--- title: "Troubleshoot devices" canonical: "https://help.scopious.co.nz/space/KB/109936656/Troubleshoot%20devices" format: markdown --- Having problems with a device? Check the following… > Macro (toc) ## If the device is not connecting… If your device is not connecting to the network server, you will see this on the Devices page: ![Screenshot 2025-09-22 142834.png](media://24057f72-3414-49cc-b7d5-1f4a5bbb4c0c) Things to check: - You have restarted the device after adding it to the platform. - The device is within range of a gateway connected to the Scopious network. - The frequency plan configured in the device matches the frequency plan configured in the gateway. - If you have added the device using the [Template](https://scopious.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/KB/pages/75165460/Add+a+device#Add-using-Template) method, ensure you have selected the correct frequency plan for your device and that you have specified the correct AppEui/JoinEui, DevEui and AppKey (and NwkKey if applicable). - If you have added the device using [Manual Registration](https://scopious.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/KB/pages/75165460/Add+a+device#Add-using-Manual-Registration), ensure you have selected the correct frequency plan, LoRaWAN version, Regional Parameters version, AppEui/JoinEui, DevEui and AppKey (and NwkKey if applicable). If you have checked the above and still having issues, contact your support provider. ## If the device connection is intermittent… ### Determine if packets are being dropped If your device reports at regular intervals and you suspect packets are being sporadically dropped, you can confirm this on the Device Diagnostics page by checking the ‘Uplinks / X period’ graph. In the following example the device is configured to report once a minute and is located in a good coverage area. This can be seen on the graph as it displays at least 30 packets received every 30 minutes: ![image-20241205-044805.png](media://f908c9fa-5272-4790-8540-fb84cba3bf1e) ### Things to check for Things to check if you suspect packets are being lost: - The device and/or gateway is not blocked by large metal objects such as garage doors, concrete walls, etc. - The device is within reliable coverage of a gateway connected to the Scopious network. To do this inspect the signal quality using the [signal quality icon](https://scopious.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/KB/pages/109936656/Troubleshoot+devices#Interpreting-signal-quality) or the other [signal quality tools](https://scopious.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/KB/pages/109936656/Troubleshoot+devices#More-signal-quality-diagnostic-tools) available. - The device’s battery level is sufficient to reliably wake, sense, and transmit or receive data packets. Solar powered devices in particular may experience battery fluctuations based on recent weather conditions. - The SF (Spreading Factor) used by the device is optimal. If the SF is low (7 to 9) and the device is in a static location, then check ADR (Adaptive Data Rate) is enabled. - If ADR is disabled and RF connectivity is poor, then reconfigure the device to either enable ADR (recommended) or gradually increase the spreading factor until you get reliable results (12 gives best range but worst battery life). Enabling ADR is highly recommended as it allows the system to dynamically adjust the device’s spreading factor to provide optimal RF connectivity. - If ADR is enabled and RF connectivity is poor, the system will automatically attempt to increase the SF of the device to improve reliability so there is nothing more you can do here. ### How to improve connection reliability After checking and correcting the issues above, if you still have reliability issues then you may need to consider: - Moving the location of the device (if possible). - Attaching a directional antenna to the gateway to optimise RF coverage in specific directions. - Installing an extra gateway closer to the device to provide better RF coverage. ### Interpreting signal quality Each device has a signal quality icon that represents the signal quality of the last uplink packet received. Hover over the icon to view detailed signal quality information. The SNR, RSSI, and SF values shown are reported by the best gateway that received the uplink packet. The ‘best’ gateway is that which has the highest SNR Margin (Signal to Noise Ratio Margin). How to interpret the signal quality icon: | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Signal Quality** | **SNR Margin (dB)** | **Icon Segments** | **Description** | | Excellent | >= 10 | 4 | Very reliable. The signal is very strong and clear, offering excellent reliability. The SNR is well above the required minimum level, ensuring consistent performance. | | Good | >= 6 | 3 | Reliable. This is a good, stable link. The signal has sufficient headroom to withstand typical fading and interference, resulting in a low packet loss rate. | | Fair | >= 2 | 2 | Usable. The signal is slightly better than the 10% PER threshold but has little margin for fluctuations in the environment. Packet loss can still occur due to fading, interference, or noise spikes. | | Poor | >= 0 | 1 | Borderline. The signal is at the 10% PER threshold and has no margin for fluctuations in the environment. Packet loss will occur due to fading, interference, or noise spikes. | | Bad | < 0 | 0 | Very unreliable. The signal is below the minimum for a reliable 10% PER link. Packets will be lost, and the connection is highly unreliable. This indicates the device is typically at the "edge of coverage" or beyond. | Signal quality guidance: - **SNR Margin**: This calculated value indicates how much "headroom" your signal has above the minimum required at the current spreading factor in use by the device. A higher positive margin means better reliability so ensure there is a comfortable margin for RF fluctuations. - **SNR**: This value reports the uplink SNR measured at the best gateway. As a guide, LoRaWAN gateways can comfortably receive packets below the noise floor at around -5dB at any spreading factor, and down to -18dB at spreading factor 12. When lower than that there is less margin for fluctuations and so this may result in lost packets. - **RSSI**: This value reports the uplink RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication) measured at the best gateway. As a guide LoRaWAN gateways can comfortably receive packets well below -120dBm, but as SNR is a more accurate indicator of signal quality, SNR should be the primary measure for assessing connection reliability. - **SF**: This value is the SF (Spreading Factor) used by the device when sending the uplink packet. Lower SF’s (e.g. 7) provide less reliable RF coverage (less range but longer battery life), while higher SF’s (e.g. 12) provide more reliable RF coverage (more range but at the expense of shorter battery life). Note when ADR (Adaptive Data Rate) is enabled, the SF is dynamically controlled by the network server. When ADR is disabled, the SF used is that configured in the device. ### More signal quality diagnostic tools The following tools provide detailed insights into the signal quality of received packets, helping you determine whether RF performance may be an issue with your device. - To view the RSSI and SNR of the last packet received go to the **Device** page: ![image-20241203-030717.png](media://e07685da-b0e0-4a39-a9ef-4106fa8ad463) - To view the RSSI, SNR, and SF of recently received packets go to the **Device → Diagnostics** page: ![image-20241203-231421.png](media://8a5addb2-d77e-4440-b943-c49d9dcfab2d) ![image-20241203-231507.png](media://0cfa1a47-2516-4998-9df3-bba696f1999f) ![image-20241203-225356.png](media://3aa16f9f-a59a-47e9-b0e9-2ef976f368d8) ![image-20241205-051323.png](media://e829664b-cbc3-47c6-8f7d-3ad02c2a40d5) ## Advanced definitions ### 10% PER (Packet Error Rate) The 10% PER standard means that at the specified SNR, the network can expect to reliably receive 90% of transmitted packets. This is a typical industry-standard threshold commonly used for defining edge of coverage and is what we use to help calculate the SNR margin. | | | | --- | --- | | **Spreading Factor (SF)** | **Minimum Required SNR (dB) for 10% PER** | | SF7 | -7.5 | | SF8 | -10.0 | | SF9 | -12.5 | | SF10 | -15.0 | | SF11 | -17.5 | | SF12 | -20.0 |