For more on this topic, see How to Troubleshoot Hardware Communication Problems, Troubleshooting With Observant Global and Technical Note: Antenna Installation Guidelines.
Likely Causes
Occasionally, you may find that a C3 field unit has gone offline and is reporting out-of-date information, as described in Why Monitoring Data May Become Outdated on the Software Platform.
The most likely causes of a field unit being offline are:
The C3 has multi-color LEDs to provide information on the power level and charging state of its battery packs as well as its radio's communication status.
Check Battery Status
This icon identifies the LED that provides information on a field unit's power level and its battery pack's state of charge. You can determine the battery pack's status by comparing the color and number of flashes of its battery LEDs to the following table.
Table 1.
A low voltage state of charge on a unit's battery is often caused by inadequate, solar-panel charging conditions. See this article for more details.
Check Radio Status
This icon identifies the LED which reports a field unit's radio status, and, thus, the ability of the unit to communicate with Observant Global. You can determine its Cellular/Radio connectivity state by comparing the radio LED on the front of the field unit to the following table. As before the color and number of flashes encode the radio's status for the C3 field unit.
Table 2.
Power Cycle Unit
Power cycle the field unit using the front panel button. Remove all power sources from the unit (plug pack or solar panel input). Tap once, then immediately tap again and hold until you here a long beep. For step by step instructions, see How to Power Down an Observant C3.
Check Site Radio Coverage
For 3G Units
- Ensure you can download a webpage on your phone at the site
- To test the Field Units, move the unit to a location with known good 3G coverage
For LTE-M Units
- To test the field units, move the unit to a location with known good LTE CAT-M1 coverage, this is also known as 'LTE-M' coverage. Contact our Support Team for more information.
For 900MHz Units
- Ensure you have line of sight to the Gateway unit. Crops and other foliage that grow over the antenna height will break radio communications.
To improve reception
- Raise the antenna as high as possible, by mounting on a pole.
- Check the antenna installation against the Installation Note
- For C3s, you can upgrade the antenna to a higher gain one (e.g. yagi antenna or whip antenna).
Check for Physical Damage
Finally, inspect the field unit for any signs of physical damage to the enclosure, cabling, antenna, or the field unit itself. Check that:
- The antenna is undamaged.
- The antenna is properly connected to the C3 and there is no damage to the antenna cable.
- The unit itself has not been damaged by water, farm machinery, or insects.
- All cabling is undamaged.
For C3s you can take the following steps :
- Unplug all cables and clean connectors, ideally using a water displacing lubricant.
- Test the Field Unit with a known working antenna, either purchased new, or from another Field Unit that is online.