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When you first plug in Tidesy, it does not know anything about your home WiFi network — it does not know the name or the password. Since Tidesy has no keyboard and no app, it uses a simple workaround: it creates its own small, temporary WiFi network called TidesySetup.

You connect your phone to that network (just like you would connect to any WiFi), and a setup page opens in your browser where you type in your home WiFi name and password. That is all there is to it.

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Your Home WiFi

The WiFi you already use every day for your phone, laptop, and TV. It comes from your router and connects everything to the internet.

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Tidesy’s Temporary WiFi

A small network Tidesy creates just for setup. It does not connect to the internet — it only lets your phone talk directly to the device so you can configure it.

Think of TidesySetup like a walkie-talkie between your phone and the Tidesy device. Once you tell Tidesy your home WiFi password through that connection, it shuts down the temporary network, connects to your real home WiFi, and starts showing tides. Your phone goes back to your home WiFi automatically.

Key points: You only do this once. After setup, Tidesy remembers your WiFi and connects automatically every time you plug it in. If your phone shows a “no internet” warning when connected to TidesySetup, that is normal — tap Stay Connected. If you enter the wrong password, Tidesy brings TidesySetup back so you can try again.

Troubleshooting

Tidesy does not start or the screen stays black

Make sure you are using a USB-C cable that supports data and power (some cheap cables are charge-only). Use a power source rated at least 5V 2A. Try a different cable, a different USB port, or a different charger. If the screen stays completely black after 10 seconds, unplug and reconnect the cable.

I cannot find the TidesySetup WiFi network

The setup hotspot only appears when Tidesy does not have a saved WiFi connection, or when it cannot connect to a known network. If you are setting up a brand-new device, wait about 15 seconds after the boot screen for the hotspot to appear. Make sure you are scanning from a phone or computer within range (about 30 feet). If the hotspot still does not appear, unplug and replug the device.

Tidesy cannot connect to my WiFi

Tidesy only supports 2.4 GHz WiFi networks. If your router broadcasts a combined 2.4/5 GHz network, that usually works fine. If you have separate networks (e.g., "MyWiFi" and "MyWiFi-5G"), connect to the 2.4 GHz one. Also verify:

The WiFi password is correct (it is case-sensitive)
Your router is not blocking new devices or has MAC filtering enabled
The router is within reasonable range of the device

If the connection fails, Tidesy will fall back to the TidesySetup hotspot so you can re-enter the credentials.

tidesy.local does not open in my browser

The tidesy.local address uses mDNS, which works on most devices but can be inconsistent on some older Android phones and certain network setups. Try these steps:

Make sure your phone or computer is on the same WiFi network as Tidesy
Try a different browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox)
On Android, try typing http://tidesy.local with the http:// prefix
If none of that works, find the device IP address from your router's admin page and type that directly (e.g., 192.168.1.42)

The tide data looks wrong or shows dashes

Dashes ("-x-") appear when Tidesy could not fetch data from NOAA. This usually means the WiFi connection dropped or the NOAA servers are temporarily slow. Tidesy retries every six minutes, so the data typically returns on its own within one or two cycles. If dashes persist for more than 30 minutes:

Check that your WiFi network has internet access
Power-cycle the device (unplug and replug)
Verify the station is still active on NOAA's website

If the tide values appear but seem inaccurate, keep in mind that Tidesy shows harmonic predictions (astronomical tide), not observed water levels. Storm surge, wind, and pressure can push actual levels above or below the prediction.

Weather alerts are not showing

Alerts only appear when the National Weather Service has active advisories for your location. No banner means no active alerts, which is good news. If you know there should be an alert active in your area:

Verify your location coordinates are set correctly (check the web dashboard config popup)
NWS alerts are location-specific; make sure your coordinates are within the alert zone
Wait for the next 6-minute refresh cycle

The screen is too bright or too dim

Brightness is configured during setup or through the Edit Settings option on the web dashboard. Day brightness ranges from 1 to 100 percent. Night mode has separate brightness settings and activates during the hours you set. If the screen is dim during the day, check that night mode hours are not overlapping with daytime.

Vestaboard is not receiving data from Tidesy

The Vestaboard integration requires:

A Vestaboard Flagship (the Note model is not compatible)
Both devices on the same WiFi network
The Vestaboard local API enabled with a valid 22-character API key
Vestaboard enabled in Tidesy settings with the correct IP and API key

Check the Tidesy web dashboard diagnostics page for connection status. If the Vestaboard was recently restarted, it may take a minute to become reachable. See the Vestaboard integration guide for full setup details.

How do I change my settings after initial setup?

Open tidesy.local in any browser on your network. Click the gear icon to open the config popup, then click Edit Settings. You can change stations, display preferences, night mode, colors, warning and preferred levels, Vestaboard settings, and more. Changes take effect after a restart.

How do I factory reset my Tidesy?

Open tidesy.local in a browser and navigate to the diagnostics page. The factory reset option is there. This clears all saved WiFi networks, station settings, and preferences, and returns the device to the setup hotspot mode as if it were brand new. Factory reset does not affect the firmware version.

Still need help? We are happy to assist.

For detailed product documentation, visit the Learn About Tidesy page, which links to every guide, feature walkthrough, and technical explanation we have published.