The small indicators at the bottom left of the WiFi Configuration Page show the connection status of a PurpleAir sensor. Examining these with the information below will definitively tell you if a sensor is connected to PurpleAir.
Confirming Connection
To confirm if your sensor can contact PurpleAir, you’ll want to ensure the following Status Indicators are green:
- NTP
- UPD
- PAA
Please note that the PAA indicator may take up to 4 minutes to change from orange to green.
None of these three indicators are green
If none of these are green, it means either:
- The sensor is not connected to your home WiFi.
- The sensor is connected to your home WiFi but can’t access the internet.
Try following the steps in our WiFi Troubleshooting Guide, starting at the “Connecting the Sensor to Your WiFi” section. If you’ve already followed the Guide, it’s possible that you overlooked a troubleshooting step or need to examine our Network Checklist.
Some, but not all of these three indicators are green
If PAA is orange, wait up to 4 minutes for it to turn green.
Otherwise, follow the steps further below in this article, starting from “Why are Only Some Indicators Green?”
Status Indicator Colors
Once the sensor’s WiFi settings are saved, it will attempt to connect to each service represented by the indicators and set their colors accordingly.
| Status Color | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Gray | Not Configured |
| Orange | In Progress |
| Green | Connection Successful |
| Red | Error or Connection Unsuccessful |
Status Indicator Descriptions
Each indicator contains a three-letter abbreviation of the service it refers to. The meaning of each abbreviation is below.
Currently Used Indicators
| abbreviation | service | description |
|---|---|---|
| NTP | Network Time Protocol | Corrects the timestamps on a PurpleAir sensor’s SD card. |
| LOC | Location * | Calculates the position rating of a PurpleAir sensor. Currently, a bug may cause this to turn green even when the sensor has no internet connection.* |
| UPD | Update Server | The server which PurpleAir sensors grab new update files from. |
| PAA | PurpleAir Transmission | The server where PurpleAir sensors send air quality data. |
| 3RD | 3rd Party Data Processor. | Connection to the first 3rd Party Data Processor. By default, this is set to Weather Underground. |
| 3RD | 3rd Party Data Processor. | Connection to the second 3rd Party Data Processor. By default, this is not set and will appear gray. |
Deprecated Indicators
The following status indicators are no longer used and should be ignored. These may appear green for certain sensors regardless of connection status.
| abbreviation | deprecated service |
|---|---|
| TSA | ThingSpeak A Channel |
| TSS | ThingSpeak A Secondary |
| TSB | ThingSpeak B Channel |
| TSS | ThingSpeak B Secondary |
Why are Only Some Indicators Green?
Each indicator on the sensor’s config page represents a separate service to which the sensor tries to connect. The three important indicators for network connection are the following:
NTP, UPD, PAA
Check NTP (Network Time Protocol)
If NTP is green, it means your sensor can connect to the internet. If it’s not, you may need to add the sensor’s MAC address to your router’s allowed list. You’ll also want to read our Network Checklist to ensure your sensor can properly connect to your network.
More general troubleshooting steps are also available in our WiFi Troubleshooting Guide.
Check UPD (update server) and PAA (air quality data server)
If you’ve recently erased all memory for your sensor while flashing it, your sensor will be able to contact UPD but not PAA. If you have erased all memory and this is the case, you’ll need to send an email to contact@purpleair.com with your device ID and ask for us to “share keys” with your sensor.
If both UPD and PAA are green, your sensor can successfully connect to PurpleAir systems, and you can continue to viewing your sensor on the map.
If NTP is green, but UPD or PAA are not, it indicates your sensor can communicate to the internet but cannot connect to all of PurpleAir’s services. Problems are most commonly seen with the PAA indicator and can be resolved by either:
-
Adding the sensor’s MAC address to your router’s allowed list
-
Allowing hostnames and ports used by the sensor. Even if other devices use these same ports, the hostnames may need to be explicitly allowed.
For further information on these troubleshooting steps, read our Network Checklist. More general troubleshooting steps are also available in our WiFi Troubleshooting Guide.