Using the Homecraft app

• A Homecraft sauna with a Wi-Fi control panel, powered on.
• Your phone within a few feet of the control panel, with Bluetooth on and the Homecraft app allowed to use it.
• The name and password of a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network. The sauna cannot see 5 GHz-only networks. Many routers broadcast both under one name, which is fine. If yours has separate names (for example "Home" and "Home-5G"), pick the one without 5G.
• A network with a normal password and no sign-in page. Networks that ask for a username and password, and Wi-Fi that shows an "I agree" page first (hotels, many apartment buildings), are not supported.

Then open the app and tap Add a new sauna.

1. Check that the sauna is powered on: the control panel display should be lit.
2. Check that Bluetooth is on. If the app says "Homecraft needs Bluetooth" or "Bluetooth is off or unavailable", turn Bluetooth on in your phone's settings and allow the Homecraft app to use it.
3. Stand next to the control panel and tap Add a new sauna again. The app keeps searching while that screen is open.
4. If the sauna was set up before (by you or by someone else), it is not in setup mode. Put it back in setup mode with a Wi-Fi reset: see I changed my router or Wi-Fi password, steps 1 to 4, then search again.

Still nothing? Contact us.

The router refused the password. Go back and type it again carefully:

• Passwords are case-sensitive.
• Check the label on the router, or the router's own app.
• Make sure you picked your network and not a neighbour's with a similar name.

The sauna tried the network and gave up. The usual causes, in order:

1. Weak signal. Move the phone next to the sauna, and if the router is far away, try again later with a Wi-Fi extender or mesh point placed near the sauna.
2. A 5 GHz network. The sauna needs 2.4 GHz. If your router has a separate "5G" name, pick the other one.
3. The wrong network name. Guest networks and neighbours' networks look alike.

Fix what applies, then tap Add a new sauna and try again.

The sauna joined your Wi-Fi, but its first sign-in to Homecraft didn't finish, usually because the internet dropped for a moment or something on the network is filtering it.

1. Switch the sauna off at its circuit breaker for 30 seconds, then back on. Only do this if you know which breaker it is and are comfortable doing so. Never open the control box.
2. Wait 2 minutes, then tap Add a new sauna and try again.
3. If it fails twice, check My sauna is on Wi-Fi but still shows Not responding: the same network settings that block a connected sauna also block setup.

Someone set this sauna up before, for example the previous owner of the house or a dealer who tested it. That is an ownership question, not a connection problem, and we handle it by hand. Contact us with proof of purchase and we'll move it to your account.

The sauna keeps trying the old network forever, so it needs to be told about the new one. This is safe: the sauna, its settings and your ownership are all kept. Only the saved Wi-Fi is cleared. Have your phone with the Homecraft app, and the new Wi-Fi password, with you at the sauna.

1. Make sure the sauna is off. If the display shows a temperature, press Power once.
2. Press °F/°C once and let go. The display shows a letter and some numbers.
3. Right away, while that screen shows, press and hold Temperature up. Keep holding until the display shows -CL- (about 6 seconds).
4. Let go. The sauna has forgotten the old Wi-Fi and is waiting for the app.
5. In the app, tap Add a new sauna and follow the steps, exactly as when it was first set up. Keep the phone within a few feet of the sauna.
6. If the app asks for a name, use the same name as before.

The sauna comes back under the same account. Nothing is lost, and there is no duplicate.

Never hold Temperature up and Temperature down at the same time. On current firmware that can clear the Wi-Fi instead of restarting the sauna.

The sauna reaches the app through a chain: sauna → your Wi-Fi → the internet → Homecraft → the app. The control panel tells you whether the first link is working, and that decides what to do next.

1. If the display shows a temperature, press Power once so the sauna is off.
2. Press the °F/°C button once and let go. The display shows a letter and some numbers for about five seconds.
3. Look at the first letter:

• N: the sauna is not on Wi-Fi. Go to My sauna isn't on Wi-Fi.
• C: the sauna is on Wi-Fi, and the problem is further along the chain. Go to My sauna is on Wi-Fi but still shows Not responding.

The numbers after the letter are the sauna's firmware version (for example C2.1.2 means connected, version 2.1.2). Keep it handy if you contact us.

If the display shows nothing at all, or the sauna won't heat even from its own buttons, this is not a connection problem: see The panel is blank or the sauna won't heat.

Work down the list and stop as soon as the app shows the sauna online again. After each step, give it 5 minutes. The sauna retries on its own about every minute, forever, and never forgets the Wi-Fi password by itself.

1. Is the Wi-Fi working? Take your phone, turn off mobile data, stand next to the sauna and open a website. If it doesn't load, restart your router: unplug it for 30 seconds, plug it back in and wait 5 minutes. The sauna reconnects by itself once the Wi-Fi is back.
2. Did anything change? A new router or internet provider, a new Wi-Fi name or password, or someone "resetting" the router means the sauna is still trying the old network. Reconnect it: I changed my router or Wi-Fi password.
3. Is the signal strong enough? An outdoor sauna, a basement, or thick walls between the sauna and the router often means a weak signal that drops. A Wi-Fi extender or mesh point placed near the sauna usually fixes this completely.
4. Restart the sauna (last resort). If you know which circuit breaker powers the sauna and are comfortable doing it, switch it off for 30 seconds, then on, and wait 5 minutes. Never open the control box.

Still N? Contact us and tell us the panel shows N.

The sauna has joined the Wi-Fi, but something between the Wi-Fi and Homecraft is blocking it. Usually that is the internet connection itself, or a network that limits what devices can do.

1. Is the internet working on that Wi-Fi? Phone on Wi-Fi only, next to the sauna, open a website. If it doesn't load, restart the modem and router (unplug both for 30 seconds) or contact your internet provider. The sauna reconnects by itself once the internet is back.
2. What kind of network is it?
   • Wi-Fi with a sign-in page (you tap "I agree" or log in before the internet works, as in hotels, cafés and many apartment buildings): the sauna can't get past a sign-in page. It needs a network without one: your own router, or ask the building to register the sauna on a network that has no sign-in page.
   • A guest network on your home router: guest networks often isolate or block devices. Move the sauna to the main network: I changed my router or Wi-Fi password.
   • A business, gym, office or building network: see I'm on a work, gym or building network.
3. Is anything on the router filtering traffic? Parental controls, "advanced security" or "threat protection" features, ad-blocking DNS (Pi-hole, NextDNS and similar) and some mesh-system security subscriptions can block the sauna. Try allowing the sauna, or switch the feature off for a few minutes to test.
4. Ask the sauna to reconnect. With the sauna off: press °F/°C once and let go, then right away press °F/°C again and hold it until the display shows -AW- (about 6 seconds). Let go and wait 2 minutes. The Wi-Fi is kept.
5. Restart the sauna: off at its breaker for 30 seconds, then wait 5 minutes.

Still not responding? Contact us and tell us the panel shows C. That tells us your Wi-Fi is fine, which saves a lot of back and forth.

These networks often block the kind of connection the sauna uses. Nothing is wrong with the sauna; the network needs to allow it.

Copy this and send it to whoever runs the network:

Network access needed for a Homecraft sauna controller. The controller connects to its cloud service over the internet. It needs outbound access only; nothing needs to be opened inbound. Please allow, from the sauna's device on the Wi-Fi:

• TCP port 8883 (secure MQTT) to a2d9p69hym80z1-ats.iot.us-east-2.amazonaws.com
• TCP port 443 (HTTPS) to *.amazonaws.com, for firmware updates and as a fallback connection
• UDP port 123 (time sync / NTP) to the internet
• DNS lookups

The Wi-Fi must be 2.4 GHz, use WPA2 with a password (not a username-and-password "enterprise" login), and must not require a sign-in page. A separate VLAN is fine as long as the access above is allowed.

On recent firmware, if port 8883 is blocked but 443 is open the sauna switches to 443 by itself, so most office and gym networks need nothing more than "allow 443".

Short drops that fix themselves are almost always the Wi-Fi signal, not the sauna.

1. Weak signal. Most drop-outs come from a sauna that is far from the router, outdoors or behind thick walls. A Wi-Fi extender or mesh point placed near the sauna usually settles it.
2. Mesh systems. The sauna may be hopping between mesh points. Placing one mesh point close to the sauna helps.
3. Nightly router restarts. Some internet providers restart the router on a schedule. A short drop at the same time every night is normal and harmless.

If it drops many times a day with a strong signal, contact us: we can read what the sauna reported and see what is going on.

The sauna's own timer keeps running and switches it off on schedule, whether or not the app can reach it. You can also press Power on the control panel. If you can't get to the panel, switch the sauna off at its circuit breaker.

For safety, the sauna only accepts a remote turn-on when it knows the current time, so it can refuse an old, delayed request. It gets the time from internet time servers, and some networks (offices, gyms, some routers) block those.

1. Restart your router, then restart the sauna (off at its breaker for 30 seconds). Very often the time arrives on the next try.
2. On a business network, send the network team the IT message. The line that matters is "UDP port 123".
3. Meanwhile, turn the sauna on at the panel. Schedules set in the app run as soon as the clock is set.

Recent firmware also takes the time from Homecraft when the time servers are blocked, so this should stop happening after your sauna updates. If it still happens, contact us.

Every session has a timer, and the sauna turns off when it runs out. The app shows the time left on the sauna's card ("Session ending" as it gets close), and you can adjust the timer while the sauna is on.

• If the session was started by a schedule, it ends at the schedule's end time.
• A session started from the panel uses the timer set on the panel.

If the sauna shut off well before its timer and the panel shows an error, see The panel is blank or the sauna won't heat.

That is not an error. The sauna was offline when you changed something, so Homecraft is holding the change and will hand it to the sauna the moment it reconnects. If the sauna stays offline, work through Sauna shows "Not responding".

Remote turn-on is the exception: for safety, a turn-on that arrives late is refused, so if the sauna was offline when you tapped it, check the app once it is back online.

The app shows the temperature the sauna last reported. A few seconds of difference while the sauna heats is normal. If the app is far behind, the sauna has probably lost its connection: the card will say when it was last seen. See Sauna shows "Not responding".

Open Settings in the app and choose a Temperature unit. It changes how temperatures are shown everywhere in the app, on every sauna. The panel's own °F/°C button only changes the panel.

There are two, and they do different jobs:

• My default temperature is yours. It is used when you turn any of your saunas on from the app.
• Sauna default temperature belongs to the sauna. It is used when the sauna is turned on at its panel or by anyone without a personal default. Only the sauna's owners and admins can change it.

Older control panels only have the sauna default.

Pick the days, the start and end time, and the temperature. The app sends the schedule to the sauna and shows Synced with your sauna once the sauna has confirmed it. From then on the sauna runs it by itself. A schedule can run for up to 16 hours.

If the app shows Waiting for your sauna…, the sauna is offline and hasn't received the schedule yet. It will as soon as it reconnects.

1. Was it synced? Open the schedule. If it says Waiting for your sauna…, the sauna never received it. See Sauna shows "Not responding".
2. Does the sauna know the time? After a power cut the sauna needs the internet once to set its clock, and it won't start a schedule until it has. If the panel shows C and schedules still don't run, see The app shows the sauna online, but turning it on does nothing.
3. Check the time zone shown on the schedule. Schedules run in the sauna's time zone, which matters if you set one up while travelling.
4. Was the sauna already on? A schedule that starts while a session is running doesn't start a second one.

Open the schedule from the sauna's card or the Schedule tab. Change the days, times or temperature and save, or tap Delete schedule. A deleted schedule stops running right away, and this cannot be undone. Only the sauna's owners and admins can set schedules.

Commercial saunas are scheduled by the business that runs them, from its Homecraft dashboard, so their schedules can't be changed in the app.

Open the sauna, go to Share, and tap Add a user. Enter the email address they use for their Homecraft account, and choose whether they are a regular user or an owner/admin. The sauna appears in their app the next time it opens.

They need a Homecraft account with that exact email. If they don't have one yet, ask them to install the app and sign up first.

Owner and Admin access lets those users change the sauna's default hardware settings, set schedules, and rename or delete the sauna.

Regular user access is limited to turning the sauna on and setting the target temperature.

1. Check the spelling of the email on the Share screen. It has to match the email they sign in with, exactly.
2. Ask them to sign out and back in, or pull down on their sauna list to refresh.
3. If they signed up with a different email, remove the entry and add the one they actually use.

On the Share screen, tap the remove button next to their name. They lose access immediately. Only owners and admins can add or remove people.

Homecraft emails you a 6-digit code when you sign up and when you reset your password. The code is in the subject line, so you don't even need to open the email.

1. Check spam or junk. The sender is Homecraft Saunas (noreply@mail.homecraftsaunas.com). Mark it as not spam so the next one lands in your inbox.
2. Check the address. Codes only go to the email you typed. A typo means the code went nowhere.
3. Wait a minute, then tap "Send a new code". Codes can only be requested once a minute, and each new code replaces the old one, so enter the most recent.
4. Work or school email can be slow or filtered. Try a personal address if you can.

On the sign-in screen tap Forgot password?, enter the email you signed up with, and we'll send you a 6-digit code. Enter the code, choose a new password, and you're signed in. If you change your mind part way through, your old password still works.

Install the Homecraft app from the App Store or Google Play and sign in with the same email and password. Your saunas, schedules and sharing all belong to your account, not the phone, so they come straight back. Only the backdrop you chose for each sauna's card is stored on the phone itself.

Changing the sign-in email isn't in the app yet. Contact us from the email currently on the account and tell us the new address.

Open Account, then Account settings, and choose Delete your account. Your account, its settings and your access to any shared saunas are removed, and this cannot be undone.

If you are the only owner of a sauna, contact us first so it can be handed to someone else, or to a new account of yours. The sauna itself keeps working from its panel either way.

Everything the app does today, including controlling your sauna, schedules and sharing, is in the free Standard tier and stays free. The Premium screen previews what Homecraft Premium will add, such as session history and trends and recovery insights. Nothing is charged today. When Premium launches, subscriptions will be bought and cancelled through the App Store or Google Play, never through the sauna.

Open Orders in the app's Shop to see each order's status. You'll also get an email when it ships, with tracking where the carrier provides it.

Orders from partner brands are packed and shipped by that brand, separately from anything from Homecraft, so one bag can arrive as more than one parcel.

Homecraft products are returned to Homecraft. Products from a partner brand are returned to the store you bought them from; its support contact is shown on the order. The full terms are in the Returns policy. For anything else about an order, email support@homecraftsaunas.com with the order number.

Update available means a newer app is in the App Store or Google Play. Install it when convenient.

Update required means your version is too old to keep controlling your sauna and won't go further until it is updated. Open the store, install the update, and open the app again. Your sauna is unaffected either way and keeps working from its panel.

When new firmware is available for your sauna, its Settings screen in the app shows Firmware update available. Start it from there. Updating can make the sauna unavailable in the app for several minutes; keep the sauna powered and connected until it finishes. A new sauna also checks for the latest firmware during setup.

Nothing is wrong with the sauna. If a download is interrupted the sauna simply keeps the firmware it had and is safe to use. Try again later from the sauna's Settings, ideally when the Wi-Fi signal is good. If it fails repeatedly, contact us.

If the control panel shows nothing, doesn't respond to its buttons, or the sauna won't heat even when turned on at the panel, this isn't something the app can fix.

1. Check the sauna's circuit breaker. If it has tripped, switch it back on once. If it trips again, leave it off.
2. Contact us or your dealer. Tell us what the panel shows.

Never open the control box or touch the wiring.

Switch the sauna off at its circuit breaker and don't use it. Then contact us or your dealer straight away. The same goes for a breaker that trips every time the sauna heats up.

Yes. Power, temperature and the timer always work from the control panel, and the safety cut-offs are built into the sauna itself. Only the app needs the internet. Schedules that have already been synced keep running too, as long as the sauna knows the time.

Email support@homecraftsaunas.com or use the contact form. To get you an answer in one go, include:

• the email on your Homecraft account;
• the name of the sauna in the app, if you have more than one;
• what the app shows (for example "Not responding" and when it was last seen);
• the letter on the panel, C or N, and the firmware version next to it (see First: read the letter on the control panel);
• what changed around the time it started: a new router, password, power cut, move, or internet provider;
• the steps you've already tried.

If you run saunas for a business, use the Support tab in your Homecraft dashboard instead; it attaches the right details automatically.