This article is specific to the Energy Queensland Fleet of Droplets used for Remote Curtailment.
If you encounter any issues while configuring the Droplet, there are several steps you can take to troubleshoot and resolve the problem.
Power failure
Droplet not connecting to the Internet
Droplet not connecting to the inverter
Enable to set up the EQ Remote Curtailment Controller
Denied access to Stormcloud
Tip! Add Site Aggregates to Stormcloud Analytics
Power failure
The Droplet is not powering when connecting the power adaptor to a GPO. LED lights are off.
What you can do:
Check the power supply to the Droplet.
Replace with power adaptor with any other model within the acceptable range
What next? Dead-in-arrival devices are rare as each unique device is manually tested before being expedited. Please contact our support team at support@switchdin.com or call us at +61 2 4786 0426 and we will arrange return to our lab.
Droplet not connecting to the Internet
By order of priority, the Droplet will look for a connection to the Internet through the Ethernet port which is configured as a DHCP client. If the connection is unsuccessful, the Droplet will look for a 4G connection from any active SIM card. Should the Droplet lose Internet connectivity for 12h, it will automatically force an overnight reboot.
In the unlikely event of not being able to connect to the Internet, your Equipment tab in Stormcloud should look like this:
1) Droplet shows offline in Stormcloud
What you can do:
- Confirm the Droplet is connected to the customer's internet by checking the ethernet cable is securely plugged into the modem/router and the droplet Ethernet port;
- Plug a laptop to this Ethernet cable and ping google on any internet browser;
- If dealing with a secured network protected by a firewall, verify that the internet modem or router is configured to allow a DHCP connection and that it isn’t blocking any ports;
- If the internet is not available on the customer's router remove the Ethernet connection from the Droplet to the home router so the 4G signal can take over. The Droplet should automatically find the network. Rebooting is not an option since the network manager runs separately from the boot control.
What next?
If the presence of the Internet is confirmed, and lights flashing on the port, contact our support team at support@switchdin.com or call us at +61 2 4786 0426. We will attempt to SSH into the Droplet and check any issues with:
- DHCP Client setup on port;
- certificate date issuance;
- firmware version/update;
- time series data synchronization with our cloud;
- any buffering latency with our cloud.
2) 4G connection: Droplet shows offline in Stormcloud
What you can do:
- Get confirmation from EQ that the SIM card has been activated with a data plan.
What next?
Please connect the Droplet to the Internet (using a LAN connection preferably) contact our support team at support@switchdin.com or call us at +61 2 4786 0426. We will attempt to SSH into the Droplet and check any issues with:
- ip routing table;
- APN / ISP;
- connection activation.
Droplet not connecting to the inverter
When running the Discovery process when adding a device to the Droplet in Stormcloud, every MAC address will be identified. If TCP is not enabled on port 502 of the inverter, the device will not be able to communicate with the Droplet and the discovery screen will look like this:
Please refer to our commissioning guide to open the port.
Enable to set up the EQ Remote Curtailment Controller
There are two main reasons for not being able to set up the EQ Remote Curtailment Controller.
Either you haven't added a device to your Droplet to which the controller would apply, or your inverter is not compatible with the program.
The program is compatible with a large array of inverters. Please ensure that the device you have connected to the Droplet is in the list accessible here.
Denied access to Stormcloud
If you had passed your Installer training with SwitchDin, SwitchDin would have been informed automatically and your account should be authorized within the same day.
If you haven't got permission yet, you will be prompted with the following message on your screen.
If you believe you should have permissions and the system still refuses your access, please contact our online support by phone (+61 2 4786 0426), email at support@switchdin.com, or from our website by going into the Support tab.
Tip! Add Site Aggregates to Stormcloud Analytics
It is a best practice to manually add the Site Aggregates metrics to your setup in Stormcloud to easily visualize graphically the performance of your site.
To set up Site Aggregates, simply visit the Equipment tab of the unit in Stormcloud, add a device 'manually' (instead of running the discovery) and select 'Site Aggregates' from the dropdown menu.