AquaNotes...

[jnarowe]

Well guys, I have lost contact with my controller for over 2 weeks now. I really am baffled but wonder if maybe I botched an old firmware upgrade when I reset the ACIII Pro a few weeks ago.

I am running AquaNotes 3.50 Build 3.5.3 & I have tried all the usual unplug this and that, checked the router for proper ip config. etc. and yet I still cannot get on the controller with AquaNotes or even a web browser.

And, I would also like to make a recommendation to Neptune: Even though I am subscribed to this forum and some of the threads, I never get email updates. Would it be possible to set up an opt in newsletter on the Neptune site, so that whenever there were new products, software updates, sales, etc, I would receive an email newsletter?

Seems like this would be a good way to promote follow-on sales, boost margin, and stay in touch with the client base. I do this for my business by using an online service called Constant Contact (http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp) which has a decent import engine, opt-in system, and plenty of templates. I know it helps my business a lot.

Thanks!!

[kenargo]

What is the connection between the computer and the controller? Do you see the LEDs flashing on the controller (there are 2 near the Ethernet connector.

A assume you have checked configuration? Have you checked the address and subnet; they may have been reset during upgrade?

[jnarowe]

Cat5 to bridge, to PC. (wireless) lights all working! I'll re-check the address and subnet, but i believe it is all the default.

[kenargo]

Do you mean a wireless bridge? Have you tried connecting the AC3 directly into the router? Just trying to remove any connection issues.

[jnarowe]

yes...wireless bridge. just checked it and everything looks as it should. I don't have the ability to connect it straight to the PC unfortunately.

maybe a bad connector? I think I will try to swap cables.

[jnarowe]

not the cable. I wonder if I should hit the ol' reset button on the bridge.

[kenargo]

Do you see activity on the AC3 LEDs; indicating network traffic? Why can't you connect to PC directly (out of curiosity)?

[jnarowe]

yes, all devices showing activity.

[clp]

Make sure that you can access the wireless bridge's configuration web pages to ensure that wireless connection is OK.

Curt

[Tech Diver]

In the event that your controller's IP address was changed, or if you forgot what it is, you can use a well-known free tool called Angry IP Scanner to list the IP addresses of all devices on your network:
http://www.angryziber.com/w/Home

It is a stand-alone executable that does not do anything to your registry or store data anywhere on your system.

[jnarowe]

Thanks Tech Diver. I will try it. I have a feeling it is the bridge causing the problem.

Not sure how to work that thing. Did a scan and all I got was one dead host.

[jnarowe]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14107643#post14107643 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by clp
Make sure that you can access the wireless bridge's configuration web pages to ensure that wireless connection is OK.

Curt

I can't bring it up. :(

[jnarowe]

figured it out finally...it was the bridge. somehow got set for an out-of-range ip. working fine now!

I really hate troubleshooting wireless stuff. Worked on it for an hour today and had resigned myself to one last try, then I would just buy a new one. I guess threats work? :rolleyes:

So how about the opt-in Neptune Newsletter Curt?? :D

[jnarowe]

OK...I am back! :(

PC did a re-start this morning and I lost contact again with the controller. This is giving me fits, but perhaps that detail may spark an idea. I cannot get into the bridge again either.

[clp]

It my be that the wireless bridge is almost out of range. Using a directional antenna pointed to your access point may help.
There are going to be some changes to our webserver in the coming months and one addition will be a opt in mailing list.

Curt

[jnarowe]

cool...it's been working great for how long and now it's out of range? Seems unlikely but I will look into it.

[Tech Diver]

I'm not sure of your network topology so I am making a few assumptions that might be wrong. In any case, since you specifically said you were using a wireless BRIDGE I assume it is attached to a router. If so, did you give your bridge a fixed IP address, or are you having it use DHCP? If you did give the bridge a fixed IP address, did you make sure that the router won't assign it to anyone?

[jnarowe]

good question: the router is in my office one floor above the tank room, where the bridge is installed, with a Cat5 to the ACIII Pro. The router is set to DHCP and I gave the bridge an assigned ip address.

The first time around (when I started this thread) the bridge had somehow been reset to its default ip which is 192.168.1.226 but I found the max on the router had been set to .2 - .150. I believe prior to the original incident, I had the bridge set to 192.168.1.51.

So what do you think? Should I switch the router to dynamic?

[Tech Diver]

No, I would keep it static making sure that it is outside of the DHCP address pool (so no one gets the same IP address).

[jnarowe]

Ok...still having issues with AquaNotes losing contact with the conroller. Below I pasted an error message I get sometimes when I try to shut down the program:

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc77/jnarowe/not%20my%20stuff/aquanoteserror.jpg

[Tech Diver]

I often get the same error message when exiting. I'm not sure if I get the identical instruction and memory reference values though. It does not affect the program so I wouldn't worry.

[jnarowe]

OK...so the point is, I have to exit to make contact with the controller again. I was just curious if this error was somehow indicative of the problem.

[clp]

The error when you exit AquaNotes is not related to the problem you are seeing. A few customers have reported that problem, however, we've never been able to replicate it, so it hasn't been fixed.
AquaNotes loosing the connection is most likely caused by flakey communication. Confirm that you can still access the bridge when you see the AquaNotes problem.

Curt

[jnarowe]

yeah I am. when I exit and re-start, it connects in fine. This is NOT the same issue I had when I first started this thread with the bridge being out. But your point is well taken. It could be flakey wireless communication, but if that were the case, wouldn't AquaNotes reconnect when the connection quality improves, like when I try to "update". I would think (I know that sounds like an oxymoron!) that trying to reconnect would work, rather than having to exit and re-start.

And my suspicions regarding the error is that it is related to Java.

[clp]

There could be a bug in AquaNotes in which a flaky Ethernet connection causes it to go into a hung state. I haven't seen this, but what you are describing sounds like that is the issue. I'll take a look at the code and see if I see anything suspicious.

Curt

[jnarowe]

OK...that's sounds interesting. Could also be panned obsolescence of the wireless router! :lol:

[jnarowe]

Well I am still having wicked trouble staying connected to my controller. So I have been hunting around for what may be teh problem and the thought occured to me that way back when I started, I had used a gaming adapter right out of the box. So today I decided to swap that with the bridge and see if it helped...NOT. :(

Anyway, in my many trips through the router config, I did find this to be interesting:

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc77/jnarowe/not%20my%20stuff/NewPicture.jpg

Not sure how I can have a destination of 192.168.1.0 since the router has to start at .2. The router itself is .1, and if I try to use .0, it gives me an error. So I thought I would post this and see if it brings up any red flags for those in the know! :)

[kenargo]

192.168.1.0 is used as a place holder for the 'complete' network (meaning all addresses from .1-.255). Here is some more information:

http://compnetworking.about.com/od/workingwithipaddresses/g/192_168_1_0_def.htm

[Wetline]

I know this has nothing to do with AquaNotes or the AC but I use to get that same error with my Adobe products causing the program to shut itself down each time that error happened.

You will not believe the "fix," change your default printer...

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310808

If you only have one printer I'm not sure what to do... Try getting rid of the printer ID and downloading the new driver and reinstall maybe.

From my experience it's not an aquanotes problem it's a windows problem.

Like others have mentioned it will probably not fix your connection problem...sorry

[jnarowe]

OK, thanks for the posts guys. That does mean that my netwrok is missing some parts because there are 3 PC, 1 gaming adapter, and the bridge/AC leg all attached to it.

I havereally thought about the problem being Windows so maybe I should spendd some time on that. I know my XP Pro Server at my store was updated a couple weeks ago and the network went haywire.