Mitsubishi ecodan air source heat pump EE 4g Wi-Fi issue

[Jnxiueuefncen]

Hi all,

We have had a Mitsubishi ecodan air source heat pump since may 2021. It uses Wi-Fi to enable programming and remote control over the internet. It worked absolutely fine up to feb 19th 2023 when it disconnected from the network and will not reconnect. We use EE 4g home broadband via a TP link router and external roof mounted aerial. The internet connection is generally very good - everything else works fine work laptops, tablets, smart tvs, home pods etc. 

My neighbour has an identical set up same heat pump and internet provider. They also cannot connect the heat pump since 19th feb. 

I have tried all steps listed in the heat pump instructions and cannot get it to reconnect. I can see it listed as a connected device on the network but it seems that it is unable to communicate with the Mitsubishi server. 

I phoned Mitsubishi and they said it was a known issue with EE 4g broadband for which they have no suggested fixes. I spoke to EE who had not heard of the issue.  They were very helpful and wanted me to do a factory reset on my router. I don’t see how that will help seeing as everything else is working fine and I would then have to set it up again. 

Do any of you have any suggestions for how I can fix this please ? I wonder if it is something to do with the dark art of IP addresses, dns servers, subnet masks etc….

thank you. 

Martin 

[Gwfarmer]

Exactly the same problem that we have. We have had the system running for three years without any problems  I know exactly when the data was last transfeed to Mel cloud( 3 rd March 2023). We unfortunately changes the data pla

[Gwfarmer]

Apologies sent before finishing last reply. Our data plan was changed on that day but earlier than the last data transfer.

Two long calls to EE technical support have said that it is not a problem with EE but quite clearly it is.

We are in rural area with very poor broadband reception and pretty much stuck with EE 4g mobile broadband.

If they did sort Tado surely it is possible to sort out Melcloud.

[Ecodan]

Like you I have so far got nowhere with Mitsibushi who, as they know there is a problem with EE/BT, seem to not be interested. Surprising as they sell their wifi interface as an add-on.

I contacted the supplier of my EE Sim and explained the problem to them and they were very concerned, so they offered me a 10 day trial of the Vodaphone Sim to see if the problem was with EE.  I have yet to contact them with the results.  I can swap over with no charge if I am happy with Vodaphone. Unfortunately it is a quarter of the EE speed so I have to make a choice.

I would have thought EE might show some interest as it appears that their Network cannot now do something it did before, but which their competitors' can.

[Ecodan]

I too am in a rural area reliant on 4G so I know how you feel.

Apparently with the Tado problem EE were in denial then, but pressure from people in the Community and Tado themselves eventually made EE do something about it.  EE must know if they made changes on the Network around that time whether it be locally on the masts or in a centre somewhere. It needs a Technical manager to take an interest and do something about it. That aeroplane might come crashing down one day!

[Jnxiueuefncen]

Hi James, some other customers are reporting the same issue on the same day. Any chance of a technical manager taking a look please as it’s likely something that has changed at the EE end ?  Thanks 

[Christopher_G]

Hi @Jnxiueuefncen 

Did Mitsubishi say exactly what the compatibility issue was? Our mobile network uses dynamic IP, meaning that the IP address isn't fixed and can change. These types of devices tend to work best on a fixed broadband connection.

Do you all have the same model of heat pump?

Chris

[Gwfarmer]

Hi Christopher 

Mitsubishi say that they only know it is a problem with EE/BT and assume its something to do with the firewalls  but I do not understand the how and whys . Our system worked perfectly fine from installation(oct 2020) until 19:38 3/3/23. We changed the contract with EE on 3/3/23 but the new data plan started earlier in the day and I am presuming data was sent without problems for the four hours of the new plan. It sounds from other users who have had the same problem that it has nothing to do with change of their data plans.

The last Mitsubishi engineer said that they set a router up and it was only with the EE sim card the app didn't work . My understanding  is the heating control is via a web based server. https://app.melcloud.com. There is   a wifi interface on the ecodan heating pump which connects through the home network /wifi to the web server and  this controls the thermostats water heating etc. The wifi interface correctly connects to the home network and I can see through the log that it tries every 2 minutes or so to connect to the app but fails.

There are 4 IP addresses  to the website and all of them fail when I try to ping through windows. How does dynamic IP address alter this . The set up on the app allows for dynamic IP addressing.

Is this the same problem that affected Tado customers?

[Ecodan]

It is with the same Mitsibushi Heat Pump which has a wifi interface to enable it to store and exchange data with Melcloud, a Mitsibushi app.

The  connection between the two  was working ok until 19/20th February.  N.B. -  In my case the connection was working perfectly for six months previously.  Changing my Sim to Vodaphone restored my connection immediately.

My router firmware has not been updated as far as I know which leaves only one conclusion - EE, who have previous form with this sort of thing.

[Gwfarmer]

Hi All

Bizarrely (whether due to any intervention or not ) my melcloud app has started to work. I had to reregister the whole heating system and the building again. All the previous timings have been lost presumably due to it being a new  system.

We have two buildings showing up on the app I will investigate further to see if  I can delete the old building from the app .I cannot open anything up in the old building.

Hope you get yours up and running soon.

If there was intervention - thank you

[James_B]

That's great news @Gwfarmer 

Thanks for the update. 🙂

James