Thermostat shows E8 and Wi‑Fi or cloud connectivity features are unavailable

Safety: No high-voltage work is required for this step, but avoid opening the thermostat housing beyond the user-removable portion.

• Check Wi‑Fi signal: Use a smartphone at the thermostat location to verify that your home Wi‑Fi network is visible and has a strong signal. If weak, move the router or add a Wi‑Fi extender.
• Re-enter credentials: In the thermostat's network settings, forget the current network and re-add it, carefully entering the correct SSID and password (case-sensitive).
• Router reboot: Power cycle your router and modem. After they fully restart, reboot the thermostat by turning the HVAC breaker OFF for 1–2 minutes, then ON.
• Firewall settings: Ensure your router is not blocking outbound ports or using parental controls that could prevent the thermostat from reaching Ruud's cloud servers. Consult your router manual or ISP if unsure.
• Factory reset (last resort): If E8 persists, perform a factory reset of the thermostat following the Ruud manual, then reconfigure Wi‑Fi and equipment. Note that this will erase schedules and custom settings.
• Hardware failure: If the thermostat cannot see any Wi‑Fi networks while other devices can, the internal Wi‑Fi module may have failed. Replace the thermostat.