Troubleshooting

My sensor shows Offline, or readings stopped

The app marks a sensor Offline when no reading has arrived for 6 hours, and sends a “Check on your sensor” alert after 8. A sensor that goes quiet for a few hours often comes back on its own, so start with the quick checks.

1. 1
   Is your Wi-Fi and internet up? If the router was off or restarting, the sensor keeps your network and retries on its own, every 90 minutes and then every 3 hours. Readings resume without you doing anything.
2. 2
   Is the battery flat? Check the last battery level on the plant's page. If it was low, charge the sensor with the included cable from a USB-A charger or computer port (USB-C-to-USB-C chargers don't charge it). See Charging.
3. 3
   Wake it and watch the light. Slide the shell off and press RESTART. It flashes white, then:

   • Blinking white, then solid green for a few seconds: it reconnected and sent a reading. Check the app.
   • Blinking red: it can't reach your Wi-Fi. See New router or Wi-Fi password.
   • A brief solid red, then dark: it reached your Wi-Fi but not the internet. Check your internet connection.
   • Blinking blue: it has forgotten your Wi-Fi. See Blinking blue on a sensor that was working.
   • No light at all: the battery is flat or the power switch is off. Check the switch is on ON, then charge it.

Please don't delete the device to fix a connection problem. Deleting it erases its history. Every fix on this page keeps your data.

Setup won't finish

1. 1
   The app can't find the sensor. Its light should be blinking blue. If it isn't, make sure the power switch is on ON and press RESTART; it stays awake for 5 minutes. Keep your phone within a few feet of it.
2. 2
   Allow Bluetooth. The app needs Bluetooth permission to talk to the sensor. If you said no, turn it on in your phone's Settings, under PlantSense Connect.
3. 3
   Location permission is used only to read the name of the Wi-Fi network your phone is on, so the app can fill it in for you. It's never stored. If you'd rather not allow it, type the network name yourself.
4. 4
   Use a 2.4 GHz network. The sensor can't join 5 GHz Wi-Fi. If your router has separate names for the two bands, pick the 2.4 GHz one. If it combines them under one name, setup usually still works.
5. 5
   Check the password. Wi-Fi passwords are case-sensitive. The app tells you whether the sensor couldn't join the network or joined it and is still sending its first reading.
6. 6
   “It may have gone to sleep.” The sensor stays awake for 5 minutes after a restart. If setup took longer, press RESTART and try again.

A brand-new sensor often installs an update right after setup: green, then cyan, a white flash, then green again. Leave it alone until the second green.

New router, Wi-Fi name, or password

The sensor remembers one network. When that network changes, give it the new details. There's no need to set it up from scratch.

1. 1
   Slide the shell off and press RESTART to wake the sensor.
2. 2
   In the app, open the plant, go to its settings, and tap Reconnect Wi-Fi.
3. 3
   Enter the new network and password. The sensor restarts, joins it, and carries on.

Your plant, its history, and its calibration are all kept.

Blinking blue on a sensor that was working

A sensor that was set up keeps its Wi-Fi through outages and reconnects on its own when the network is back. It only blinks blue again if its Wi-Fi details were cleared, usually because Reconnect Wi-Fi was started and not finished. Give it the network again:

1. 1
   In the app, open the plant's settings and tap Reconnect Wi-Fi, then enter your network and password.
2. 2
   Don't add it as a new device: Reconnect Wi-Fi keeps the plant and its history.

Do this soon. While it waits for Wi-Fi, the sensor stays awake, which uses battery much faster than normal.

The light is red

1. 1
   Blinking red means it has Wi-Fi saved but can't reach that network: the router is off or out of range, the password changed, or it's a 5 GHz-only network. After a restart it gives the network five minutes (blinking white) before it shows red. If the network changed, use Reconnect Wi-Fi.
2. 2
   Solid red for about 1.5 seconds, then dark means it joined your Wi-Fi but couldn't reach PlantSense. Check your internet. It tries again at its next check-in.
3. 3
   A small red light by the USB-C port is the charger, not an error. It turns green when the battery is full.

The battery drains quickly

1. 1
   Weak Wi-Fi signal. The sensor spends longer connecting when the signal is weak. Check the Wi-Fi dial on the plant's page, and move the sensor or the router closer if it's low.
2. 2
   It can't reach your Wi-Fi. Failed connections cost far more than successful ones. If readings are patchy, fix the connection first.
3. 3
   It's blinking blue. A sensor waiting for Wi-Fi never sleeps. See Blinking blue on a sensor that was working.
4. 4
   Keep Device On was left on. It keeps the sensor awake for calibration and turns itself off, but frequent use costs battery.

The readings look wrong

1. 1
   Moisture is too low or too high. Make sure the probes are fully in the soil; probes partly in the air read dry. To fit the reading to your soil, open the plant's settings and use the Moisture scale card: tap “I just watered: set this as 100%” right after a thorough watering, or drag the slider. See What the readings mean.
2. 2
   Light stays at the maximum in sun. Light tops out at about 60,000 lux, which is far brighter than indoor light. That's expected in direct sun.
3. 3
   Temperature looks off. The app shows °F. Direct sun on the shell warms the air the sensor measures, so a sensor in a sunny window can read warmer than the room.
4. 4
   A reading hasn't changed in hours. Readings arrive every 90 minutes to 5 hours. If it's been longer than 6, see Offline.

The shell is hard to slide off

1. 1
   Hold the base and pull the shell straight off with steady force. The O-rings that keep water out also make it a snug fit.
2. 2
   Still stiff? Wipe a thin film of silicone grease or petroleum jelly around both O-rings on the base, then slide the shell on and off once to spread it.
3. 3
   Never use WD-40 or other sprays. Their solvents can damage the shell, and the vapour stays inside next to the humidity sensor.

A firmware update didn't install

1. 1
   Updates install on their own at a check-in, usually within about 5 hours, so waiting is often enough.
2. 2
   To update now, press RESTART, then tap Update Now under Firmware in the plant's settings within 5 minutes. It installs after the next reading (solid cyan for 20 to 30 seconds).
3. 3
   If the sensor is Offline, it can't download anything. Fix the connection first.