Checklist: Connecting your smart device to Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz, 802.11 b/g/n)

This checklist will help you successfully connect your smart device to your Wi-Fi network.
The device supports 2.4 GHz and the Wi-Fi protocols 802.11 b/g/n. Please go through the following
steps one by one.
 

• Use 2.4 GHz only: The device works exclusively on the 2.4 GHz band. Please disable 5 GHz during setup or create a separate 2.4 GHz network (e.g. “WLAN_24”).
• Enable Wi-Fi mode b/g/n: The device requires 802.11b mode. Please make sure your router is set to b/g/n mixed and not to “n-only”.
• Check the Wi-Fi channel: Many devices support only channels 1–11. Set the channel manually to 1, 6, or 11.
• Check the Wi-Fi password: The password must be between 8 and 63 characters long. Avoid special characters (ä, ö, ü, ß, €, spaces at the beginning or end) and use only letters and numbers.
• Wi-Fi name (SSID): Avoid special characters and emojis in the Wi-Fi name. The SSID must not be hidden.
• Router security: Enabled: WPA2-PSK (AES or TKIP/AES). Not enabled: WPA3-only, “PMF required”, MAC filtering, client isolation, or a guest network with isolation.
• Mesh / repeater: Connect the device directly to the main router. Disable repeaters or mesh nodes during setup.
• Enable DHCP: Make sure DHCP is enabled and that there are enough free IP addresses available.
• Smartphone settings: During setup, turn off mobile data and VPN, enable location services, and stay close to the router.

Note: The device transmits with +20 dBm output power in 802.11b mode. A stable
connection is only guaranteed if the router meets the conditions listed above.

For the setup, we recommend deactivating the repeater for a short time or connecting the controller directly to the main router.
As soon as the setup is complete, the repeaters can be used again as usual.

You can use any characters in your Wi-Fi password as long as it is no longer than 32 characters.

Attention: Please note that if the router password is changed after a successful connection has been established, the controller switches to connecting mode because it still recognises the old password. It will practically ‘wait’ until the old password is restored and cannot be reached in this mode. However, profiles will continue to be played back.

Note: If the WLAN password has changed, please set the AppControl to pairing mode and connect it again via the MyJUWEL app. The controller cannot be controlled until this is done.

Our smart devices from JUWEL Aquarium deliberately use a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi connection, as this offers a significantly greater range compared to 5 GHz. This ensures a stable connection, even if your aquarium is a little further away from the router.
Before setting up, please ensure that your router is either set to 2.4 GHz or working in automatic mode (2.4/5 GHz). This will ensure that your devices can be connected without any problems - for reliable control directly via the MyJUWEL app.
Note: If your router cannot establish a connection in automatic Wi-Fi mode, you must temporarily deactivate 5GHz in your router. 

Please deactivate 5 GHz WLAN during setup.
You can then reactivate automatic mode on the router.

Yes, you need a smartphone to control your smart JUWEL aquarium lighting. Set-up and operation is carried out via our MyJUWEL app, which must be installed on your smartphone (Apple iOS or Google Android). The MyJUWEL app guides you step by step through the set-up process and allows you to control your lighting conveniently - simply and intuitively.

A WLAN network in the 2.4 GHz or 2.4/5 GHz range is also required to connect to the MyJUWEL app. A mobile WLAN hotspot is not sufficient.
 

Please make sure that both Bluetooth and the location service are activated on your smartphone.

Important: Even if the MyJUWEL app has access to the location, the service must also be activated in the smartphone settings. For a stable setup, we recommend placing the controller in the immediate vicinity of the router.

If your HeliaLux AppControl is not found when you add it to the MyJUWEL app, there may be several reasons for this:

Possible reasons:
 a) Your HeliaLux AppControl is not in pairing mode. You can recognise the pairing mode by the fact that the blue LED flashes briefly, briefly, long.
 b) The Bluetooth function of your smartphone is deactivated.
 c) The HeliaLux AppControl is too far away from the smartphone.
d) The location service on your smartphone is not activated

How to solve the problem:
 a) Reset the HeliaLux AppControl to factory settings.
 To do this, press the Reboot button (E) once and then press and hold the Mode button (D) for about 10 seconds - until the red LED starts to flash. The device is now in pairing mode. Then restart the pairing process in the MyJUWEL app.
b) Activate Bluetooth in the connection settings of your smartphone. You can then start the pairing process again.
c) Make sure that your smartphone and the HeliaLux AppControl are within sight of each other so that the connection can be established reliably.

If your HeliaLux AppControl has been successfully integrated and your smartphone is in the same WLAN, but the device status in the MyJUWEL app still shows ‘offline’, this may have the following reasons:

Possible causes:

The HeliaLux AppControl cannot connect to your WLAN or is outside the WLAN range. In this case, the blue LED flashes four times in quick succession (short, short, short, short).

You can resolve the problem as follows:

a) Perform a restart of your HeliaLux AppControl. To do this, press the Reboot button (E) on the device once.


b) Check your Internet connection and the router status. Make sure that your smartphone is connected to the same WLAN as the HeliaLux AppControl.


c) Ensure a sufficiently strong Wi-Fi signal at the location of your HeliaLux AppControl.


d) If the WLAN router has changed or you have changed the WLAN name (SSID) of your home network, please reset the HeliaLux AppControl to the factory settings: Press the Reboot button (E) once and then press and hold the Mode button (D) for approx. 10 seconds until the red LED flashes. The device is then in pairing mode. Then restart the pairing process in the MyJUWEL app.

Possible reasons:
 a) Either the wrong WLAN name (SSID) was selected during the set-up process or the WLAN password was not entered correctly.
 b) The HeliaLux AppControl is outside the range of your Wi-Fi network.
 c) The 2.4 GHz frequency range is deactivated in your router - however, this is absolutely necessary for the connection.

This is how you can solve the problem:
 a) Reset the HeliaLux AppControl to the factory settings.
 Press the Reboot button (E) once and then press and hold the Mode button (D) for 10 seconds until the red LED starts to flash. The controller now switches to pairing mode. Then restart the set-up process in the MyJUWEL app.
b) Ensure a sufficiently strong Wi-Fi signal at the location of your HeliaLux AppControl - ideally close to the router.
c) Check in the settings of your router whether the 2.4 GHz frequency range is activated. Without this, no connection to the device can be established.

To access your HeliaLux AppControl while travelling, it is important that both your smartphone and your home WLAN are connected to the Internet. If the device status is displayed as ‘offline’ even though the device has been successfully set up, this may be due to the following reasons:

Possible reasons:
 a) Your smartphone currently has no Internet connection.
 b) Your home network is not connected to the Internet.
 c) The HeliaLux AppControl cannot connect to the WLAN or is out of range. In this case, the blue LED flashes four times in quick succession.
 d) There has been a change to the router data, e.g. a new WLAN name (SSID) or a new router. In this case, the blue LED also flashes four times briefly.

You can resolve the problem as follows:
 a) Check and activate the mobile data on your smartphone.
 b) Make sure that your Wi-Fi router is connected to the Internet.
 c) Check whether your WLAN is activated and ensure that the signal at the location of the HeliaLux AppControl is sufficiently strong.
 d) If you have recently replaced the router or changed the WLAN name, reset the HeliaLux AppControl to the factory settings:
Press the Reboot button (E) once and then press and hold the Mode button (D) for about 10 seconds - until the red LED flashes. The device is now in pairing mode. 

The reset was not carried out. Service mode has been activated by mistake.
If the green LED on the controller regularly flashes briefly three times (briefly, briefly, briefly), the reset has not been carried out correctly and service mode (manual mode) has been activated by mistake. In this case, the controller is not in pairing mode - please carry out the reset again as described.

With the HeliaLux AppControl and the HeliaLux SmartControl, we offer you two different options for conveniently controlling your HeliaLux Spectrum. Both solutions support the control of your aquarium lighting, but differ significantly in terms of operation and range of functions.

The HeliaLux AppControl was developed as a modern successor to the HeliaLux SmartControl and offers you extended functions and even more flexible control via the MyJUWEL app.

It completely replaces the HeliaLux SmartControl and will be the recommended solution for smart lighting control in future.

The HeliaLux AppControl gives you particularly flexible control via the free MyJUWEL app - conveniently via smartphone or tablet. A major advantage: you can already control various smart devices (e.g. your aquarium lighting or your automatic feeder) with the MyJUWEL app. You can also control your lighting very easily using voice commands via common voice assistants. Practical additional functions such as the synchronisation of several aquariums, the import and export of light profiles, a special service mode and a selection of pre-installed biotope profiles round off the range of functions. Impressive cloud effects can also be realised effortlessly.

The HeliaLux SmartControl offers you a solid solution for controlling your HeliaLux Spectrum via the browser. Control via app or voice assistant is not provided here.Worldwide access is also not possible - operation takes place locally via your home network. Nevertheless, the SmartControl offers you all the important basic functions such as cloud effects, import and export of light profiles, a service mode and predefined biotope profiles.

 

How do the smart devices behave in the event of a power outage or internet outage?

The behavior of our smart devices depends on the type of outage:

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a) Power outage – power and internet are available again afterwards

As soon as power is restored and the router has re-established an active internet connection, the devices automatically reconnect to the Wi-Fi.
The current time is synchronized correctly, and all saved programs continue to run as usual without any time shift.

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b) Power outage – power is back, but no internet is available

If power is available but the router has no internet connection, the devices cannot retrieve the current time.
In this case, they start internally at 00:00 from the moment power is supplied. The programs will still run, but with a time offset because the correct time is missing.
As soon as the internet connection is restored, the devices automatically re-synchronize.

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c) No power outage – only Wi-Fi or internet fails

If only the Wi-Fi or internet connection fails, the devices remain in operation.
Since the time is already known, the saved programs continue to run correctly and without interruption. An internet connection is not required for this.

Note: First briefly press the Reboot button (button E) and then immediately press and hold the Mode button (button D) for at least 10 seconds - until the red LED starts to flash.

Important: Make sure that the change from the reboot button to the mode button is carried out quickly and without interruption. This is the only way to successfully reset the controller.

The firmware can be easily updated via the MyJUWEL app. To do this, open the MyJUWEL app, go to the settings and tap on the ‘Updates’ menu item.
All available updates for your connected devices will be displayed here. Tap on ‘Update now’ to start the firmware update.

Note: If the update process takes longer than five minutes, please close the MyJUWEL app completely and restart the update process.