Troubleshooting of the new setup
Please use this guide to diagnose and resolve the typical initial setup issues. Not finding the solution here? No worries, we’ll get it figured out! Please search the community board and join the existing discussion or post a new one.
While Setting Up Account
No LED indications
Make sure the controller is powered up via the micro USB connector and power adapter is plugged in into the outlet. If the issue persists, try powering up from alternative USB source and using different micro-USB cable. If the power is not coming back or the connection is intermittent, then contact us about the replacement.
PHOTON-XXXX is not listed in the app
Make sure LED is blinking dark blue on and off. If LED is slowly pulsing cyan or blinking green then press and hold “M” button until LED switches to blinking dark blue.
LED is not blinking dark blue
Press and hold “M” button for about 3 seconds to activate the listening mode. Hold for over 10 seconds to delete any previous WiFi settings saved in the unit. The reset will be confirmed by the burst of quick blue blinks.
Unable to connect to PHOTON-XXXX
Make sure LED is slowly blinking blue on and off. Try getting your mobile device closer to Garadget or try different mobile device. If you already mounted Garage to the opener, try taking it down for the duration of the setup by removing M4 in the pivot.
My WiFi networks is not listed
The signal may be too weak. Get Garadget closer to the router to confirm. If you use dual-band router, make sure 2.4GHz hot spot is enabled. If the router supports Beamforming feature which needs to be disabled for the duration of the setup.
Setup process couldn’t configure the WiFi credentials
Please make sure your WiFi’s SSID and password do not contain any non-ASCII or non-printable characters (e.g. á, ä, ñ etc.)
LED is fast blinking green
Garadget is unable to connect or login to the WiFi network. Confirm WiFi network password by testing it from another mobile device. Restart the setup process with the correct WiFi password. Make sure the network name doesn’t contain special characters such as apostrophes and uses WPA/WPA2 security protocol (WEP is not secure).
Setup process doesn’t complete with exclamation mark and failed WiFi error message
Please login to your WiFi router’s administrative interface and set the channel width setting set to 20MHz. After that repeat Garadget setup attempt.
I clicked “Add Door” and there is nothing but text there
If you don’t see “Ready” button, then your phone has large system font and text pushes the button off the screen. Go to system settings and temporarily reduce the font size to complete the setup.
LED is fast blinking cyan
Garadget is unable to connect to server. Make sure there is Internet access from your local network. Some network may have restricted online access. Make sure Garadget’s address and port (TCP 5683) are white listed.
If there’s an occasional red blink between the cyan blinks, then the encryption key on the device needs to be refreshed. The process is a bit technical so feel free to request an exchange if you prefer not to handle it. Visit Instructions and Discussion Thread.
LED is slow pulsing cyan but the device is not in the list
Reset the unit by pressing “R” button, wait for it to reconnect and refresh the device list in app. Try logging out of the account and logging back in again. If that doesn’t resolve the issue press and hold “M” button until LED switches to blinking dark blue, then repeat the setup attempt.
App crashes or doesn’t work ask expected
Uninstall app and its data and re-install the most current version from the app store. Check that the unit is configured with the valid settings (next solution). Also check community board to see if the problem is being addressed and what is the workaround. The web interface is always available as a backup.
Garadget shows in the account but does not work right
If there is no laser pulses or door motion animation takes too long or the name of the door appears as the strange characters or there are other unexpected effects, please login to the web interface and set the configuration to the following defaults:
In settings:
Scan Period = 1s
Sensor Reads = 3
Sensor Threshold = 10
Door Motion Time = 10s
Relay On Time = 0.3s
Relay Off Time = 1s
In alerts:
State alerts = all disabled
Timeout Alert = set 20min and then disabled
Night Alert = set to 10pm-6am, US Mountain and then disabled
After the default settings were successfully saved, you can change them to your preferred values. The information about settings and alerts can be found here.
While Installing Controller
Device is not reporting the closed state when door is closed
Verify that the laser is blinking and hitting the reflective tag. If the reflection value in the settings is below 50%, adjust the threshold to about half of that value. If the reflection is lower than 20%, see the discussion about the ways to improve the sensor reliability.
Door control commands are not working
Using a piece of conductor electrically connect the two screws in the blue terminal in the back of Garadget. If the wiring is correct, doing this should activate the door in the same way as when the wall button is pushed. If there is no motion then either wiring is incorrect or your opener does not support a simple wall button option. See these topics for the work around relying on use of a spare remote.
Door moves for about a second then stops
The status of the door needs to be synchronized with Garadget. Close the door using wall button and make sure it is reported by the client app as “Closed”.
Following the Successful Setup
I started receiving multiple false open/closed state notifications
Please check that the laser is still pointed at the center of the reflective tag when door is fully closed. Verify that the laser and photo-sensor openings are free of webs or other obstructions and the release rope is not in the way. Check the reflection rate in the settings and make sure it is higher than the threshold by at least 10-20. Decrease the threshold setting if necessary. Default threshold setting is 10, confident reflection values are 50+.
If the vibration causes laser to get out of alignment with the reflective tag, expand the reflective area with the additional tag(s) or relocate the controller to a stable mounting location.
I’m receiving multiple false open/closed door state notifications during the day, but never at night
Bright ambient light conditions in your garage may degrade Garadget’s sensor sensitivity. Take note of the reflection rate reported by the app while this happens and set the threshold value at half of that value. See troubleshooting for “Device is not reporting the closed state” above for improving the reflection rate if it’s too low.
I’m receiving multiple false open/closed door state notifications for a single open or close event
This can happen if the laser hits the highly reflective surfaces on the door when it moves or an objects get in the way of the laser close to the device. This issue can be addressed by covering reflective surfaces with dark non reflective tape and/or by increasing the threshold value in settings.
I’m receiving frequent offline notifications
If your unit is equipped with the external antenna, make sure it is straight and doesn’t run close or touches other wires or metal surfaces. If door opener has a metal housing it may be blocking the signal; consider moving your unit to other location near by. Adding a local WiFi range extender or the external antenna may improve the connection stability. If re-connects happen at the constant interval, configure a reserved IP address for your unit in your router’s DHCP settings. If re-connects coincide with other appliances use nearby, consider increasing the distance from the source of the interference.
The range of my wireless remote has degraded
Some wireless controllers operate on the same frequency band as WiFi so there is a possibility of interference with Garadget’s radio. Please try moving your unit further away from the opener’s antenna.
App reports device as "offline"
Try the solution from the list above matching the LED color pattern displayed by Garadget. For the verification, login to the web interface to confirm the status. Additionally check Particle Cloud status - the provider of online services for Garadget, to see if there are any ongoing issues.
The app reports the status incorrectly and generally unresponsive
Make sure the unit and the client device have reliable Internet connection. For diagnostics, temporarily enable offline alerts and monitor the notifications. If issue persists try web app to see if you get the same results. Please keep in mind that there is a short connection interruption when your device reconnects between the cellular data and your local WiFi when departing or arriving.