An offline charger can cause problems with charging, accepting charge cards and logging transactions.
This article is for chargers with status "Offline".
If the status of your charger is "Not connected yet" (previously "Never Seen"), it means it was never online. If nothing in this article fixes the issue, check Charger can't connect to Plugchoice.
How to fix
General
Any charger
Check for outages at status.plugchoice.com
Try turning the charger off and on at its circuit breaker. If possible, unplug the car(s) and charging cable(s) first. A restart from the app or web portal cannot reach an offline charger.
How to physically turn off and on your chargerIf there is no active LED or display, the charger may be turned off.
Specific to Volt Time chargers
Check the LED color. If it's white, the charger is booting. If it remains white, something is wrong and you should contact your installer.
Contact installerFor serial numbers below 0007000
If your charger is connected via WiFi, you need to wait 45-60 minutes after rebooting before it will be online again.
After you've rebooted the charger and the LED turns green or red, stand right next to the charger and check for a network called "VoltTime_[SerialNumber]" or similar. If this network doesn't appear, you should contact your installer.
Per connectivity method
If the above steps don't fix the issue, you can try a few more things based on the way the charger is connected to the internet.
WiFi or Ethernet (RJ45)
Has anything changed in the network like a different provider, different modem or a change in settings?
Log into the network on a separate device and use an IP scanner to see if the charger's IP is present on the network. If you cannot find the charger, that means the charger cannot connect to the building's network in the first place.
Log into the router and make sure:
Ports 80 and 443 are opened.
There is no firewall blocking the connection.
The MAC address of the charger is not blocked.
Sometimes "guest" networks have extra protection, just like you need to enter a username+password in a hotel. The charger has no interface for this. It must be connected to a different, less protected network.
Ethernet (RJ45)
Check if the data port lights on the router/switch are blinking green.
Check if the internet cable has been crimped correctly.
Check the color codes on both ends of the cable.
Use a network cable tester to check the crimp quality and detect any damage to the internet cable.
Are you using a switch? Try plugging directly into the building's router instead.
Check you're using the correct RJ45 port on the charger.
Check if the RJ45 port on the charger isn't damaged.
WiFi
Did the WiFi network name or password change recently?
Changed the WiFi network or password? In the app, go to Chargers > (your charger) > Settings > Network settings. It opens Plugchoice Link, which reconnects the charger and gives it the new network. This row only shows for chargers that support it.
The signal strength may not be good enough. Try a WiFi extender.
Most chargers can only connect to a 2.4 GHz WiFi network.
You may have incorrectly entered the WiFi name and password.
SIM
Does the charger have a good signal strength? The connection may suffer in underground parking lots or out in the countryside.
Is there an outage with a mobile network provider in your region?
Is the SIM paused or blocked? This can happen if:
It reached its data limit, or usage was abnormally high
It is a Plugchoice SIM whose SIM Budget or monthly fee has ended, or that carried no data for 30 days in a row. Such a SIM may be paused, and ended after 90 days. Ask your installer or [email protected].
You had a third party subscription service that you've cancelled, in this case the third party will often also block the SIM.
Can't find the issue?
There are still a few things you can try to get the charger online:
Put the charger on a different connection method like Ethernet, WiFi or SIM.
Place a mobile modem near the charger and connect to that network instead.
Try strengthening the network with a WiFi extender.
Try a different CAT cable or a Powerline solution.
Replace the network Switch
If you are using non-Volt Time hardware and are running into issues connecting to Plugchoice, it's worth checking out Charger can't connect to Plugchoice
If you've checked out that article and truly nothing helps, try contacting your installer.