On the Right Track: Nordictrack Treadmill Connection Problems

The beautiful green wireless icon in all of its glory

So a few years ago I bought a treadmill. A Nordictrack 1750 Commerical, to be exact. Saving the time I had to have a roller replaced (get the 3 year in home warranty!) it has really been a great treadmill and, given my predilection for all things computer-y, it was an easy choice back then because it had a built-in wireless adapter that connected to their ifit online service. The service has a way to go, but certainly shows promise.

That is, if I could get to it.

I couldn't get the damn adapter to connect to my network with the default firmware in it. I tried removing the encryption from the network, getting a wireless repeater, everything. What's worse, there isn't any other way to update the firmware on the machine. When I did a network test through the "Settings" menu it always failed.

That's when it got weird. The machine was on the network. It just didn't know it was. I learned the secret handshake to leave the confines of nordictrack's menu and go to the underlying linux distro underneath (if anyone's interested in the steps for this let me know in the comments). The process to get to Linux was akin to hidden entrance scenes from the old gothic movies of the 50's, where the hero would pull out a certain book from the library's bookshelf that would then give way to a secret passage. At any rate, once there I was able to surf the web using the midori web browser. Followed by me screaming to the heavens, "Why?!?"

So I tried everything to figure this out. I was sure if I got the latest firmware everything would probably work, but I was in a catch-22. To get the firmware to make the network function I had to get on the network. Enter in trying all permutations of everything (including sacrificing of random chickens) when I finally was able to pull it off! Just in case someone falls into this mire, and stumbles upon this post, I'll write it below:

Note: This is for an older Commercial 1750. This problem may not exist with newer default firmware and models. Your mileage may vary.

1. Enter in your network information as usual (see your treadmill's instructions for help with that). You may need to reset to the default firmware first, if you've been tinkering for awhile.
2. Going to settings (Main Menu -> "I" in lower right -> Gears Icon in lower right), you will see that the network status indicator shows a red dot.
3. At this point, attempt to login to iFit (Main Menu -> "Workouts" -> "Live Workouts"). It will hang but the wireless icon in the upper right hand corner will appear and be yellow.
4. Cancel out of the login.
5. Go to the settings (Main Menu -> "I" in lower right -> Gears Icon), and select Firmware Update. Follow the instructions (which will include a power cycle).
6. You should be on the latest firmware and Boom! Everything should work now.

Settings Screen

Network status Indicator  (That green network dot can be yours!)