Unable to install WiFi Hotspot profiles

Michelle073

How do I connect to WiFi hotspots around town???

I've used that feature for many years. It stopped working a couple years ago. The profiles will not install on any device I own from the My Spectrum app. It says it installs, but they do not. I have been after this issue for a very long time and not getting any answers.

I've emailed, I've chatted, I've searched and found others with the same problem, but no solution. I've called support and been to the local store. All of these more times than once. No one can offer a solution.

I am competent; can someone provide the specs for entering it manually on my android device? That used to work, as that is how I used to do it before the My Spectrum app, but no longer.

William_M

Hi @Michelle073, welcome to our community!

Sorry to hear that the WiFi profile is not working. Can you clarify what you mean it does not install even though it says it does? Is it not automatically connecting to a WiFi hotspot you see in range or a different issue? Do you have any apps that manage your wireless connections?

The only way to install the profile is through the app, but you can effectively do the same thing by going to your devices WiFi setting and selecting a hotspot from the list available networks (make sure to select auto-connect) and you should be directed to sign in with your Spectrum username and password. Once you have done this your device should automatically reconnect any time you are in range of a similarly named hotspot. You can find instructions to connect and a hotspot map at Spectrum WiFi Access Points.

Michelle073

Thanks for your response.

What happens is on my Pixel 5a (android), I open My Spectrum app (after install)...

go to "Account" ...

"install Spectrum WiFi Profile"...

enter Username & Password ...

press "Install Profile" ...

respond "OK" to Store Your Profile?

Response is "Spectrum WiFi Profile Installed"

NO profiles for Spectrum are installed in my WiFi settings... it just lied.

This is when the app is just installed; after going thru the above, "Manage Spectrum WiFi Profile" appears as if they were actually installed.... then behaves as if they were there. this occurs on all my various devices. It is not a device or compatibility or PICNIC issue.

Attempting to connect manually does not work either by selecting in my WiFi settings. What I was asking for is the connection settings to connect to the secure high encryption Plus network. What is the domain? What protocol? I cannot try it manually because I don't know those settings and Spectrum support staff are unable to tell me. I really didn't expect it to work because the regular hotspots won't accept my login... but I wanted to try anyway... let's move on to where the real problem is...

My 2 years of struggling has lead me to one and only one conclusion; it's my login. My login is over 25 years old and not accepted by the hotspots for the last 2 years. My login dates back to when I was a beta tester of Road Runner. Also, my Community HOA has recently pulled in Internet for a group rate as one of the services it provides. So, for the last 2 years I do not pay for my Internet directly to Spectrum; I pay indirectly through my HOA.

Now that I am in a Community HOA group, am I still eligible to get hotspots? If the answer to that is a definitive Yes, then this is an issue for developers and programmers. For 2 years now, my contacts by phone, chat, email, and visits to the store have resulted in no joy, they say I am eligible. The issue is why my login stopped being accepted by the hotspots and why the app won't install the profiles using my login.

William_M

You are still eligible to connect to hotspots, but you would not be able to use the "add network" option like you are trying. What is the network name of the "Plus" network you are connecting to? I'm not aware of any current hotspots that have plus in the name. Are you able to see that network on our hotspot map?

Are you able to sign in on our website?

Do you get any error messages when trying to sign in after connecting to a hotspot?

If you go to your WiFi settings and select advanced, do you see an option that says "Spectrum Wi-Fi auto-connect?"

Also under advanced; If you select "Manage Networks" do you see the hotspot listed?

Michelle073

Thanks again for your reply. I was only trying to add a network as a trouble-shooting effort because the My Spectrum app won't install the necessary profiles for me. You're ahead of me, your questions to me assume that the profiles have been installed by the My Spectrum app. The profiles DO NOT INSTALL. NO, the Spectrum hotspots do not appear in my Manage Networks. This is the essence of my problem. I cannot get an error message after connecting to a hotspot because I cannot connect to one. I cannot get the profile to do so. There is no auto-connect because there is no profile to auto-connect to..

I do, however, see the Spectrum hotspots in the available list to connect to. If I attempt to login, it won't accept my login.

My login works when I sign in to the website; it is the same login I use to log in here to post this and into the My Spectrum app. I use the same login for all Spectrum services including TV apps. My login works for everything I need it to except for installing the hotspot profiles.

Two years ago, the hotspots stopped working for my login. All other services have continued to work as expected. The essence of the problem is that the My Spectrum app will no longer create the profiles necessary to connect to hotspots with my login. Attempting to connect manually by selecting from the available networks will also not accept my login.

William_M

The profile will not work on all phones, and apps that manage WiFi networks can interfere with it, but installing the profile is not essential to using the hotspots nor for you to automatically connect to them. If you cannot even connect by selecting the in-range network and signing in with your username and password that is the primary problem, all the profile is doing is configuring the hotspot as a saved network and a storing your credentials.

The error I am asking about is regarding when you say "If I attempt to login, it won't accept my login", what is the exact error you are getting there?

What is the name of the wireless network you are connecting to? If it has a "plus" in its name it may not be ours, looking at our hotspot map for your area I see no networks with plus.

Michelle073

Hi William, thanks for sticking with me...

Agreed that the app may not install on ALL devices. However, it just cannot be that it used to install on my devices and then no longer will for ALL of them. My devices are mainstream devices by Samsung, Lenovo, Asus, and Google. They used to work and no longer do. I contend it is my login that Spectrum hotspot does not like.

Agreed that I should be able to connect manually by entering my credentials directly. That no longer works either. I get an "Authentication" error. I've uploaded a screenshot from my phone.

Screenshot_20220313-145717.png

the screen shot is all I get. it tries periodically to connect and continues to fail with the "Authentication" error.

Nevermind the "Plus" network... I can now see it no longer exists. It used to exist as a high encryption network. In the past I always used that one. I now see there is a new one that I assume is for wireless customers (Spectrum Mobile), of which, I am not, so I don't expect to be able to use it.

Back to the issue... We agree I should be able to connect to the "Spectrum" hotspot. I cannot; manual attempts will not accept my login AND the app will not install the profiles using my login on any of my devices. The problem is between my login and hotspot. My login has remained the same over the many years. Spectrum has made many changes to the services since...

William_M

You're welcome.

I do not see any problems with your username, the age should not affect anything and I show everything on your account has been updated.

Is that a network you see listed on our hotspot map? From what I can see the networks in your area have a different name. When trying to connect to it is it directing you to a sign in page specifically asking for your Spectrum username or password, or is it just asking for a network password or other information such as EAP method, Phase 2 authentication, etc.?

Michelle073

The map is a few years out of date. The Bright House names were changed to Spectrum names a few years ago. When problems occur, my first question to myself is: What changed? This is what I am referring to when I state that my login hasn't changed in many years, but Spectrum services have. We've had many changes come along over the years on your end. The problem, I am sure, has occurred when Spectrum made changes. It's not a PICNIC.

When I attempt to login, it does not redirect me to a web page asking for login; it stays within the wifi settings on device asking for EAP method and Phase 2 authentication. Can you share the proper settings that I should select (I asked for this in my first contact) so I may verify that I got them correct?

Michelle073

William,

I'm reviewing the old settings that used to work: EAP method used to be PEAP, Phase 2 authentication used to be MSCHAPv2. Then, I entered my login and password and it would work.

When selecting those settings now, in addition to my login, it wants an "Anonymous identity." (that is, 3 pieces of info: Identity, anonymous Identity, and password). I cannot find anywhere what "Anonymous Identity" would be, so, I don't enter anything and cannot save the profile, it's required. The only way I can get past this is to choose PWD method. Can you provide the proper manual settings? I've asked for these settings repeatedly and cannot get anyone to provide. I am simply told I should download the My Spectrum app and install profiles from there. We've gone over already how that does not work for my login.

Thanks for sticking with me, William.

William_M

I'm sorry but I just don't have the manual settings to provide or I would give them to you. If I had to guess based on how some other hotspots work it would be EAP Method: PEAP, Phase 2 authentication: MSCHAPV2, CA certificate: Unspecified, None, or No certificate, Identity: Your Spectrum Username, Password: Your Spectrum password. Anonymous Identity should not be a required field but I cannot guarantee this will work as it is not how our hotspots are meant to function and it sounds like these are the settings you have already tried.

I will report the hotspot names being out of date as that presents an issue; how do you know you are connecting to a Spectrum hotspot rather than just a random secure network that has been named "Spectrum"? Are you at least at a location shown on the map as having a hotspot? Are you getting asked for that information no matter which hotspot you connect to or are you only trying the one network?

I am doubtful the username is the problem, a large portion of our customers have accounts which were migrated from Brighthouse and other previous providers and do not have this issue. My own account was an old Brighthouse account and works just fine. Also; If it was an issue with the migration to Spectrum it would likely have stopped working more than 2 years ago, however if entering those settings manually doesn't work and you are at a location/multiple locations the map shows a hotspot should be and still can't connect, we can always try deleting your current username and creating a new one.

ahabig

I'm having a very similar problem. The wifi I'm trying to connect to is at work, and shows up on the map, though with a SSID of SpectrumWiFi. My phone shows Spectrum Free Trial as an open network, which then prompts "Spectrum Customer Sign In", which then asks for Username and Password, but then gives the helpful error "Unable to Connect".

And yes, I used to be able to connect with no problem. I suspect that changed when Spectrum decided to start the install profile thing. I have done that in the app, and it says "Spectrum WiFi Profile Installed".

Clicking on "Spectrum" under the available (and full signal indicated) networks brings me to a screen that has EAP method, Phase 2 authentication, CA certificate, Online Certificate status, and Domain, which is where there is a cursor blinking, below which it reads "Must specify a domain".

I am paying for a service that I cannot use.

Michelle073

ahabig, I feel for you. I've been at this for over 2 years. William here is the only one that is at least helping me look at it. His last suggestion to me is to delete my username and re-add it. I've been thinking about that for days and wonder if it will work. I firmly believe that, in my case, when Spectrum transitioned my account 2 years ago from Bright House, they messed up the part for hotspots (all my other services are working great). William may be right in deleting my username and re-adding it.

William, if you're still there and willing.... can you tell me how I would go about removing my username and re-adding? What is the process? What if it is deeper than just the username, meaning my account number?

Michelle073

William, thinking about deleting my username and re-adding... A few days ago, I added another user to my account to see if that other user would work. It did not, I got the same results as usual: No Joy. I do feel that deleting my username and re-adding may result in the same thing. My sense tells me that it is in the linkage between my account and hotspot in the database. Deleting and re-adding my Account makes more sense to me. Any more thoughts?