As with most devices; your first step to installing it will be to download the free app from your respective store. Once you open the app you will start the install process by either logging into an existing account or registering for a new one. In this case I chose register. The next screen provides a short video explaining the set up of the device for both Bridge and Router mode. Everything up to this point was smooth, unfortunately the wheels started falling off the bus soon after. In the next step the app looks for an active Dojo, it took 6 minutes to find the device which was literally 2 feet away. Once it finds the unit you create your account providing your name, and email and creating a password.
In the next step Dojo will email you a code to confirm the email address is indeed yours. After this is entered you should be selecting your mode of installation; Router or Bridge. Unfortunately I lost connection with the device (still within 2 feet) and was forced to retry for 13 minutes before it was good again. Then things got more confusing. Despite the FAQ section on their website and video instructions for setup, Bridge mode is grayed out. At first I thought maybe there was just a glitch in the app so I decided to proceed with Router mode figuring this configuration could be changed later. Once chosen it will request your admin credentials for your router to turn off DHCP or you can elect to do this yourself. Finally the Dojo will start to analyze your network to detect devices.
After the initial setup was completed I selected the Settings menu and found the Network Settings mode. Unfortunately this is fixed and can’t be changed. Confused I reached out to tech support at Dojo, and they promptly confirmed that while they are working on Bridge mode it is not available at this time. So I reached out to my press contact and was told the following:
“We had this feature available since day one and we decided to disable it after launch to simplify the installation process (many users got confused with two options) we are currently reviewing the bridge implementation and will launch a much simpler bridge mode towards the end of the year.”
Even if you take this at face value; I think at a minimum they should have changed their installation video and FAQ on installation to reflect the current status. But the reality is I can’t see how Bridge mode is more complex than Router mode for the end user. Bridge mode would only require you to connect two cables and you are done. Router mode may be one less cable but it also requires the end user to change the DHCP settings in their router/modem. For the non-tech savvy, logging into the router has to be more confusing than connecting a wire.
