Clara 2E Wifi issues on new device after firmware update

[jbweb]

Hi all,
After happily reading for more then 10 years on my old Sony, it was time for a little upgrade. So i recently bought the Clara 2E, because the reviews were good and i liked it being mostly the same size and form factor as my old Sony.

Overall i'm pretty happy with my choice, but i'm a bit puzzled there is no official way of reporting a bug at kobo. Not in the app, site, on the device, etc.

When i unpacked my new device, i did the setup progress, connected to my wifi and the device automatically went to download a firmware upgrade (4.37).

After this update was installed, again the device asked me for my wifi network, but was not able to connect anymore.
The issue is quit clear. I have a wifi name with an & (ampersand), and when i select this it automatically makes characters save and makes it a "&" character. And then in the final error, it does it again, so my wifiname is displayed as a "&".

Now i hear you say, just rename your wifi...
But i have a new "smart" house with more then 150 devices connected, all working perfectly on this wifi name. Even the cheapest, obscure, Chinese IOT devices work perfectly.
Renaming my wifi network will give me an ton of work and new issues with all these other devices.

Would be great if Kobo had a normal way of reporting bugs, as this is a minor thing (i'm a developer myself, this is just a simple safety issue), and can be solved easy in a new firmware update if they would be aware, i figure...

Anyone else has this same issue since this firmware update?

[DNSB]

For what it may be worth, I've reported this to Kobo.

[enuddleyarbl]

On the off-chance this is possible, can you set up a different wifi names (SSIDs) in your router? Perhaps different virtual networks or just by separating the bands? Or, possibly just use a Guest network on the router for the Kobo? Not a solution, but might be a good workaround.

BTW, usually I see the advice to keep IOT devices on their own virtual network so they don't leak/steal information from your network of meaningful devices (i.e., computers, NAS, etc.). So, doing the above (if possible) could be the first step on that journey .

[DNSB]

The feedback I received from Kobo is that they are aware of the problem and it's on their to do list.

[jbweb]

Originally Posted by DNSB

The feedback I received from Kobo is that they are aware of the problem and it's on their to do list.

Thank you for the update! Nice to know Kobo is aware...
For now i have to use an USB cable.

Originally Posted by enuddleyarbl

On the off-chance this is possible, can you set up a different wifi names (SSIDs) in your router? Perhaps different virtual networks or just by separating the bands? Or, possibly just use a Guest network on the router for the Kobo? Not a solution, but might be a good workaround.

BTW, usually I see the advice to keep IOT devices on their own virtual network so they don't leak/steal information from your network of meaningful devices (i.e., computers, NAS, etc.). So, doing the above (if possible) could be the first step on that journey .

Yes i have multiple SSIDs for my different purposes, and i have one specific for IoT devices, with multiple virtual LAN's and security policies in place.

And yes, i could easily create a new, extra SSID with VLAN just for the Kobo.
But that feels as a last resort, creating this all for one device.

Thank you for thinking with me! Let's hope it will be solved in coming updates.

[Mogzol]

I know this thread is a few months old, but I just ran into this on my Kobo as well and found a workaround, so wanted to post here in case it helps anyone else (this thread showed up in my google search for this issue).

If you manually enter the wifi details (instead of selecting the network from the wifi list) it connects properly. Just go to the wifi list, hit the "Add network" button on the bottom of the screen, and enter your network details. It does still show the "&" in the "Connecting to..." text, but it should successfully connect.

[TheJesus]

Originally Posted by Mogzol

I know this thread is a few months old, but I just ran into this on my Kobo as well and found a workaround, so wanted to post here in case it helps anyone else (this thread showed up in my google search for this issue).

If you manually enter the wifi details (instead of selecting the network from the wifi list) it connects properly. Just go to the wifi list, hit the "Add network" button on the bottom of the screen, and enter your network details. It does still show the "&" in the "Connecting to..." text, but it should successfully connect.

Dude! You're a genius.
That solved my problem with wifi on the Glo.
in a non-sexual, platonic, hero-worshippy way