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Troubleshooting: Base Station cannot reach the cloud endpoint

Use these checks when a Base Station does not come online or will not stay connected.

The Base Station connects to the local network over wired Ethernet, which is the recommended connection, or over the site Wi-Fi network as a Wi-Fi client when a wired connection cannot be provided. From there it must reach the correct Kontakt.io regional endpoint over outbound WSS on port 443.

For how Outdoor Staff Safe coverage works and how the devices communicate, see About Outdoor Staff Safe coverage.

Symptoms

You may see one or more of these issues:

  • The device does not appear Online in Device Management.
  • Kio Setup Manager does not show Device Verified.
  • The Basics Station session does not stay active in the device web panel.
  • One or more required LEDs are off.
  • With a wired connection, the Wi-Fi LED stays on after production setup.
  • With a Wi-Fi connection, the device goes offline and comes back online repeatedly.

Before you begin

Before you begin, make sure the following are available:

  • Access to the Kio Setup Manager mobile app with the Setup Manager (mobile) Installer role.
  • Access to Device Management.
  • Access to the Base Station web panel.
  • The deployment ticket with the regional endpoint, trust certificate, client certificate, and client key.
  • The web-panel password recorded during installation.
  • Permission to check the local network port and firewall rules.
  • The connection type, wired or Wi-Fi. The installer records it in the device note, which you can read in Device Management.
  • For a Wi-Fi connection: a laptop with an Ethernet port or adapter, an Ethernet cable, and the Wi-Fi network name (SSID), security type, and password from site IT.

Open the web panel

Several checks below happen in the Base Station web panel. How you reach it depends on the connection type.

Wired connection: open the web panel from a device on the site network, at the IP address site IT assigned to the Base Station.

Wi-Fi connection: use the Ethernet port, which is set to a fixed address for diagnostics.

  1. Connect the laptop to the Base Station's Ethernet port with an Ethernet cable.
  2. On the laptop, set the wired network interface to a static IP address of 192.168.10.1 with a netmask of 255.255.255.0.
  3. Open a browser, go to 192.168.10.2, and sign in with the web-panel password recorded during installation.
  4. When you finish, disconnect the laptop. Leave the Ethernet port unconnected.

Check the device LEDs

  1. Go to the installed Base Station.

  2. Check the front-panel LEDs.

    The following LEDs must be on:

    • Power
    • Status
    • LoRa
    • ETH, for a wired connection only. With a Wi-Fi connection, ETH is off unless a laptop is connected to the diagnostic port.

  3. If Power is off, check the PoE source or DC power adapter.

  4. For a wired connection, if ETH is off, check the Ethernet cable and network port.

  5. If Status or LoRa is off or showing an error pattern, continue with the network and web-panel checks.

Check the wired Ethernet connection

Use this check for a wired connection.

  1. Verify the Ethernet cable is connected to the Base Station.
  2. Verify the cable is connected to the expected local network port.
  3. Verify the port has internet access.
  4. If the device uses PoE, verify the switch port or PoE injector provides power.
  5. If available, test the Ethernet drop with another device.

Check the Wi-Fi connection

Use this check for a Wi-Fi connection.

  1. Open the web panel through the diagnostic port. See Open the web panel.
  2. Go to Network > Interface > WLAN.
  3. Verify the Work Mode is Client. If it is AP, the Base Station is broadcasting its own access point instead of joining the site network. Change it to Client.
  4. Verify the SSID, security type, and password match the details from site IT. If you are not sure, re-enter them, and select Save.
  5. Ask site IT to confirm that the Wi-Fi network provides internet access at the Base Station location and that the network does not block the Base Station.
  6. If the Base Station keeps dropping offline, ask site IT to check the Wi-Fi signal strength at the Base Station location. A weak or congested Wi-Fi signal causes repeated disconnects. If the signal cannot be improved, move the Base Station to a wired Ethernet connection, which is more reliable.
  7. Verify the Ethernet port still has the static IP address 192.168.10.2 with netmask 255.255.255.0 in Network > Interface > Port, and that it is not connected to the site network.

Check the firewall rules

  1. Confirm the local network allows outbound WSS traffic on port 443.

  2. Confirm the firewall allows traffic to the correct regional endpoint: wss://chirpstack-gw.cloud.us.kontakt.io:443

  3. If the firewall blocks outbound WSS traffic, ask the local network team to allow the required endpoint.

  4. After the rule is updated, restart the Basics Station session from the web panel.

Check the regional endpoint

  1. Sign in to the Base Station web panel. See Open the web panel.

  2. Go to the Packet Forwarder menu.

  3. Open the Basics Station forwarder.

  4. Verify the LNS server URI matches the deployment region: wss://chirpstack-gw.cloud.us.kontakt.io:443

  5. If the endpoint is wrong, enter the correct endpoint.

  6. Save the Basics Station configuration.

  7. Save the Packet Forwarder configuration.

Check the certificate files

  1. Sign in to the Base Station web panel.
  2. Go to the Packet Forwarder menu.
  3. Open the Basics Station forwarder.
  4. Verify the trust certificate, client certificate, and client key were uploaded.
  5. Verify each certificate file was imported after upload.
  6. If any file is missing or was not imported, upload the files from the deployment ticket again.
  7. Select Import for each file.
  8. Save the Basics Station configuration.
  9. Save the Packet Forwarder configuration.

Check the packet forwarder settings

  1. Go to the Packet Forwarder menu.
  2. Verify the Embedded NS forwarder is disabled.
  3. Verify the Basics Station forwarder is enabled.
  4. If Embedded NS is enabled, clear the Enable checkbox and save.
  5. If Basics Station is disabled, select the Enable checkbox and save.

Check the antenna setting

  1. Sign in to the Base Station web panel.
  2. Verify External antenna is selected as the signal output.
  3. If the internal antenna is selected, change the setting to External antenna.
  4. Save the setting.

Verify the device in Kio Setup Manager

  1. Open the Kio Setup Manager mobile app.
  2. Tap Install.
  3. Tap Parking Device.
  4. Tap Base Station.
  5. Scan the QR code on the back of the device, or enter the MAC address manually.
  6. Follow the prompts in Kio Setup Manager.
  7. Verify that the Device Verified message appears.

Turn off the default Wi-Fi access point

For a wired connection, the default Wi-Fi access point must be off.

  1. Sign in to the Base Station web panel.
  2. Go to Network > Interface > WLAN.
  3. Turn off the WLAN interface, and select Save.
  4. Verify the Wi-Fi LED on the front panel is off.

For a Wi-Fi connection, do not turn off the WLAN interface. The Base Station uses it to join the site network. Instead, verify the Work Mode is Client, as described in Check the Wi-Fi connection.

Important: Do not leave the default Wi-Fi access point enabled in production. In Client mode, the Base Station does not broadcast its own access point.

Escalate the issue

Escalate to the deployment lead or Kontakt.io Support if:

  • The network firewall allows the endpoint, but the Basics Station session still fails.
  • The certificate files from the deployment ticket do not import.
  • The device cannot keep an Ethernet connection.
  • The device cannot keep a Wi-Fi connection after site IT confirms the network and signal strength.
  • Kio Setup Manager still cannot verify the device after the web-panel configuration is corrected.
  • The required LEDs do not turn on after power and the network connection are confirmed.

Include the following details:

  • Site name.
  • Device MAC address.
  • Deployment region.
  • Connection type, wired or Wi-Fi.
  • Endpoint configured in the web panel.
  • LED status.
  • Screenshot of the Basics Station configuration.
  • Screenshot or photo of any Kio Setup Manager error.
  • For a wired connection, confirmation that the default Wi-Fi access point is off. For a Wi-Fi connection, confirmation that the Work Mode is Client.