Decision Tree: Hardware Disconnected¶

Use this when a camera, RFID reader, or controller shows "Disconnected" in the Diagnostics panel, or when hardware is not responding.

Step 1: Which device is disconnected?¶

Open the Diagnostics panel (gear icon) and identify which device shows a problem.

Camera -- Go to Step 2
RFID Reader -- Go to Step 3
Controller (Arduino/Portenta/LattePanda) -- Go to Step 4
DS9908R Scanner (Teasdale) -- Go to Step 5
Multiple devices -- Go to Step 6

Step 2: Camera disconnected¶

Step 2a: Is the camera powered on?¶

Check for indicator lights on the camera.

YES -- Go to Step 2b
NO -- Check the power cable and power source. Restore power and restart the application.

Step 2b: Is the network cable connected?¶

Check the Ethernet cable between the camera and the network switch.

YES (cable is plugged in at both ends) -- Go to Step 2c
NO -- Reconnect the cable and restart the application.

Step 2c: Can you ping the camera?¶

Open a command prompt and type: ping <camera-ip-address>

The camera IP address is in the appsettings.json file under HardwareSettings. Common addresses: - Cognex cameras: port 23 (for example, 192.168.100.200:23)

YES (ping replies received) -- Go to Step 2d
NO (Request timed out) -- The camera cannot be reached on the network. Check IP address configuration, network switch, and firewall. See Check Network Connectivity.

Step 2d: Camera is reachable but not connecting¶

The camera responds to ping but the application cannot connect.

Check that the IP address and port in appsettings.json match the camera.
Check that port 23 (or the configured port) is not blocked by a firewall.
Restart the application.
If the camera still does not connect, the camera firmware may need to be checked.

Error messages you may see in the log: - "Failed to connect to Cognex camera at {IP}:{Port}" - "Cannot trigger camera - not connected" - "No response from camera after trigger"

Resolution: Verify IP/port configuration and network connectivity. If the camera is reachable by ping but still not connecting, see When to Escalate.

Step 3: RFID Reader disconnected¶

Step 3a: Is the RFID reader powered on?¶

Check the RFID reader for indicator lights (Zebra FX9600 has LEDs on the front panel).

YES -- Go to Step 3b
NO -- Check the power cable and power source. Restore power and restart the application.

Step 3b: Can you ping the RFID reader?¶

Open a command prompt and type: ping <rfid-reader-ip>

The RFID reader IP is in appsettings.json. The default port for FX9600 is 5084.

YES -- Go to Step 3c
NO -- Check the Ethernet cable, network switch, and IP configuration. See Check Network Connectivity.

Step 3c: RFID reader is reachable but not connecting¶

Verify the IP address and port (5084) in appsettings.json.
Check that port 5084 is not blocked by a firewall.
Try accessing the FX9600 web interface at http://<rfid-reader-ip> in a browser.
Restart the application.

Error messages you may see in the log: - "Connection failed: {result}. {message}" - "Not connected to reader." - "Reader disconnected unexpectedly."

Resolution: Fix the network path and restart. If the reader web interface works but the application cannot connect, see When to Escalate.

Step 4: Controller disconnected (Arduino/Portenta/LattePanda)¶

Step 4a: What connection type is the controller using?¶

Check appsettings.json HardwareSettings for the controller's ConnectionString.

TCP (IP address like 192.168.100.120:502) -- Go to Step 4b
Serial (COM port like COM4:115200) -- Go to Step 4c

Step 4b: TCP Controller (Portenta H7)¶

Check that the controller is powered on.
Ping the controller IP address.
Verify port 502 is not blocked.
Restart the application.

Error messages you may see in the log: - "Socket error connecting to Arduino Portenta at {IP}:{Port}" - "TCP connection established but Arduino did not respond to 'sendStatus' command." - "TCP connection lost during monitoring"

Step 4c: Serial Controller (LattePanda)¶

Check that the USB cable is securely connected.
Open Windows Device Manager and check if the COM port is visible.
If the COM port number has changed, update appsettings.json with the new COM port number.
Restart the application.

Error messages you may see in the log: - "Access denied to serial port {ComPort}. Port may be in use by another application." - "Serial port {ComPort} not found or could not be opened." - "Serial port closed during monitoring"

Resolution: Reconnect the cable, verify the port, and restart the application.

Step 5: DS9908R Scanner disconnected (Teasdale)¶

The Zebra DS9908R connects via USB using the CoreScanner SDK.

Check that the scanner USB cable is connected.
Check that the scanner is powered on (scanner beeps on power-up).
Open Windows Services and verify that the Zebra CoreScanner service is running.
Try a different USB port.
Restart the application.

Error messages you may see in the log: - "[DS9908] Failed to open CoreScanner. Status: {Status}" - "[DS9908] No scanners discovered, but staying connected for hot-plug" - "[DS9908] Failed to connect via CoreScanner SDK"

Resolution: Restart the CoreScanner service, reconnect the USB cable, and restart the application. If the scanner still does not connect, try reinstalling the CoreScanner SDK drivers.

Step 6: Multiple devices disconnected¶

If more than one device is disconnected at the same time, the problem is likely the network.

Check the internal Ethernet switch (if the site uses one). Most GateKeeper hardware connects through an internal switch.
Check the main Ethernet cable from the GateKeeper system to the plant network.
Check for a power outage that may have affected multiple devices.
Restart the application after verifying network connectivity.

Resolution: Fix the underlying network or power issue. If the network is fine but devices still will not connect, restart the application and check each device individually using the steps above.

Still not resolved?¶

If hardware will not connect after following these steps, see When to Escalate and collect diagnostics using the Collecting Diagnostics guide.