09. How-to Troubleshoot, Prerequisites & Best Practices
How-to Troubleshoot Beacon
- Beacon is missing on Bluzone
- Check Scan data - When was last seen
- Check nearby BluFis to verify that they are working (the BluFis that previously managed the Beacon)
- Check physical location of Beacon
- Check if Bluzone app sees the Beacon in recognized devices
- If BluFi is working, Beacon is in its physical location and Bluzone app sees the beacon; contact support
- If BluFi is working, Beacon is in its physical location and Bluzone app doesn't see the beacon; the Beacon battery is empty
- Beacon is not showing up on Bluvision apps
- Move Beacon closer to the device.
- Turn off and back on the Bluetooth on the device
- Turn off and back on the device
- If still not showing, Beacon battery might be empty
How-to Troubleshoot BluFi
Plan to quickly check the health of all BluFis first. Looking at portal sync/activity is tedious esp. when we are dealing with that many BluFis
Confirm WiFi is live
Confirm AP is live
Confirm BluFi electrical outlet has power
Confirm BluFi status connected
Confirm BluFi Last sync
Confirm BluFi Last Activity
- BluFi is offline on Bluzone
- Check WiFi network is working properly
- Check if there is power in the outlet where BluFi is plugged
- BluFi activity log is empty
- Unplug and replug BluFi to reset Bluetooth chip
Compatible WiFi Prerequisites
BluFi deployment requires a compatible WiFi network that meets following criteria:
- WiFi supports 2.4GHz frequency
- WiFi is machine to machine (m2m) optimized that does not implement HTML sign-in prompts or any other forms of authentication prompts that require human interaction
- WiFi is stable and consistent
- WiFi supports minimum download speeds of 2 Mbps. WiFi supports minimum upload speeds of 2 Mbps.
- Each BluFi will be sending UP about 50 to 100Kb/s of data maximum. Minimum speeds requirements are based on an assumption that 10 BluFi units are deployed. Minimum requirements are directly proportional to the number of BluFi deployed. A popular internet connection speed test is available at http://www.speedtest.net
- HTML5 WebSocket traffic is not blocked
- A popular WebSocket test is available at http://www.websocket.org
- UDP (port 123) is not blocked. If regular Internet access is open than this port is usually opened
- HTTPS (port 443) traffic is not blocked. Please follow the followings steps to verify HTTPS traffic is not blocked and port 443 is open:
- Open a web browser and attempt to load several different HTTPS sites, such as your bank's website, andhttps://www.Microsoft.com. If at least one of these connections is successful, port 443 is open on your end. To determine if port 443 is open at a remote server address, follow Steps 2 through 4.
- Once you have the address, open a command prompt on the source computer:
Windows: Start > Run > Type: cmd.exe
(If you are using Windows Vista, 7, or 8, you must first install Telnet)
Mac: Utilities > Terminal Enter the command:
telnet address_of_destination 443
(replace "address_of_destination" with any web server address using HTTPS. For example, Microsoft.com)Depending on the server that you are connecting to, your observation may differ. In general, If you get a blank screen with a flashing cursor, port 443 is open there. If the port is closed, you will receive a "Could not open a connection to host on port 443 : Connect failed" error message.
RTLS Best Practices
- For best practices recommended for beacon calibration process, go to Beacon Calibration Best Practices.