“Device Connection Problem” error message

@emily_s​ I tried the base station reset previously and again today. It did not fix the issue. I still get a device connection problem error message when trying to refresh general and device settings in the app and when trying to arm or disarm in the app. As mentioned previously, I get the same error through the web app. The base station is connected to cellular only. Phone is connected to home Wi-Fi. I receive alarm texts and push notifications fine.  It’s as if the base station can only send but not receive.

Again, if necessary, please contact me by email as I’m not available by phone in the daytime. Thanks. 

Hi @Boring_Joe ,

Just to be clear - is there a reason why your Base Station is connected to cell only? Is it at a different location that doesn't have WiFi?

But to answer your question, this does sound like a unique situation that requires further troubleshooting. Almost all functions should be able to go through both cell and WiFi - the only exception being firmware updates. I think what's going on is that the connection with the cell network is either weak or unstable.

I see you've already tried resetting the Base Station, which forces it to refresh all its wireless connections. But have you already done other troubleshooting besides that? For example, we always suggest moving the Base Station to a more open space, elevated from the ground and closer to (but not in front of) a window, so it has a better time linking with the cell towers in your neighbhorhood.

If it's not a reception issue though, we'd have to arrange for a call from one of our specialists to investigate further.

@davey_d​ Hi, Davey !

The reason my base station is not connected to Wi-Fi is because of the long delay in sending alarm triggered alerts when the home internet cable is cut or disconnected but the base is still connected to Wi-Fi. The SimpliSafe system does not immediately recognize that the home internet is down and does not immediately fallback to sending the alerts over cellular. SS should seriously look at their implementation. Either send alarm alerts over Wi-Fi and cellular simultaneously, in case one of them is down, or implement immediate fallback to cellular when the Wi-Fi connection has no working internet.

I’ve not tried other troubleshooting. The base is in the same location it was a few months ago when we didn’t have the device connection problem error message. Signal quality is typically around -75 db same as always. And as mentioned earlier, the base is sending push and text messages just fine. But the device connection problem happens every single time I try to connect to the system from the app. 

This error happened both before and after the latest firmware update. It started around the time I changed the monitoring plan to standard. 

If this requires escalation, please ask them to email me as I’m not available by phone during the day.  We can discuss arrangements for a phone call by email, if necessary.  Thanks!

@Boring_Joe​ gotcha. The system should really be behaving basically just as you describe - the cell should stay ready to take over as soon as the WiFi cuts off. There might be a short delay if the WiFi was still active but the gateway to the internet was not. But it shouldn't be an extended period of time.

But I think the behavior you describe adds a bit more to my theory that this is a cell reception problem - if not a matter of signal strength, then maybe stability. It sounds like your Base Station is having no trouble sending signals out, but might be having trouble receiving - hence the app having an issue.

Just so we can get the possibility out of the way, I strongly suggest temporarily moving the Base Station to a different spot - preferably closer to a window and on the same side as your nearest cell towers (if you know where they are).

But if that doesn't help, then yes, I'll see about getting our specialist team to contact you by email to look into the potential account issues angle.

@davey_d​ After several weeks of getting the device connection problem error every time I tried to refresh system or device settings in the app, it appears to have resolved on its own. I did not relocate the base station or try any other troubleshooting other than previously mentioned. It just started working again a few days ago. If the issue resurfaces, I will resurrect this thread. 

I thank you and Emily for your assistance. 

@djayhjr​ I have not heard any reports of app outages or widespread problems like you are experiencing.

As Davey mentioned above, this may be an issue will cell reception, so we would want to troubleshoot that first. I would recommend adjusting the placement of your Base Station for a bit to see if that allows you to refresh your mobile app. It's best to elevate the Base Station at least 3 feet off the ground, and put it on a non-dense surface like wood or glass. And if you know which side of your house is the closest to a cell tower, it can help to put the Base Station there as well.

@lubowsky​ Does this every time you try to access your mobile app, or just when you refresh the app to get a new read from your temperature sensor?

Davey mentioned this above, but this issue could be related to an issue with cellular reception. Have you tried any troubleshooting steps, like adjusting the placement of the Base Station? If you haven't, I would recommend moving the Base Station to a spot a close to a window to see if that stops this error message from coming up on the app.

Thank you Emily. Sorry it's taken me so long to respond. This has happened in the past. Connecting to the cellular provider - I don't know who you use -has always been an issue. It might take me many tries to update, each time getting that "Connection problem" message...but it would finally connect after many many tries. This time it's been over 48 hours of continual tries with the same maddening message.

Before I left the house, I moved the base station close to a large outside window with the window screen removed.

Thank you

Jack Lubowsky

@lubowsky​ We use Verizon as a cellular provider, but our Support team can send you an AT&T SIM card if Verizon is spotty in your area. Did changing the placement of your Base Station resolve this "connection problem" notification? If it did not, I can go ahead and forward your case to our specialist team to look into further.

@emily_

Thanks Emily. I haven't touched the base system and for the past two weeks, I had been getting near instant responses to temperature requests. Now it's up to  it's old tricks again of getting "Device connection problem" in response to countless requests for temperature readings. 

I don't believe a well designed system should require on-site attendance. 

@york1account​ Thank you for all the details, and for taking those steps to try and troubleshoot the issue further. Because you've exhausted all the steps that I would take to try to identify the issue further, I'm placing a request on our backend for a specialist to give you a call to try to troubleshoot this in real time to get to the bottom of this. They should be reaching out to you shortly.

If the issue is resolved on your call, feel free to follow back up here with the details on the resolution so others can try those steps too! Have a great weekend!

Thank you Alexandra C. I had spoken with a Simplisafe Tech person and and the conclusion was that the unit needed to have a person on site to power down and temporarily remove one of the rechargeable batteries.

Oddly enough I was able, using my cell phone,  to shut the alarm off, but haven't been able to re-arm it remotely. 

Did you try to use the web page interface (not the app on your phone) ? 

There is a little icon at the bottom of the page that allows you to refresh the page and obtain the current temperature from the freeze sensor. The icon looks like a little wheel composed of two arrows that point to each other. Just press it and it will start to spin and you should see the current temperature appear.

if this works, it could be a good work around until Simplisafe resolves the problem with the mobile app.

Thanks York1. But that's the way I've been doing it. For the past week it's been working nearly instantly - now it's back t its old tricks of retry-retry-retry.....