EV charger keeps losing Wi-Fi in the garage? What to do

The charger works without Wi-Fi. The clever parts, like cheap-rate scheduling and solar charging, usually don't.

Published · 2 min read

In this guide
  1. What you lose when it's offline
  2. Why the garage is so difficult
  3. Fixes, in order of reliability
  4. Measure before the charger goes on the wall

A home charger for an electric car is installed where the car is: in the garage, on an outside wall, by the driveway. Those are the places home Wi-Fi reaches last. The result is a charger that shows as offline in the app every few days.

What you lose when it's offline

On most models, plugging in still charges the car. What tends to stop is everything that makes the charger "smart":

  • Scheduled charging on a cheaper night tariff
  • Charging from surplus solar power
  • Starting, stopping and monitoring from the app
  • Software updates

Check your own model's manual, since behaviour varies.

Why the garage is so difficult

  • It's the far end of the house, usually behind a thick or fire-rated wall: see Wi-Fi in the garage.
  • The garage door is a sheet of metal.
  • The car parks right in front of the charger. A vehicle is a large metal object. Coverage that's acceptable with the garage empty can disappear when the car is in.
  • Most chargers only use 2.4 GHz, and need care at setup: see connecting a 2.4 GHz-only device.

Fixes, in order of reliability

  1. A network cable. Many chargers have an Ethernet port. If the charger is being installed now, ask the electrician to run a data cable alongside the power cable. It costs little at that moment and ends the problem for good: see plan Ethernet during a renovation.
  2. An access point in the garage, fed by a cable, powerline or coax: see powerline adapters.
  3. A mesh node on the house side of the garage wall, as close to the charger as the layout allows: see where to put a mesh node.
  4. For an outside wall or driveway, an outdoor-rated access point: see outdoor access points.

Some chargers can also use a mobile connection with a SIM. It's worth asking the installer if Wi-Fi at that spot looks hopeless.

Measure before the charger goes on the wall

The best moment to check is before installation. Stand where the charger will be mounted, with the car parked in its usual place and the garage door closed, and measure with WiFi Heatmap. If the connection is poor there, you can ask for a data cable while the electrician is still on site, instead of discovering the problem from an "offline" notification a week later.