Transmission Problems

How to troubleshoot various problems that you might have with the device transmission.

Before You Begin:

• Check that device is turned on and is not in Hibernation mode.
• If the device is not transmitting at all, do the following actions:
  • Check communication and battery.
  • The device will reboot itself after a set number of days (the value of the device's Watchdog > reset_period parameter). If you do not want to wait several days, swipe the magnetic Activation Key over the embossed logo on the face of the device. 
•  If the device is LoRa-enabled or LoRa-only, note the following points:
  • LoRa communication only transmits data, but not commands. 
  • LoRa has its own transmission schedule, and there is a limited number of transmission per hour. If you exceed the limit, data is lost. Consequently, alert data might also be lost.
  • For details, see Understanding LoRa Transmission. 

Decision Tree:

The following decision tree gives you a bird's eye view of how to troubleshoot particular problems. 

Device is on an On-Premises Server?

If the device was moved to an on-premises server, check that the MQTT server is communicating with the on-premises server and not with the cloud server. Also check that MQTT is enabled and configured. 

• Check the MQTT settings for the device in Device > Advanced Device Configuration > GSM:
  • MQTT Server Address should be changed from mqtt.Ayyeka.com to the IP address of the on-premises server.
  • MQTT Server Port should be 8883.

Transmitting Technical Stream Data Only?

If the device is transmitting technical stream data but not data stream samples, do the following checks:

• Check the Sample tab of the data stream:
  • Are there any sample values?
  • Are there sample values but they are out-of-range (as determined in the Configuration & Threshold tab)?
• If there are no sample values whatsoever, check the MQTT settings for the device in Device > Advanced Device Configuration > GSM:
  • MQTT Server Address
  • MQTT Server Port
  • LKGC MQTT Server Address
  • LKGC MQTT Server Port

Is User Near the Device?

• No, user is not near the device

If the user is not in proximity to the device, check the following items in the UI:

• Check the Battery Life (or Battery Status in older FW) and GSM Signal Strength  technical streams.
• Check information in the following tabs for the device:

Health

Check the counters in the following columns:

• • Boot Count - The number of times that the device booted up since the it was activated. Is the count increasing?
  • Boot Reason - The reason for the latest device reboot. Is there any Watchdog reset or brownout (indicates low battery)? If there are several Watchdog resets, contact support@ayyeka.com.

  • GSM No Creg - The number of times that the device was unable to register on the cellular network. Indicates communication problems.

  • GSM Error - The number of times that transmission failed. Indicates battery or signal problems.

  • GSM Modem Dead - Any value other than 0 indicates a problem with the modem itself. Contact support@ayyeka.com for RMA.

  • GSM No Operator (in FW versions 2.320 and later) - Any value other than 0 indicates that the device is struggling to find a cellular network operator.

Device Reports

• • Check the Files Received column to see if it is stuck on 199 and and has not completed. This issue might be from an antenna problem.
  • Check the Files Sent column for the number of files sent from the server to the device. These files are typically commands, such as 'get config', 'set config', or 'reboot'.
  • Check the method of communication (MQTT, HTTP).

Log

Check the Message column for any mention of the following problems:

• • Battery Low - Connect external power or replace battery.
  • Failed reading from SD card - Contact support@ayyeka.com.
  • Failed opening link - device is struggling to communication. Check antenna, signal strength.
  • Operator + Technology - Check if there is frequent switching between operators or between technologies. Frequent switching indicates that the device is spending time with network cellular providers.

• • Wait three days for a Watchdog Reset (in Log tab) to occur. Alternatively, go out to the field and physically examine the device.

• Yes, user is near the device

If the user is in proximity to the device:

• If the FW version is 2.279 or later, use the AyyekaGo mobile app mobile app to do the following steps:

1. Select the Wavelet that does not transmit.
2. Check that the CARRIER strength is 70% or higher.

• Check that you meet the antenna placement guidelines. If needed, move the antenna to a different position.

• Force a transmission by either of the following methods:
  • In the mobile app, click Transmit Now.
  • Ask the user to swipe a magnetic Wavelet Activator over the face of the device. 

Check the LED lights on the device to find the device status as it transmits.