10 · Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting
A document to quickly find the cause and solution for each symptom. Settings the user cannot adjust (TX power, SF, BW, CR, and other LoRa physical parameters) are not covered in causes/solutions.
Communication issues#
Master ↔ Receiver not communicating#
| Symptom | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Receiver does not receive (RSSI normal) | Version mismatch — both-end firmware/Wire Protocol mismatch | Flash both ends to the same firmware (see 03 Firmware) |
| No reception on Receiver | Frequency mismatch | In Web UI Broadcast, confirm both ends use the same Frequency (see 08 LoRa/RF Configuration) |
| Intermittent disconnection | Sync Word mismatch | In Web UI Broadcast, confirm both ends use the same Sync Word |
| Only a specific Receiver does not receive | camera_id not assigned | In Web UI Devices, assign a camera_id to that Receiver (see 05 Web UI Guide) |
| Weak signal / range problem | Obstacles/distance | Secure line of sight, adjust device placement/height, remove obstacles (see 08 LoRa/RF Configuration) |
User-adjustable RF settings
Only Frequency and Sync Word. TX power, SF, BW, CR, etc. cannot be changed by the user.
Communication range (reference)#
The numbers below are reference examples; the actual reachable range varies greatly with the site environment (wall material/thickness, metal structures, radio interference, antenna height/line of sight, etc.). A pre-test in the real environment is recommended.
| Environment (example) | Expected range (example) |
|---|---|
| Open space (line of sight secured) | Several hundred m |
| Indoor (1-2 walls) | Tens to hundreds of m |
| Indoor (many concrete walls) | Tens of m |
Not guaranteed performance
The values above are not guaranteed performance. For important sites, run an on-site test in advance with margin.
LED display issues (Receiver)#
Tally LED location
The Tally LED is only on the Receiver. The Master shows status only on the OLED. (See 02 Hardware Setup.)
| Symptom | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| LED does not light at all | camera_id not assigned | Assign a camera_id in Web UI Devices (see 05 Web UI Guide) |
| LED does not light at all | No LoRa reception | Check Communication issues |
| PGM does not light red | Camera mapping error | Check the Web UI Switcher mapping (see 06 Switcher Integration) |
| PVW does not light green | Switcher not connected | Check the switcher connection status in Switcher settings (see 06 Switcher Integration) |
| All LEDs off (all-OFF) | Invalid license (STOP) or low battery | Check STOPPED screen / Battery issues |
| LED color shown as OFF (blue) | off-mode=1 | Normal operation. Can be changed to off-mode=0 (black) (see 05 Web UI Guide) |
| LED too bright/dark | Brightness setting | Adjust brightness in Web UI Devices |
STOPPED screen#
| Symptom | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| OLED shows STOPPED / LICENSE REQUIRED, LED all-OFF, button unresponsive | Invalid license | 1) Reactivate the license on the Master (inject Device Limit) 2) physically reboot the Receiver (see 09 License Management) |
No auto-release
The STOP state is not released automatically, and there is no STOP release command. Recovery requires reactivating the license and then physically rebooting the Receiver. (See 09 License Management.)
Web UI access issues#
| Symptom | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Browser ‘cannot connect’ | Network mismatch | Check that the PC and Master are on the same network (WiFi/Ethernet) (see 04 Network Connection) |
| Cannot access by IP | No IP assigned | Check the IP on the Master OLED. If none, enter AP mode and reconfigure the network (see 04 Network Connection) |
| Only AP mode (default IP) accessible | WiFi connection failure | Reconfigure WiFi from AP mode (192.168.4.1) (see 04 Network Connection) |
Boot issues#
The boot step at which the OLED progress stalls can indicate the cause.
Master boot steps (11 total)#
| Step | Screen message | Check on stall |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Common | Check power/cables (see 02 Hardware Setup) |
| 2 | Role Init | Check power stability |
| 3-5 | Network / Ethernet / Net Done | Check the network cable/WiFi/IP (see 04 Network Connection) |
| 6 | HTTP | Check power stability |
| 7-8 | LoRa TX / LoRa RX | Restart the device; if persistent, contact support |
| 9 | Display | Restart the device |
| 10-11 | Ready / Starting | Nearly complete; wait briefly; if persistent, reboot |
Receiver boot steps (7 total)#
| Step | Screen message | Check on stall |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Common | Recharge and restart (see 02 Hardware Setup) |
| 2 | Role Init | Check charging status |
| 3-4 | LoRa TX / LoRa RX | Restart the device; if persistent, contact support |
| 5 | Display | Restart the device |
| 6-7 | Ready / Starting | Nearly complete; wait briefly |
HW MISMATCH (firmware for the wrong board) — legacy#
As of v3.2.0 the hardware guard (t_hw_guard) has been removed and this screen no longer occurs. Any ESP32-S3 module with PSRAM is allowed to boot. The following applies only to firmware v3.1.x and below.
On older firmware, board hardware was validated during boot; when firmware not matching the board was detected, the system halted and a HW MISMATCH overlay was shown on the OLED. (This is different from a Master↔Receiver firmware version mismatch.)
| Symptom | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| HW MISMATCH shown during boot then halt (v3.1.x and below) | Firmware for the wrong board flashed | Update to v3.2.0 or later, or re-flash with firmware matching the board (Master/Receiver) (see 03 Firmware) |
Reboot loop#
| Symptom | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Repeated auto-reboot after boot | Corrupt firmware | Re-flash the firmware with the tally-node.com web flasher (see 03 Firmware) |
Version mismatch#
| Symptom | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Web UI ‘version mismatch’ warning | Master firmware ≠ Receiver | Flash both ends to the same firmware (see 03 Firmware) |
| LoRa not working + version difference | Wire Protocol mismatch | Both ends require the same firmware |
Where to check the version
Check on the Master Web UI Dashboard and the Receiver OLED System Info page.
Distinguish from HW MISMATCH
A “HW MISMATCH” during boot on legacy firmware (v3.1.x and below) is not a version mismatch but detection of firmware for the wrong board. It no longer occurs as of v3.2.0. (See the HW MISMATCH section above.)
OBS/vMix connection#
OBS (WebSocket)#
| Symptom | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Connection refused | Password mismatch | Check the OBS > Settings > WebSocket server password (see 06 Switcher Integration) |
| Connection timeout | Port mismatch | Check the OBS WebSocket default port 4455 |
| Connected but tally does not change | OBS WebSocket version | Use OBS WebSocket 5.x (see 06 Switcher Integration) |
vMix (TCP)#
| Symptom | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Connection refused | Port mismatch / vMix TCP API disabled | Check/enable the vMix TCP API default port 8099 (see 06 Switcher Integration) |
| Connected but tally does not change | Interface binding | Check that the Master is on an interface that can communicate with the vMix PC (see 06 Switcher Integration) |
Battery issues#
| Symptom | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Receiver OLED shows Battery Empty then countdown | Battery voltage below 3.2V (empty) | Charge immediately. When the countdown ends it enters deep sleep (see 02 Hardware Setup) |
| Goes empty again right after charging | Battery aging | Replace the 18650 battery (see 02 Hardware Setup) |
| No charging indicator | Faulty charger/cable | Replace the 5V adapter/USB-C cable |
Battery empty threshold
The battery empty detection uses a single 3.2V threshold, and a countdown of about 10s is shown before entering deep sleep.
Factory reset#
| Situation | Solution |
|---|---|
| Network/switcher settings tangled | Factory reset and reconfigure (see 03 Firmware) |
| Firmware update failed | Re-flash with the tally-node.com web flasher (see 03 Firmware) |
Master only
Factory reset is only available from the Master Web UI and resets all Master settings. It does not affect the Receiver. (See 03 Firmware.)
Diagnostic tools#
OLED System Info#
- Master: short-press the front button to go to the System Info page. Check version/IP/LoRa settings/battery, etc.
- Receiver: short-press the front button to go to the System Info page. Check version/camera_id/battery/RSSI, etc.
Web UI Dashboard#
On the Master Web UI Dashboard, check battery/temperature/uptime/switcher connection status/network/version at a glance. In Devices, check each Receiver's RSSI/SNR/battery/camera_id.
Quick diagnostic flow#
When a problem occurs, checking in the following order quickly classifies the cause.
- 1Observe symptomsRecord OLED messages/LED state/Web UI access status
- 2Check power/batteryCheck Master/Receiver power stability (see Hardware Setup)
- 3Check networkIf the Web UI is not accessible, check whether on the same network (see Network Connection)
- 4Check communication/licenseIf LED is all-OFF, check STOPPED/battery (see License Management)
- 5Check firmware/versionCheck whether both-end firmware matches (see Firmware)
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