Bluefire connecting issues to Android on International t444e

[Flipmode]

Hi, I'm reaching out to here to see if anyone has had similar issues connecting the bluefire to their android system. I sent a inquiry to bluefire tech support but thought this might be a different angle to try.

I had the device connected and working back in October but I recall having issues getting it to connect initially but I eventually figured it out. Unfortunately I dont remember what the solution was and I've spent the last two evenings trying different combinations of key on/off, bluetooth on/off, program open/closed, as well as played with the settings. I use the Bluefire for trucks but even downloaded and tried the Mobilehome version as well with no success.

The device blinks blue like it's ready to connect but nothing I do will get it to connect. I'm using a Samsung S8 device if that's relevant. Anybody else have similar experience that can share pointers?!? Thanks for reading atleast,lol

[Simplicity]

I'm very interested in your issue as I'm looking to buy a bluefire and I have a t444e. Fortunately I only live about 15 miles as the crow flies from them.

I believe Cadillackid has this same setup, although he does some really techie things, but if he pipes in he'd have some good advice.

I'm assuming you've been on the bluefire forum on their site: https://bluefire-llc.com/forum/

Have you checked to see if your firmware is up to date? https://bluefire-llc.com/forum/topic...rmware-Updates

Hope you figure it out and if so, please share!

Best of luck.

[RolesvilleMarina]

I am also getting ready to the same thing with our T444E

If anyone figures it out post the links for the devices you ended up using and working well

I hate laptops

[musigenesis]

Have you tried powering off your tablet and restarting it? The Android OS keeps stuff around in memory sometimes even when you think you've closed it completely.

The iOS app has worked sort of reliably for me, although sometimes it will get "stuck" and not update one or more of the sensor displayed values until you close the dashboard and reopen it (I've just gotten in the habit of doing this 2 or 3 times when I start up the bus). The interface is a pretty poor experience because whoever wrote it seems to not know how the UI elements in an iOS app work, but it's functional at least. I use it with a 4th-gen iPod touch and these can be found pretty cheap these days.

[Flipmode]

Yeah I was on the forum a little but mostly going off their getting started instructions. I didn't think that I needed to update the device being it's about 5 months old but I guess I'll look into that.

I know I restarted my device once but will try that a few more times; that's usually my only trick to fixing electronics,lol. I'll keep messing with it and see if I can get it figured out. Thanks for the responses, I'll keep you all posted

[Simplicity]

They show two firmware updates in the last two months.

I'd definitely look at updating it.

I'm assuming you are up to date with all of these:

Android device using version 5.1 or newer

Mobile Device Requirements
 Customize Text Gauge option 'Text Images' sub-option 'Resize to frame aspect ratio' only
resizes width or height (not both).
 There are no Graphic Gauges. Instead placeholders are created for designing dashes for other devices (see the 'Designing a Device Dash' section).

I agree that shutting off your phone completely, waiting 1 minute at least to let all the memory clear, clearing your search history and such just to make sure it's got nothing in it's cache or whatever an Android has might help.

You could also try another Android device to see if it's your Samsung that's the issue. I know Samsung has it's "own way" of doing some things that may make it less "Android", and therefore less friendly to specialty products like the bluefire.

Have you tried to reset to factory settings?

Factory Reset
There are two ways you can reset your adapter.
The first is from the App's Settings page. Scroll down and tap 'Reset Adapter'. You must be
connected to the adapter first before this option is enabled.
The second is from the adapter itself. This is useful if you cannot connect to the adapter for some
reason. Follow the instructions below to reset the adapter.
1. Unplug the adapter and then plug it back in (power cycle it).
2. Wait for it to start blinking Red. This will occur one minute after plugging it in.
3. Unplug the adapter while it's blinking Red (NOT solid red).
4. Plug the adapter back in. It will start blinking Red right away.
5. Unplug the adapter again while it's blinking Red (NOT solid red).
6. When you plug the adapter in for the third time, it will perform a Factory Reset. The adapter will go solid Red, then pulse Red, then solid Red again, and then start blinking Blue.

Note, you can do this by unscrewing the cap and plugging the adapter into a USB powered port. Just be careful of the USB connector and the electronic boards. If the top board of the adapter has a rubber bumper make sure it is in the same position when you screw the cap back on. The rubber bumper keeps the top board from separating from the bottom board.

Do you see these colors?

The Adapter has three LED colors, Red, Green and Blue. In general, Red is for the Adapter, Green
is for the vehicle connection, and Blue is for the Bluetooth connection. The LEDs can either be
solid on or they can blink. The red LED can also pulsate. Below is a description of their meanings:
 Solid Red - The Adapter is updating its memory. DO NOT unplug the adapter otherwise
undesirable results may occur.
 Blinking Blue - The Adapter is ready and waiting for you to connect the BlueFire App.
 Blinking Green - The Adapter is ready and connected to the BlueFire App but is waiting for you to turn the key on.
 Solid Blue - The Adapter is connected to the BlueFire App and communicating with the onboard computers in your vehicle

Trouble shooting:
I'm assuming you addressed all the troubleshooting points in their document. It seems the device is very sensitive to any battery maintenance, removing the device incorrectly and most notably, requiring firmware re-flashing if it became corrupt.

I really like the concept of this device, yet I've seen a lot of companies push product out the door to get sales without having a solid product, software, firmware, instructions, etc..

I'm still going to get one, but after reading their docs and seeing the issues you're having, I'm going to be really careful about when I plug it in and out.

It's a cool looking unit, but it seems there are a few sensitive parts based on the troubleshooting section.

Best of luck.

[Flipmode]

So I did pretty much all the suggested things a couple of more times with my Samsung S8 with no luck. I tried resetting the Blufire a few times but had a different pattern of lights then described; Upon plugging the Bluefire in the third time it went solid red then blue flashing. The factory reset described it going from solid red to pulse red to solid red then to blue flashing...so wasnt too sure if I was successful. Tried the wife's phone(an S8 as well,lol) with the same unsuccessful connection results.

The Bluefire came new smelling like a cooked outlet so was really wondering maybe I had a defective unit. I sent tech support an email last week with my problem but never heard back. I checked out the forum and see that tech support is active there but didnt peruse it further. I got to thinking that maybe it's not the wand, it's the magician. I then tried powering the Bluefire up with a mini usb and was able to connect to bluetooth on my laptop. With that success I updated the firmware. I'm pretty sure I then tried my phone again without success but not positive with that. Knowing the device wasn't defective I tried my kindle and got success.

So end of story I'm not really sure why my S8 wont connect but Im actually prob better off using the kindle with its bigger screen. Thanks guys for the input, really appreciated.

[Simplicity]

Yay!

Glad it's working. I agree, the bigger screen will be easier to see the information, especially while driving.

I've had Samsung phones for easily a decade. While they have generally been good to me, I've read enough to know that they take liberties with the Android system a bit too far. This means products designed for a more virgin version of Android may not work. This might be what happened to you.

Enjoy your bluefire!