Trying to assist...

Dear Ian,

Unsure exactly who "Daniel Coombes" is,
what the specific video guide is you mention (Do you have a link available?),
or exactly how you have your system configured...

However...

- Given the lack of diagnostic info, I can kinda understand the Digitrax Support team response.
None of the Digitrax products you mention allow connection to a "smart phone" directly.
None of them are directly BlueTooth or WiFi enabled,
and the typical "smart phone" does not have a cable which allows it to connect to the Digitrax "LocoNet" throttle buss directly.
(IE of the 3 major ways a "smart device" could connect to your Digitrax system, 
nnone of the Digitrax products you mention allow any such connections).

- If you have recently purchased a (reasonably newly-released) Digitrax LNWI (LocoNet WiFi Interface), 
then it makes-more-sense that your smart-phone could connect directly to the "Digitrax system" without a "computer" (obvious PC, MAC, laptop, etc) attached or JMRI in-play...

...however, as you do not mention a LNWI as part of the system, I'm unsure if this is part of the equation?

- The mention of a "adding a PR4" would indeed logically suggest to someone listening-to-your-description that there is some form of JMRI/WiThrottle/WiFi-Access-Point in the equation. The PR3's primary and most-common deployment is as a Digitrax<> Computer "bridge", so that an attached Computer (MAC, PC, Laptop, etc) can run JMRI, and thus allow a "smart device" to "drive" the system...

There are quite a number of DCC/Smart-device-control savvy modellers here onlist who,
I'm sure, would be willing and able to help resolve the issue,...

If you can please provide the following:

- A link to the original Guide Video you followed to get the system running in the first place
(so at least we're all mentally "starting from the same place, with the same info")

- A basic diagram or description of exactly how the components of your system are connected together.
(Inc any PCs or software in-play. You obviously got something working recently,
what changes did you make to your system when you "added the PR4"?)

- A picture or description of the LED status lights on the PR4
(The PR4 can boot-up and operate in a number of modes,
wrong mode = no connection to the outside-Digitrax world).

then hopefully we can collectively work out "how the setup is supposed to work",
"what's gone wrong",
and "what can be done to make it stay-working into the future"...

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

Sydney, Aust

I'm with Prof on this. From

I'm with Prof on this. From what your saying in your description you do not have any way of linking a smart phone wireless train control to the DCC system.

You state that "now the Smart Phone won't connect" Did it at one time?

The PR4 is a link between the DCC system and the Computer. If your not using JMRI are you using some other CPU control. 

If you want to use the phone to control the train then I would suggest you download JMRI. It sells for a fantastic price.!!  http://jmri.sourceforge.net/

Dawson, Daniel is part of the

Dawson, Daniel is part of the cast on whats neat with Ken Patterson and may or not be on here from time to time but as I understand it he is not on staff with the magazine. He is likely at school right now so will be a few hours from reading on here if he is on here.

The link above is their link to you tube and below the you tube screen there is a link for posting comments which would allow you to contact him. Ok the link did not post but the latest video did, click on YouTube and when you end up on that page look below the video to add comments as that is one way to contact them.

On a slightly different tack you have some folks posting above that are offering some advice and can likely help you with digitrax and get it into the wifi and then the smart phone to work with it. I am not a digitrax savy person so I would say watch the video again and see if you missed something such as the part that deals with linking it to a wifi. That last comment was not intended to be a smart comment, but I suspect if things are not working something has been missed in the set up and it might be very simple to correct.

I think this might be the episode you are referring to. I hope this is helpful. Good luck down under.

Connection issue

Hi Ian,

In most instances, if the Wireless throttle was working previously, then it's usually something simple, i.e. low battery, physical blocking of the signal, etc. If this is a cell phone WiFi connection, then check your router that the signal connects through. if you are using the Digitrax WIFI Throttle device, then check power to this, wire connection and ground to the loconet, and cycle power on it to reboot.  Hope this works

Jor

One easy thing to check

I see this one trip up a lot of wi-fi users that are using a dedicated network for the railroad.

If the railroad's network device is turned off (or otherwise disappears) the cellphone will try to connect to a network that is has used in the past.  That's usually the home network.

When the railroad network comes back to life, the throttle "doesn't work."   That's because the phone is connected to the home network it won't automatically switch back to the railroad.

It's an easy fix, go into the phone's wi-fi settings and reselect the railroad's network. After that, you may or may not need to restart the throttle app.

gs

What's Neat Weekly Podcasts

ian

I have been watching the weekly What's Neat podcasts from the get go ( great show to watch by the way). Of the regular team on the podcasts, young Daniel seems to be the best informed on matters DCC.

To my knowledge, he has never discussed the PR3 on the show.  He did however install a new  Digitrax LNWI module on Ken's system and showed the team how to connect to the layout using a smart phone app and the LNWI.

As the Prof has pointed out, you can achieve a similar arrangement with the PR3 but to do that you will also need to connect the PR3 to a PC via USB. To connect everything together will also need the following:

1. The PC will have to be connected to a Wifi network.

2. You will need to be running the open source program "JMRI" on the PC (free download)

3. A smart phone either apple or Android loaded with either Wi Throttle (Apple)  or Engine Driver (Android) also both free to download.

If all that sounds too complicated then the Digitrax LNWI module would be your best bet as you then delete the need for either the PC or JMRI.  You would still need a smart phone with the appropriate app.

For me the PC/JMRI option is absolutely the way to go as JMRI gives you so many great AIDS for running trains. To of those is Decoder Pro which provides an easy graphical interface for programming both loco and ancillary decoders.

Podcast vs MRH What's Neat

Having just checked, The segment on the LNWI install was actually in Ken's What's Neat article in the December 2017 MRH mag.

The podcasts don't tend to have ' how to' segments.

PR4 interface .

Prof Kiyzir ,                                                                                                                                                                                 Danial Coomes is a Presenter on Whats Neat with Ken Patterson in the December issue of Model Railroad Hobbyist in 2017 . Will post Photos. Only thing that changed is the PR4 was added . Thank you for your help .

Ian Dawson .

PR4 .

Rob in Texas                                                                                                                                                                                 Yes that is the one . when I first installed it , it worked great ran trains . then for 8-9 days wouldn't connect . Then on day 10 connected . Will follow you link Thank you 

     Ian Dawson .

PR4 .

Jor

     Thank you will check this out  . Battery and wire connections . Thank you .

           Ian Dawson .

PR4 .

gsinos

Thank you , at this stage I'm thinking of going out and buying another throttle . But will keep trying suggestions .

       Ian Dawson .

PR4.

Peter 

 The Digitrax LNWI -PR4 is what i have .Don't have a Computor or a JMRI . As I'm still learning DCC , But I'm getting there . Thank you for your 2 responses 

         Ian Dawson 

PR4 .

 Neil .

       Yes it connected twice . The Digitrax PR4 is a new product . With it you Don't need a computer or JMRI .  Thanking you .

       Ian Dawson .

@Dawson

Sounds like there is some confusion.

The PR4 is an interface between a computer and LocoNet.  A computer is required and it has no WiFi.  

The LNWI is a WiFi unit that plugs into LocoNet.  You can access it with a smartphone running WiThrottle(iPhone) or Engine Driver (Android).

Both are new products.  Both look similar.  Functions are totally different.  The LNWI was on What's Neat.

Regards,

LNWI - PR4

Ian

I think this is where the confusion is arising.  The PR4 and LNWI are two completely different items.

Here is the link to DIgitrax's LNWI page

http://www.digitrax.com/products/wireless/lnwi/

and here is the link to their PR4 page

http://www.digitrax.com/products/computer-control/pr4/

As you can see from the photos below they look almost identical:

If you don't have a computer then I would suggest that the purchase of an LNWI would be the cheapest and simplest option for you to get additional throttles.    I have done a trawl of Australian Digitrax dealers but none of them appear to stock the LNWI.

Best option I can suggest is Litchfield Station they sell it for US $60.95 and are well versed in shipping product to the antipodes at very reasonable rates.  The are also an MRH sponsor.

Link to that page is here:

http://www.litchfieldstation.com/product/loconet-wifi-interface-245-lnwi/

Hope that helps

Form factors

When I talked to the DIgitrax people at the NTS in Orlando last August, they said that they were redesigning all of their accessories to fit one of two form factors - the LNWI and PR4 are two of the newest products in one of them. The only real difference between the two form factors was size - one was small and one was larger.

I think I put up a photo of it around here somewhere.

Here they are -

From https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/2017-national-train-show-day-3-12207479:

It appears that the LNWI is in the smaller of the two.

LNWI

Peter 

        Thank you , You have found the problem , I have the LNWI interface . But it came in a box marked PR4 and all the paper work with it is PR4 but no photo . Now the 2 green lights won't come on .  The LNWI ( bottom light) won't come on  . Sorry for misleading everybody . Thanking you Peter .

Ian Dawson .

LNWI interface .

Thank you Jeff , I brought the LNWI interface on Ebay . It arrived in a box marked PR4 and all the paper work is for a PR4 . But I got what I asked for a LNWI interface . Now the Bottom green light LNWI won't come on . Will have to get onto Digitrax site for Paperwork . Again thanks .

     Ian Dawson

LNWI Interface Photos

Sorry Prof Klyzir Don't know how to send photos over this site .

things becoming clear...

Dear Ian,

Sounds like we're starting to get somewhere...

- So, we've established that it is actually a LNWI unit you purchased. This now "makes sense" as to how you could have connected a "smart device" to the Digitrax system without a standalone JMRI PC/installation.

I appreciate that "...it came in a PR4 box...", but for your-own and anyone-trying-to-assist's clarification and sanity, can I reccomend that you do not refer to it as a "PR4" from here-on-in...
(much of the almost 2 pages of response-posts were understandably mis-directed by this diagnostic furphy detail...
...we've all been there...  )

- You mention that "the (top) green light is ON" on the LNWI. According to this Digitrax doc

http://www.digitrax.com/tsd/KB1053/lnwi-advanced-options/

and the helpful "what does the LED displays mean?" table therein

suggests that you have the LNWI unit correctly connected to the Digitrax LocoNet,
and everything is ready-to-rock on that part of the signal path.

 - You mention "... Now the bottom green(PK:?) light won't come one ..."

Again, according to the handy table

the bottom RED LED only "blinks On" when a smart-device sends a valid WiFi message to the LNWI unit.

Reading between the lines here, that means that the bottom RED light being NOT ON is "normal",
it only flashes ON intermittently while the Smart-Device is actually sending commands/transmitting.

- SO, what could be causing the following combination of symtoms:

* LNWI GREEN (top) light = ON (blinks OFF once every 3 seconds)
* Smart device cannot select a loco, or send commands to it
* No response from the LNWI RED (bottom) light

???

I think GSINOS has the most likely answer,
the Smart Device is connected to some-other WiFi network, not the WiFi network generated by the LNWI unit.
This would also fit with your comment that "...it (the Smart-Device handset) didn't work for a few days, then it 'just came back'..."

SO, what's the "approved power-up procedure" to ensure the LNWI + Smart-Device system "just works"?

Step 1 - Power on the Digitrax system, inc the plug-pack powered LNWI unit
(GREEN LED should be ON, with blink every 3 sec)

Step 2 - Check that the "Smart Device" is actually connected to the LNWI's WiFi network
(by default, the correct WiFi network should be called something like "Dtx1-LnServer_XXXX-7",
where "XXXX" is a random serial number)

If the Smart Device is NOT connected to the correct "Dtx1-LnServer_XXXX-7" network,
do so before proceeding.

Step 3 - Launch the Smart-Device "train control app" (Android = "EngineDriver", Apple/iOS = "WiiThrottle"),
Step 3a - if prompted, connect to the LNWI server

Step 4 - select a loco using the Smart-device app

...and you should be ready to rock...

NB: The above is essentially the same as the "Quickstart" directions in the LNWI User Manual
http://www.digitrax.com/media/apps/products/wireless/lnwi/documents/LNWI_rev.2.pdf

If the above procedure does not solve the issue, please advise "which step is not working as-described",
and we can try to flesh things out further...

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

Now look at that the

Now look at that the professor solved the issue even with out all the facts and a red herring or two. That friends is the beauty of these forums. Well done Professor!