Owned for two months now. Iotawatt is located at panel in basement, right underneath Google wifi in living room.
About once per week I get a broken page and must go downstairs to unplug the unit so that it will reboot and allow me to view the stats. That has solved the issue until now.
Now I can’t view the Iotawatt at all in the browser, even though I’ve unplugged it several times. What is my next step?
What color are the lights?
There are troubleshooting steps around here for basic connection.
I will say that I never have an issue connecting to mine, so something is different about your environment or devices.
Could you post your message log here or in a PM please? These types of problems are always WiFi related.
Red Green Green on restart (trouble finding network) then a dull red (can’t find network).
The Google wifi that is located nearby hasn’t had any changes made to it. Hmm.
I’ll have to figure out how to get the log from it tomorrow.
While it’s RGG for three minutes after restart, it is an access point. You can connect to it as in the docs for a new unit and connect it to your WiFi.
I was about to head down to restart it again to get the logs, but first I tried it from my computer and it was connected! Here is the log:
log.txt (9.7 KB)
The log shows that it is connecting to an AP on channel 1 that has a very poor signal and regularly struggles to connect then disconnect. Yesterday it connected to an AP on channel 11 with slightly better but not great RSSI. It appears to be communicating to check for updates but like I said not great.
This is a WiFi signal strength issue.
Well it doesn’t seem probable that it’s the wifi router… it’s literally less than 10’ away from the IotaWatt. I get pretty solid wifi even out in our detached garage which is 60-70’ away. Is it possible that the wifi receiver in the IotaWatt could be poor?
The log show the IoTaWatt connecting on different channels. Usually the means either you have more than one access point, or the channel assignment of the AP is being deliberately altered.
When you connect on channel 1 the connection is very poor RSSI -90 or worse. When you connect on channel 11 it’s not great but moderately functional with RSSI in the low -70s.
My only experience with Google routers is their mesh system. Is that what you have? How do you know that the IoTaWatt is connected to the node 10 feet away?
Virtually all of these connection/access problems have resolved to WiFi issues. This case, with poor RSSI and switching channels, looks the same.
We only have one access point for our Google wifi. I have not configured any channel switching… not sure how to do that. I’m not losing any other devices in the household and our internet has been awesome. Is there a troubleshooting step that I can take to determine the cause?
Here is the log that you posted:
1/02/22 16:36:28 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 16:43:19 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -82db
1/02/22 16:49:34 WiFi disconnected.
** Restart **
SD initialized.
1/03/22 01:12:20z Real Time Clock is running. Unix time 1641172340
1/03/22 01:12:20z Reset Reason: Power-fail restart.
1/03/22 01:12:20z ESP8266 ID: 16309911, RTC PCF8523
1/03/22 01:12:20z IoTaWatt 5.0, Firmware version 02_06_06
1/03/22 01:12:20z SPIFFS mounted.
1/02/22 17:12:21 Local time zone: -8:00
1/02/22 17:12:21 device name: IotaWatt
1/02/22 17:12:24 Connecting with WiFiManager.
1/02/22 17:14:36 Did not connect after power-fail. Restarting to reset WiFi.
** Restart **
SD initialized.
1/03/22 01:14:37z Real Time Clock is running. Unix time 1641172477
1/03/22 01:14:37z Reset reason: Software/System restart
1/03/22 01:14:37z Trace: 0:0, 0:0, 11:0, 11:4, 11:5, 11:5, 11:10, 11:15, 11:20, 11:20[1], 11:20[2], 11:20[3], 11:21, 11:22, 11:21, 11:22, 11:21, 11:22, 11:21, 11:22, 11:20[4], 11:20[5], 11:20[6], 11:20[7], 11:25, 11:30, 11:31, 11:30, 11:35, 11:40, 11:45, 11:70
1/03/22 01:14:37z ESP8266 ID: 16309911, RTC PCF8523
1/03/22 01:14:37z IoTaWatt 5.0, Firmware version 02_06_06
1/03/22 01:14:37z SPIFFS mounted.
1/02/22 17:14:37 Local time zone: -8:00
1/02/22 17:14:37 device name: IotaWatt
1/02/22 17:14:37 HTTP server started
1/02/22 17:14:37 timeSync: service started.
1/02/22 17:14:37 statService: started.
1/02/22 17:14:37 dataLog: service started.
1/02/22 17:14:37 dataLog: Last log entry 01/02/22 17:12:10
1/02/22 17:14:42 historyLog: service started.
1/02/22 17:14:42 historyLog: Last log entry 01/02/22 17:12:00
1/02/22 17:19:59 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -88db
1/02/22 17:19:59 MDNS responder started for hostname IotaWatt
1/02/22 17:19:59 LLMNR responder started for hostname IotaWatt
1/02/22 17:19:59 Updater: service started. Auto-update class is MAJOR
1/02/22 17:21:10 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 17:54:09 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -90db
1/02/22 17:55:14 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 18:16:52 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -84db
1/02/22 18:17:59 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 18:22:14 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -87db
1/02/22 18:23:19 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 18:30:36 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -91db
1/02/22 18:31:44 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 18:38:48 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -84db
1/02/22 18:40:11 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 18:51:30 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -86db
1/02/22 18:52:47 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 18:58:07 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -88db
1/02/22 19:03:38 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 19:11:16 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -90db
1/02/22 19:12:15 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 19:26:07 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -89db
1/02/22 19:27:19 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 19:42:09 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -85db
1/02/22 19:50:32 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 20:11:46 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -86db
1/02/22 20:12:54 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 20:23:45 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -87db
1/02/22 20:24:58 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 20:36:30 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -87db
1/02/22 20:40:59 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 20:46:32 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -86db
1/02/22 21:03:08 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 21:07:57 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -85db
1/02/22 21:13:10 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 21:17:28 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -85db
1/02/22 21:27:24 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 21:33:44 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -87db
1/02/22 21:39:08 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 21:43:50 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -87db
1/02/22 21:45:19 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 21:50:25 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -86db
1/02/22 22:00:54 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 22:06:32 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -86db
1/02/22 22:07:43 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 22:19:00 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -85db
1/02/22 22:27:37 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 22:39:36 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -86db
1/02/22 22:41:32 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 22:48:11 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -85db
1/02/22 22:50:07 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 22:55:44 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -85db
1/02/22 22:56:12 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 23:03:14 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -85db
1/02/22 23:05:43 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 23:11:54 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -84db
1/02/22 23:18:50 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 23:29:25 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -84db
1/02/22 23:41:21 WiFi disconnected.
1/02/22 23:54:25 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -84db
1/02/22 23:54:54 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 00:14:09 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -84db
1/03/22 00:15:38 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 00:24:20 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -84db
1/03/22 00:28:49 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 00:32:57 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -83db
1/03/22 00:34:26 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 00:39:35 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -83db
1/03/22 00:42:04 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 00:46:36 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -83db
1/03/22 00:54:32 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 01:01:51 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -83db
1/03/22 01:03:20 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 01:07:36 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -84db
1/03/22 01:11:05 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 01:23:42 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -86db
1/03/22 01:28:11 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 01:32:51 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -85db
1/03/22 01:37:47 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 01:48:04 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -84db
1/03/22 01:53:33 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 01:59:31 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -84db
1/03/22 02:07:53 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 02:12:41 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -84db
1/03/22 02:15:10 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 02:23:43 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=1, RSSI -84db
1/03/22 02:23:57 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 02:24:56 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=192.168.86.46, channel=11, RSSI -76db
1/03/22 02:25:06 Updater: Invalid response from server. HTTPcode: -4
1/03/22 02:30:08 Updater: Auto-update is current for class MAJOR.
1/03/22 06:33:24 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 06:38:17 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=11, RSSI -74db
1/03/22 06:49:35 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 06:58:13 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=11, RSSI -73db
1/03/22 06:59:55 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 07:04:24 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=11, RSSI -73db
1/03/22 07:08:03 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 07:08:37 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=192.168.86.46, channel=11, RSSI -73db
1/03/22 07:09:41 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 07:28:44 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=169.254.152.222, channel=11, RSSI -73db
1/03/22 07:30:32 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 07:36:21 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=192.168.86.46, channel=11, RSSI -70db
1/03/22 08:36:48 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 08:36:59 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=192.168.86.46, channel=11, RSSI -69db
1/03/22 13:20:08 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 13:20:09 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=192.168.86.46, channel=11, RSSI -70db
1/03/22 13:35:50 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 13:36:53 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=192.168.86.46, channel=11, RSSI -72db
1/03/22 17:37:26 Updater: update tables from 0.0.4 to 0.0.5
1/03/22 18:37:32 Updater: update tables from 0.0.4 to 0.0.5
1/03/22 19:37:38 Updater: update tables from 0.0.4 to 0.0.5
1/03/22 20:25:25 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 20:30:56 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=192.168.86.46, channel=11, RSSI -73db
1/03/22 20:36:24 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 20:43:23 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=192.168.86.46, channel=11, RSSI -71db
1/03/22 20:43:24 Updater: update tables from 0.0.4 to 0.0.5
1/03/22 20:49:09 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 20:50:37 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=192.168.86.46, channel=11, RSSI -77db
1/03/22 21:01:04 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 21:02:10 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=192.168.86.46, channel=11, RSSI -77db
1/03/22 21:33:09 WiFi disconnected.
1/03/22 21:33:13 WiFi connected. SSID=1535, IP=192.168.86.46, channel=11, RSSI -74db
1/03/22 21:43:30 Updater: update tables from 0.0.4 to 0.0.5
1/03/22 22:43:36 Updater: update tables from 0.0.4 to 0.0.5
1/03/22 23:43:46 Updater: update tables from 0.0.4 to 0.0.5
1/04/22 00:43:52 Updater: update tables from 0.0.4 to 0.0.5
1/04/22 01:43:58 Updater: update tables from 0.0.4 to 0.0.5
1/04/22 02:44:04 Updater: update tables from 0.0.4 to 0.0.5
1/04/22 03:44:10 Updater: update tables from 0.0.4 to 0.0.5
1/04/22 04:44:16 Updater: update tables from 0.0.4 to 0.0.5
1/04/22 05:44:22 Updater: update tables from 0.0.4 to 0.0.5
1/04/22 06:44:28 Updater: update tables from 0.0.4 to 0.0.5
1/04/22 07:44:34 Updater: update tables from 0.0.4 to 0.0.5
I don’t have any time reference for when your problems started, but notice that the IP assigned to the IoTaWatt sometimes is 169.254.152.222 and sometimes is 192.168.86.46. The former seems to be associated a problem where the connecting device cannot communicate with a DHCP service to assign an IP (among other things). You would not be able to communicate with the IoTaWatt if it doesn’t have an IP that is in your local subnet. When you get assigned 192.168.86.46, you are probably in the local subnet and should be able to communicate.
This behavior seems to come on and go away, possibly something with your router, or possibly something with your environment. By that I mean that there could be something that is also using the 2.4GHz band and interfering with the connection. It could be a lot of metal ductwork interfering, it could be some IOT devices gone wild, I don’t know.
In terms of trying things:
You can try accessing using the IP address 192.168.86.46, which may work better when the router has assigned a valid subnet IP address.
You could try starting a different router and connecting both the IoTaWatt and your browser device to it to see if it communicates.
Do you have a picture of the IoTaWatt in its surroundings and the ceiling that separates it from the router?