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If a device goes offline

When a device is offline, or a battery isn't holding up, work through this page in order. Most cases resolve with a power cycle or a clear solar panel, and never need a call.

First, check the light

The light in the centre of the SiteHive logo tells you where you stand:

  • Green: online and recording. Nothing to do.

  • Blue: powered but can't connect. The device keeps recording locally and backfills once the signal returns. Go to Signal and connection below.

  • White: rebooting. Normal during power-up, and brief.

  • Red: an error. Email help@sitehive.com with the serial number and the team will troubleshoot remotely.

  • No light: no power, not recording. Go to Power below.

The full guide to the lights, including how long each one should last, is LED Device Lights: what they mean - green is good.

Power cycle it first

If the light is anything but green and the device has power, a power cycle is the quickest first step:

  1. Unplug the power cable from the device and wait 15 seconds.

  2. Plug it back in.

  3. Wait. The light cycles through colours while the device reboots, and can take up to 15 minutes to settle on green.

Still not green after 15 minutes? Blue means a signal problem and no light means a power problem. Carry on below.

Power

No light

  • Check every cable. Battery cable at both ends, solar cable into the controller, load cable into the device.

  • Try another power source. Mains power, or a different solar set-up, tells you whether the fault is in the supply or in the device.

  • Swap components one at a time. Battery, cables, solar controller, then the device. The fault moves with the part that is causing it.

Flat battery, or dropping each day

A battery that drops a little every day is telling you the panel isn't keeping up. Act on it now and it's usually a two-minute fix. Leave it and you'll be replacing a battery that has been deep-discharged, which shortens its life considerably. A downward trend is worth chasing before the device drops out.

Check the solar panel, in this order. The first two account for most flat batteries:

  • Is anything growing over it? Grass and weeds come up over a ground-mounted panel faster than people expect, and it's the single most common cause. Clear it.

  • Is it in new shade? Sites change around the device. A new building, fence, site shed, crane or stockpile can put a panel in shadow that was in full sun at install. Move the panel or the deployment.

  • Is it clean? Wipe off dust, mud and bird droppings.

  • Is it facing north, at the right angle? Stands get knocked.

  • Are the cables firmly seated? At the battery, the controller and the device.

If the battery won't hold charge

If the panel is clear, unshaded, clean and correctly oriented and the battery still won't hold, it may need replacing. Lead-acid batteries typically last around two years.

Email help@sitehive.com and we'll organise a replacement. Backup chargers are also available for lithium and lead-acid set-ups if you'd rather bring a battery back up on site. The options are in Power and Battery Options.

Signal and connection

A blue light means the device is recording properly but can't reach the network. To troubleshoot:

  • Check your phone where the device sits. No bars for you usually means no bars for the device.

  • Check the antenna, where the device has one: fully extended and undamaged.

  • Move it away from metal and concrete. Large amounts of either block the signal. A device tucked against a hoarding, inside a structure or behind plant is a common culprit.

  • Relocate to better signal. Even a few metres can be enough. If you move it, update the record in SiteHive Enviro so your data stays accurate: Move or end the device.

  • Don't worry about the gap. A device on a blue light is still recording locally and backfills once it reconnects. Check the graph again later before treating it as data loss.

  • Consider alternatives. Hexanode devices can be fitted with a different antenna and can also run on Wi-Fi, which in remote areas opens up services like Starlink. Ask your Regional Success Manager.

Still not back?

If the device is powered, the panel is clear and signal is fine, and it still won't come online, the fault is likely in the device itself.

Email help@sitehive.com or your Regional Success Manager with the serial number and a photo of the deployment, and we'll arrange a replacement. The swap itself is covered in Swap a device.

What's next

Check your devices are online (the weekly check that catches an offline device early)

Power and Battery Options (batteries, solar and backup chargers)

Swap a device (when the device itself is the fault)