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Canvas won't connect or send photos? Start here

Updated

Before you start

Two quick things solve most cases:

  1. Charge the Canvas first. Below ~5% battery the Canvas will not join Wi-Fi (this is normal low-power protection). Use the standard charger and let it charge a bit before trying again.
  2. Check whether your Canvas is 2.4GHz-only — see below.

Does my Canvas only support 2.4GHz?

On the desktop app, go to Settings and check the Screen Type:

  • If it shows EL073TF1 or EL133UF1, your Canvas supports 2.4GHz Wi-Fi only — it cannot use 5GHz, so make sure you connect it to a 2.4GHz network.
  • If it shows anything else, both 2.4GHz and 5GHz are supported — you don't need to worry about 5GHz compatibility.
Even so, no matter which model you have, the most common problem is a router feature called Band Steering — the Canvas connects, then loses the connection a little later. If that's your situation, go straight to Section D; it's easy to fix.

Find your situation

Jump to the section that matches what you see.

A. Setup fails on Step 3, asking for "Local Network" permission

Your phone blocked the app from talking to the Canvas on your local network. Turn it on:

  • iPhone: Settings → BLOOMIN8 → turn on Local Network.
  • Android: Settings → Apps → BLOOMIN8 → Permissions → allow Nearby devices / Bluetooth. If you also see a "Network" or "Local network" permission, allow it too.

Then make sure your phone is on 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and restart the setup in the app.

B. "screen not ready" or "canvas is not ready"

This is not a Wi-Fi problem. It usually means the SD card inside the Canvas didn't mount properly. Try this in order:

  1. Close the app.
  2. Take out the SD card on the back of the Canvas and reinsert it firmly.
  3. Use a SIM pin to gently press the reset hole on the back for about 1 second.
  4. Reopen the app and try sending a photo again.

If it still shows the same error, the SD card may need replacing — contact us and we'll arrange it. Please don't keep changing your Wi-Fi settings for this one — it won't help.

C. Wi-Fi password times out or won't connect

Quick checks:

  • Battery not too low? (Below 5% it won't connect.)
  • Password correct, including upper/lowercase?
  • If your Screen Type is EL073TF1 or EL133UF1, you must join a 2.4GHz network, not 5GHz. (Other models handle both.)
  • Wi-Fi name and password use only English letters and numbers — no Chinese, spaces, emoji, or special characters. Older firmware doesn't handle those well.
  • Router security is WPA2 (not WPA3).

Easiest fix — the hotspot test. If you'd rather not touch your router:

  1. On a second phone, turn on a 2.4GHz personal hotspot. On iPhone, turn on "Maximize Compatibility."
  2. Let the Canvas connect to that hotspot and finish setup.
  3. Once online, the Canvas auto-updates to the latest firmware.
  4. After the update, go to the Canvas's settings in the app and switch it back to your home Wi-Fi.

D. Connected fine, but photos fail a little later (most common)

This is by far the most common issue — suspect it first. The Canvas joins your Wi-Fi and looks fine, but a short while later sending photos fails or times out.

Why it happens: Band Steering. Most modern routers put 2.4GHz and 5GHz under one Wi-Fi name and quietly move each device between them ("Band Steering" / "Smart Connect" / "Dual-band merged"). Your phone drifts onto 5GHz while the Canvas stays on 2.4GHz — now they're on different bands and the phone can no longer reach the Canvas to send photos.

The fix — split your Wi-Fi into two separate names:

  1. In your router settings, turn off "Band Steering" / "Smart Connect."
  2. Give the two bands separate names — for example keep HomeWiFi for 2.4GHz and set HomeWiFi_5G for 5GHz. (Router-by-router steps are at the bottom of this article.)
  3. Connect the Canvas to the 2.4GHz name (HomeWiFi), and let your phone use either — now they can always find each other.
  4. After changing router settings, restart the router, then re-check the Canvas in the app.

Also worth a quick check: make sure your router hasn't put the Canvas on a Guest network — guest networks usually block phones from reaching other devices. Use the main Wi-Fi.

If instead of a timeout you see "canvas not ready," that's the SD card, not the network — go to Section B.

E. Canvas shows "Offline"

To save battery, the Canvas sleeps when idle. When you open the app near it, your phone wakes it over Bluetooth. So:

  1. Make sure your phone's Bluetooth is on and the app has Bluetooth permission.
  2. Stand near the Canvas when you operate.
  3. Still offline? Short-press the physical button on the back to wake it manually.

You don't need to reset your network for this.

F. Playlist or Schedule acting up

If you tapped "send" several times, you may have created overlapping playback tasks that conflict.

  • Go to Devices → Schedule and check for multiple overlapping rules or lists.
  • Just want one image shown now? Use single-image send.
  • Want a rotating loop? Use a Playlist with one schedule, and delete the leftover tasks.

For stable IoT/Canvas connections:

  • Band: 2.4GHz only, channel width 20MHz, channel fixed to 1, 6, or 11 (avoid auto-hopping to 12/13).
  • Security: WPA2-Personal (AES). Turn off WPA3 and WPA2/WPA3-mixed.
  • Name & password: English letters and numbers only, no spaces or special characters.
  • Turn off: Band Steering, Fast Roaming, AP Isolation, Hidden SSID.

Naming tip: keep 2.4GHz as your original name (HomeWiFi) so IoT devices auto-reconnect, and add _5G to the 5GHz name. Don't do it the other way around.

Router-specific steps

TP-Link / Deco

Router: dashboard → Wireless → turn off "Smart Connect" → keep 2.4GHz SSID, add _5G to 5GHz; set 2.4GHz width to 20MHz, channel 1/6/11.

Deco (Mesh): in the Deco app, enable IoT Network — a dedicated 2.4GHz-only network with an English/number name and password for the Canvas.

ASUS

Dashboard → Wireless → turn off "Smart Connect." Set 2.4GHz width 20MHz, channel 1/6/11, encryption WPA2-Personal. On AiMesh, if the Canvas is unstable, temporarily disable "Roaming Assistant" / Band Steering on the relevant node.

NETGEAR / Orbi

Wireless settings → turn off Smart Connect, name 2.4G and 5G separately. If an Orbi Mesh can't split bands, enable a Guest network but turn off "member isolation" / "allow guests to access local network."

D-Link

Settings → Wireless → turn off Smart Connect, name 2.4GHz and 5GHz separately. Note: turning off Smart Connect may affect Mesh roaming — use it as a troubleshooting test.

Google Nest WiFi

Can't split bands manually. Workaround: during setup, walk your phone outdoors or far from the router so weak signal forces it onto 2.4GHz — then set up. Or use a second phone's hotspot for first activation.

eero

Can't split permanently. eero app → Settings → Troubleshooting → "My device won't connect" → "Temporarily pause 5GHz." The router turns off 5GHz for a few minutes so the Canvas can finish setup.

Ubiquiti / UniFi

Create a dedicated wireless network (SSID) for IoT devices: 2.4GHz only, WPA2-Personal, turn off PMF, Fast Roaming, and Client Isolation. If the Canvas is on a separate VLAN, make sure firewall rules let your phone's VLAN reach the Canvas's IP and ports.

Still stuck? Contact us

Reply to this ticket with the following, and we'll take it from here:

  • Canvas serial number (SN) / MAC address
  • Canvas firmware version and app version
  • Phone model and OS version (e.g. iOS 17.2 / Android 14)
  • Router brand and model (e.g. TP-Link Archer C7)
  • Network setup: Mesh? Band Steering on? Guest network?
  • Wi-Fi security mode (WPA3, or WPA2/WPA3 mixed?)
  • 2.4GHz channel and channel width
  • Exact step where it fails + a screenshot of the error
  • Did you ever see "canvas is not ready" or "screen not ready"?
  • Did you try a phone hotspot — did it connect?
  • Did you reseat or swap the SD card?
  • Battery level when it failed, whether it was charging, and which charger
  • Screenshots of the app's permissions (iOS: Local Network + Bluetooth; Android: Nearby devices / Bluetooth + any network permission)
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