Wireless Products Troubleshooting

If you have set up a wireless ControlByWeb module on your network and cannot access the control or setup pages, or you are not receiving email alerts when testing the sensor, here are some troubleshooting steps to follow.

For this example, we will be using an XW-110, but these steps will be similar for all ControlByWeb wireless products.

Step 1: Power

First, make sure that the XW-110 is being powered by a 5VDC power supply and/or a fresh pair of AA batteries. You may need to remove the XW-110's cover to check for batteries. Make sure the batteries are inserted correctly and that the XW-110 is close to the router to guarantee that it's receiving a good signal.

Step 2: Settings

If you haven't already, remove the XW-110's cover. Next, while powered, hold the 'Access Point' button down for 2 seconds.

On your computer, click the Network icon and then select the XW-110 as an access point. Open a web browser and type the default IP address: http://192.168.1.2 followed by /setup.html. Type in the default username "admin," and the default password "webrelay," all lower case.

Click on the WiFi Networks tab, and verify that your Wi-Fi network appears in the SSID field. Try re-typing the password for your Wi-Fi network. Remember, this will be case sensitive and must be exact.

Under the IP Settings, note whether you are using DHCP or a static IP address.

If you are only interested in receiving email alerts and do not need to access the control or setup pages using a web browser, you may use DHCP which will allow your router to automatically assign the XW-110 an available IP address on your network.

However, if you're interested in being able to view and monitor the sensor status on a web browser, then you will need to know the IP address of the XW-110 once it connects to your Wi-Fi network, and you will also need to enable the XW-110's HTTP Server.

If you are using a static IP address, make sure the IP address assigned to the XW-110 is available and that it's a valid address on your network. If you are unsure, check with your network administrator. Once you have determined that you have an available IP address, write down the IP address and tape it to the back of the device for future reference.

Under the HTTP Server settings, make sure that you have the HTTP Server Enabled set to "Yes." If you're only using the XW-110 to send email alerts, you will want to disable this setting later, but for the moment, let's enable it for troubleshooting purposes. Next, click Submit.

Verify that the SMTP server settings are correct. In this example, we are using a Gmail server and by doing a quick web search we found the settings we need. For Gmail, we need to type "smtp.gmail.com," set the port to 465, and enable SSL. Note that for Gmail there are additional settings that need to be made on the Gmail account itself to allow you to use SMTP servers. We will talk about those settings later.

Make sure that you have all these settings correct in the XW-110 Email tab. Most email servers will require the 'Username' and 'Return Email' address field to match. Retype your password to make sure it is correct. Keep in mind that a single character typo in any of these settings, can cause the email alerts to not work. It can also be helpful to verify your email username and password by first logging into your email in another browser or computer.

Also verify that you have correctly typed the email addresses that will be receiving the email alerts. Once you have verified your email settings, click Submit.

Click on the Sensors tab. For testing, you may want to adjust the high or low temperature settings so that you can more easily trigger the high or low alarm. Also, you will want to change the update interval to about 5-10 seconds, so that you can quickly trigger the email notification. Also, verify that the Email Option is set correctly. Once you are done, click Submit.

Click on the Main tab and click Reboot. The XW-110 will now attempt to connect to your Wi-Fi network.

Step 3: Connecting to your network

Since the XW-110 is no longer in access point mode, your computer will no longer be directly connected to it. Make sure your computer is connected to the same network that your XW-110 is set up to use.

If you're using a static IP address, open up a web browser and type in the XW-110's IP address.

If you're using DHCP, and have left the HTTP server enabled, first try typing: http://xw-110.local/setup.html. If you have left the HTTP Server disabled, you can temporarily enable it if you press and hold the WPS button for 10 seconds. This will enable the HTTP Server for five minutes. Then try typing the address we previously mentioned.

If you can view the setup pages, you will know that the XW-110 has successfully connected to your network.

If you cannot access the setup pages this way, you will need to log onto your router to view the devices that are connected to your Wi-Fi Network, and see which IP address the XW-110 was assigned. Most routers will display a list of wireless devices that are connected to it. The list will show the MAC address of each devices connected, and the IP address assigned to each device. The MAC address of the XW-110 is the serial number of the XW-110 and it can be found on the label on the back of the unit, or on Main tab of the setup page. The exact steps of how to view a device's IP address will vary from router to router. For more information, please see your router's users manual.

Once you have found the XW-110's IP address, you will know that it has successfully connected to your Wi-Fi network. If the HTTP Server was left enabled, you can open a web browser and type in the IP address of the XW-110 to view its web pages.

Step 4: Testing the email alerts

If you have verified that the XW-110 has successfully connected to your Wi-Fi network, but are still not receiving email alerts, you will then need to proceed with troubleshooting the email notifications.

Once you have verified that the XW-110 is connected to your Wi-Fi network, you can now test the email. In a web browser, enter the IP address of the XW-110 followed by a slash setup.html. In the Email tab, press the Test Email button. You should see status information on the web page to let you know if the email was successful or not. If the email failed, you should see an error message. Each error message is explained in the XW-110's users manual.

If you don't receive an email, try logging into your email account. For Gmail, Yahoo, and other online accounts you may need change the settings to allow 'third-party program application access' or 'less secure app access.' This allows the XW-110 to access your account to send out emails.

Once you have changed this setting in your email account, try pressing the Test Email button again. If you still don't receive an email, try using a different email address. Then press the Test Email button once more, and you should receive an email notification.

Step 5: Temperature email alerts

If you have gone through these steps and have verified it is connected to your network, and that the email alerts are working, but you still don't receive the temperature email alerts, you will need to check a couple of things.

First verify that you are able to view the temperature status by viewing the XW-110's Control Page by typing in its IP address. If you can view the temperature on the Control Page, you know that the temperature sensor wiring is correct.

If you can't see any temperature sensor data on the Control Page, you need to double check the sensor's wiring. Make sure that when installing the sensor, that the metal contacts inside of the connector are making contact with the metal wire leads on the sensor, and not on the insulation.

You should have already adjusted the high and low alarms in the Sensor tab as well as the update interval in the previous steps. Double check those settings, and make any changes. For troubleshooting, we suggest to change the update interval time to 5 seconds, and a high alarm of 80 degrees. Click Submit when finished.

Now you will need to trigger the high or low alarm by holding the sensor, using a blow dryer, or using an ice cube to warm or cool the sensor beyond the threshold you set. Make sure to warm or cool the sensor for a longer time period than what you set in the Update Interval setting in the Sensor tab.

Since we adjusted the update interval time to 5 seconds, and a high alarm of 80 degrees we can simply hold the temperature sensor for 5 seconds and trigger the high temperature alarm.

Once you have received an email notification, make sure and change back any necessary settings for your application, such as the temperature alert settings, or disabling the HTTP Server (if you're only using the XW-110 for email alerts or if you're only using AA batteries for power).

If you've gone through these steps and still cannot receive an email notification please feel free to contact our support team.