in-app instructions.

OVERVIEW FAQ

GENERAL

WHERE CAN I DOWNLOAD THE FOREST CONNECT APP?

The Forest Connect app can be downloaded in the Apple App store or Google Play store.

WHAT OPERATING SYSTEMS ARE SUPPORTED?

Apple iOs 9.0 or higher
Android OS 4.4 or higher

CONNECTING

I DON'T SEE ANY LIGHTS ON THE DONGLE AFTER CONNECTING IT TO THE SHUTTLE

  • Make sure the Shuttle® motor is powered

  • Make sure the Dongle is connected to Port 1 on the Shuttle®

  • Press and hold the connect button on the Dongle for 10 seconds till the Dongle lights up Orange.

*If after these steps the Dongle still doesn’t light up, the Shuttle® is not suitable for powering the Wi-Fi Dongle without an external power supply. Connect an external power supply (5V USB adaptor with a Micro-USB cable) to the Micro-USB port on the Dongle and try again.

THE DONGLE DOES NOT CONNECT TO MY WI-FI NETWORK

  • Repeat the in- app configuration process

  • Make sure the right Wi-Fi network was chosen

  • Make sure the Wi-Fi password was entered correctly

  • Make sure the Wi-Fi Dongle is within signal reach of the Wi-Fi router

  • Make sure the chosen Wi-Fi network is a 2.4GHz network. 5GHz is not supported

  • Not sure if the chosen network is 2.4GHz? Contact your internet provider.

  • Try switching the Dongle to Access Point mode

THE DONGLE FAILS TO CONNECT IN SMARTCONFIG MODE (BLUE FLASHING)

Try configuring the Dongle in Access Point mode using the Forest Connect App.

I'VE GOT A NEW ROUTER/MODEM, DO I NEED TO RECONNECT THE WI-FI DONGLE?

Yes, you will need to reset the Dongle by pressing and holding the Connect button on the Dongle for 10 seconds, open the Forest Connect app and re-connect the Wi-Fi dongle to your Wi-Fi network using the Forest Connect app.

WILL THE DONGLE AUTOMATICLY RECONNECT AFTER A POWER OUTAGE?

As long as there have been no changes to your Wi-Fi network the dongle will automaticly reconnect, if not you will need to reset the Dongle by pressing and holding the Connect button on the Dongle for 10 seconds, open the Forest Connect app and re-connect the Wi-Fi dongle to your Wi-Fi network by adding a “new device”.

THE PASSWORD OF MY WI-FI NETWORK HAS BEEN CHANGED, DO I NEED TO RECONNECT THE WI-FI DONGLE?

Yes, you will need to reset the Dongle by pressing and holding the Connect button on the Dongle for 10 seconds, open the Forest Connect app and re-connect the Wi-Fi dongle to your Wi-Fi network using the Forest Connect app.

THE NAME (SSID) OF MY WI-FI NETWORK HAS BEEN CHANGED, DO I NEED TO RECONNECT THE WI-FI DONGLE?

Yes, you will need to reset the Dongle by pressing and holding the Connect button on the Dongle for 10 seconds, open the Forest Connect app and re-connect the Wi-Fi dongle to your Wi-Fi network using the Forest Connect app.

CAN I USE THE DATA PORT ON THE DONGLE TO CONNECT THE DONGLE TO MY NETWORK USING A NETWORK CABLE?

No, the data port is specifically designed to be used with the Forest Shuttle motor and is not suitable to be connected directly to your network.

CAN I USE THE DONGLE WITHOUT THE DONGLE BEING CONNECTED TO WI-FI?

No, the Dongle needs to be connected to a Wi-Fi network.

GOOGLE HOME / AMAZON ALEXA CAN'T FIND THE DONGLE

Make sure the Dongle is properly configured and can be controlled using the Forest Connect app and try again.

I'VE ALREADY GOT A FOREST SHUTTLE WITH Z-WAVE FUNCTIONALITY, CAN I USE THE DONGLE TO ADD WI-FI FUNCTIONALITY?

Yes, the dongle will work on a Forest Shuttle with Z-Wave.

CONFIGURATION

THE DONGLE IS FLASHING YELLOW INSTEAD OF BLUE

Press and hold the Connect button on the Dongle for 6 seconds till the light turns purple, then release to switch to the Blue flashing.

THE DONGLE IS FLASHING BLUE INSTEAD OF YELLOW

Press and hold the Connect button on the Dongle for 6 seconds till the light turns purple, then release to switch to the Blue flashing

THE DONGLE IS FLASHING BLUE

The Dongle is in SmartConfig Mode and ready to be paired to your Wi-Fi network using the Forest Connect app.

THE DONGLE IS FLASHING YELLOW

The Dongle is in Access Point mode and is ready to be paired to you Wi-Fi network using the Forest Connect app.

THE DONGLE IS FLASHING RED

The Dongle has lost the connection to your Wi-Fi network, please reconnect the Dongle by using the Forest Connect app.

THE DONGLE IS CONSTANT RED

The Dongle has lost communication with the Shuttle®.

- Make sure the Shuttle® is powered
- Make sure the Dongle is properly connected to Port 1 on the Shuttle®
- Make sure the connector cable is functioning properly, try exchanging the cable.
- Make sure the connector cable is no longer than 1.5mtr (5ft)

HOW DO I RESET THE DONGLE?

Press and hold the Connect button on the Dongle for 10 seconds till the LED turns Orange, release the button and wait a few seconds. Led should start flashing Blue.

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BLUE (SMARCONFIG MODE) AND YELLOW (ACCESS POINT MODE)?

Normally the Dongle is configured using SmartConfig mode (Blue Flashing). This is a very userfriendly way of connecting the Dongle to a Wi-Fi network. If for some reason the SmartConfig mode doesn’t work it is possible to connect the Dongle to your Wi-Fi network using the Access Point mode (Yellow Flashing) this method of configuring requires more steps and is a bit more complicated.

I'VE SUCCESFULLY CONFIGURED THE WIFI DONGLE BUT THE MASTER CARRIER DOESN'T MOVE

In order for the Dongle to function properly the curtaintrack needs to be in a working order which means the start and end position need to be set. If the limits are already set;

  • Make sure the Dongle is connected to Port 1 on the Shuttle®

  • Make sure the connectorcable is functioning properly, try exchanging the cable.

  • Make sure the connector cable is no longer than 1.5mtr (5ft).

CAN I CONFIGURE THE DONGLE WITHOUT A WI-FI NETWORK?

No, in order to configure the dongle both your mobile phone or tablet and the Dongle need to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

CAN I CONFIGURE THE DONGLE FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD?

No, in order to configure the dongle your mobile phone or tablet and the Dongle both need to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

CAN I CONFIGURE THE DONGLE USING GOOGLE HOME / AMAZON ALEXA?

No, you will first need to configure the Dongle using the Forest Connect App, once the configuration is done you are able to add the Dongle to your Google Home or Amazon Alexa.

TECHNICAL

WHAT TYPE OF CABLE IS THE CONNECTOR CABLE?

The connector cable is a common UTP cable with RJ45 connectors.

CAN I CONTROL THE DONGLE FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD?

Yes, as long as your mobile phone is connected to a Wi-Fi or Cellular network with an active Internet connection you can control the Dongle from anywhere in the world.

WHAT TYPE OF CABLE IS THE USB-CABLE?

The USB-Cable is a common Micro-USB cable.

WHAT IS THE WORKING TEMPERATURE FOR THE DONGLE?

The operating temperature is between 0 - 40C (32F-104F).

WHAT VOLTAGE IS THE MICRO-USB CONNECTION ON THE DONGLE?

5 Volt.

WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM AMPERAGE OF THE USB-ADAPTOR?

The maximum amperage is 1000mA.

WHAT ARE THE MINIMUM SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE USB-ADAPTOR?

The adaptor needs to be 5 Volt 600mA at a minimum.

CAN I USE ANY USB-ADAPTOR?

We highly recommend using the optional Forest USB Adaptor with the Forest Micro-USB cable (Art.no: 520100XXXX) However it is possible to use any adaptor as long as it's 5 Volts and meets the minimum amperage of 600mA the adaptor should not exceed 1000mA.

IS MY OLD CELL PHONE CHARGER SUITABLE FOR POWERING THE DONGLE?

Yes this can be a suitable power adaptor for the Dongle as long as it's 5 Volts and meets the minimum amperage of 600mA the adaptor should not exceed 1000mA.

CAN I USE A FAST CHARGER?

No, this is not recommended.

WHAT KIND OF USB-ADAPTOR SHOULD I USE?

The USB-Adaptor should be 5 Volt with a minimum of 600mA and a maximum of 1000mA.

WHAT ARE THE WI-FI SPECIFICATIONS?

Frequency Range: 2400Mhz to 2483MHz (2.4GHz)
Wi-Fi Standard: IEEE 802.11b/g/n (Channel 1 to 14)

WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM LENGTH FOR THE CONNECTOR CABLE?

The connector cable length should not exceed 1.5 meter (5ft).

CONTROLLING

CAN I USE VOICE CONTROL TO CONTROL THE DONGLE?

Yes, by using Google Home or Amazon Alexa you’ll be able to control the curtains with a voice command.

WHAT DEVICES I CAN CONTROL USING THE FOREST WI-FI DONGLE?

You can control the Forest Shuttle® S, M and L.

CAN I USE THE DONGLE WHEN MY MOBILE PHONE HAS NO WI-FI CONNECTION?

Yes, as long as there is an active internet connection you can use the dongle from anywhere in the world, this can be a Wi-Fi network, or a cellular network (E, LTE, 3G,4G,5G).

CAN I CONTROL THE DONGLE USING A LAPTOP OR PC (PERSONAL COMPUTER)?

If the Forest Connect App can be found and installed using the Apple App Store or Google Play Store on your tablet, you are able to control the Dongle with a tablet.

DO I NEED TO BE CLOSE TO THE DONGLE TO CONTROL IT?

No, once the Dongle is configured it is not necessary to be close to the Dongle.

CAN I USE THE DONGLE WITHOUT THE DONGLE BEING CONNECTED TO THE CLOUD?

No, the Dongle needs to be connected to the Cloud in order to function.

CAN I CREATE TIMERS?

Yes, timers can be created using the Forest Connect App.

CAN THE CURTAINS BE AUTOMATICALLY OPENED OR CLOSED USING SUNSET OR SUNDOWN?

Yes, this can be configured in the Forest Connect App.

CAN I CREATE FLOWS?

Yes, flows can be created using the Forest Connect App.

CAN I STILL USE MY FOREST DIAMOND SENSE, DIAMOND, LED WALL SWITCH OR ANY OTHER FOREST RF REMOTE WHEN USING THE DONGLE?

Yes, the Dongle can work alongside the Forest RF Remotes.

HOW MANY DEVICES CAN THE DONGLE CONTROL AT ONCE?

It is not possible to control multiple Shuttles with one Dongle, every Shuttle needs an own dongle.

THE APP SAYS THE CURTAINS ARE MOVING BUT THE CURTAINS ARE NOT ACTUALLY MOVING

This can happen due to:

  • The limits on the curtaintrack are not set: Click here to see how to set or reset the limits

  • The connector cable is connected to Port 2 instead of Port 1 on the Shuttle

  • The connector cable is to long (max. 1.5mtr or 5ft)

  • The connector cable is broken or faulty

  • The Shuttle is outdated

COMPATIBILITY

IS THE DONGLE COMPATIBLE WITH GOOGLE HOME?

Yes, the Dongle is compatible with Google Home.

IS THE DONGLE COMPATIBLE WITH AMAZON ALEXA?

Yes, the Dongle is compatible with Amazon Alexa

IS THERE Z-WAVE COMPATIBILITY ON THE DONGLE AS WELL?

No, if you want to control the Shuttle using Z-Wave please order the Shuttle Z-Wave.

Z-Wave Shuttle

Frequency

Shuttle S Art.no

Shuttle M Art.no

Shuttle L Art.no

Shuttle Z-Wave India version

865.2MHz

N/A

5232000010

5232000009

Shuttle Z-Wave EU-Version

868.4MHz

N/A

5232000004

5232000002

Shuttle Z-Wave US version

908.4MHz

5232000005

5232000006

N/A

Shuttle Z-Wave AU & NZ Version

921MHz

N/A

5232000008

5232000007