Why does my Pearl counter keep going offline?
Discover common reasons your Pearl counter goes offline and find effective troubleshooting tips to keep it connected.
Table of Contents
A Pearl counter that repeatedly goes offline is usually losing its WiFi connection or power: the most common causes are a weak 2.4GHz WiFi signal at the doorway, a changed network name or password, an unsupported network type, or a fading battery.
Before troubleshooting, check what the device status actually says in the Storetraffic app. A brief gap between the Last communication and Next expected communication times on the device detail screen is normal, not an outage. Pearl sensors buffer events to save battery, so a few minutes of staleness is expected behavior.
What to check when it keeps dropping
- Confirm the status badge. Open the Storetraffic app and tap the device. A Critical badge means the device missed its expected check-ins during open hours. If it only happens overnight or outside business hours, that is normal, not an offline problem.
- Check the battery. Pearl is battery-powered. Batteries typically last 6 to 9 months depending on the mounting environment, and a fading battery causes intermittent dropouts before the device dies completely. A device that has been running for several months is the first suspect — replace with fresh batteries before troubleshooting further.
- Check the WiFi signal at the doorway. Pearl runs on a 2.4GHz network only. If the sensor is far from the router, or walls and shelving weaken the signal, the connection will drop repeatedly. Moving the router, adding a 2.4GHz access point, or reducing interference near the doorway helps.
- Check whether the network changed. A new router, renamed network (SSID), or changed password breaks the saved connection. Reconfigure WiFi on the device: devices list, tap the edit pencil, then Configure WiFi.
- Verify the network type is supported. Pearl will not connect to 5GHz-only networks, WPA3-only networks, WPA2/WPA3 Enterprise networks, or networks with a sign-in (captive portal) page. Router upgrades often silently switch these settings on.
- Allow for warm-up after reconnecting. A reconnected device warms up for up to about 2 hours before its first data shows. Do not judge a fix until this window has passed.
Notes
- Only check-ins missed during open hours count as a problem. After-hours silence is expected.
- If the device stays Critical during open hours with a fresh battery and a strong 2.4GHz signal, contact Storetraffic support with the device's MAC address.
- Mounting environment affects battery life: expect closer to 6 months in demanding environments and up to 9 months in milder ones.
- The WiFi configuration screen shows nearby networks with signal strength and band. Always pick a 2.4GHz network for a Pearl.