“The 1-hour interval data provided by my name-brand solar-system monitor was useless. I purchased an eGauge and was instantly satisifed with the quality of the device and the data it makes available.”
Trent R. Hein
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| | | TECH SUPPORT |
If you experience any problems with eGauge or one of its accessories,
please review the documentation available on this page. If these
do not help resolve the problem, please contact tech support via email
at:
support@egauge.net
If your product has phone-in-support, you may call us at:
877.EGAUGE1 x2 (877.342.8431)
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| | | FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
 After upgrading to firmware v1.00, the web pages look all garbled. What's up?- This is the web-browser's cache getting in your way. Please clear the browser's cache or use the browser's Reload/Refresh button to fix the problem.
- What password do I use to save a change to the settings?
- Provided you are connected to the device directly through your LAN (not through egauge.net) you can enter username ``owner'' and password ``default''. You can ensure that you're directly connected to the device by clicking the ``LAN Access'' link at the top right of the device web pages.
- What do the different colors on the Status LED mean?
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Blinking green
-
Device is connected
to egauge.net and
HomePlug speed is good (≥2Mbps).
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 Blinking green/cyan
-
HomePlug speed is good (≥2Mbps) but device was unable to obtain
IP address info from DHCP server. Verify that DHCP server is
running or configure static IP.
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 Blinking blue
-
Device is connected
to egauge.net but
HomePlug speed is marginal (<2Mbps). Follow steps in Owner's
Manual to improve HomePlug speed.
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 Blinking blue/cyan
-
HomePlug speed is marginal (<2Mbps) and device was unable to
obtain IP address info from DHCP server. Follow steps in Owner's
Manual to improve HomePlug speed.
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 Steady green
-
HomePlug speed is good (≥2Mbps) but device is not connected to
proxy-server
at egauge.net. Check
``Settings→General Settings→Proxy-server hostname''. It should be
set to ``d.egauge.net''.
-
 Steady blue
-
HomePlug speed is margin (≥2Mbps) and device is not connected
to proxy-server
at egauge.net.
Follow steps in Owner's Manual to improve HomePlug speed.
- Is it OK to plug the HomePlug adapter into a power-strip?
- We recommend plugging the HomePlug adapter directly into a wall-outlet. However, if that is not an option, it is possible to plug it into a power-strip provided the power-strip has no surge-suppressor built in. Most power-strips designed for computers do have surge-suppressors built in, so they are not suitable. Low-cost power-strips available at the local hardware store generally will work fine, however.
- How do I compare eGauge data with my utility bill?
- On the eGauge dash-board, select the "Set time-period to display in graph" from the graph-menu like this:
In the "From" box, enter or select the date at which the meter was read in the previous month. In the "To" box, enter or select the date at which the meter was read in the current month. Click on "Set". The graph will be updated to display the chosen date-range. The "Summary for time-period shown in graph" now displays the amount of Energy Used, Energy Generated, as well as the Net energy used during that time-period. The utility bill's kWh-figure should correspond to the Net displayed. - How secure is eGauge?
- The short answer: as secure as you want it to be! Our philosophy is that, as the owner of the device, you should have the say as to what the device is allowed to do and how it can be accessed.
For a more detailed discussion of security considerations, please review the white-paper available here. - I can't connect to my device anymore, what should I do?
- First, power-cycle the eGauge. See the answer to the next question
``How do I power-cycle the eGauge?'' for details on how to do this.
Second, try unplugging the HomePlug adapter and then plugging it back
in. This retrains the HomePlug-adapter and will often bring the device
back.
Third, let's find out if the device can be accessed locally. We
will use DEVNAME as a stand-in for the name of your device
(e.g., for eGauge345 or whatever the real name of your
device is). Using a computer that is conneced to the same LAN as
the eGauge, open a browser and open one of the following two URLs,
depending on the type of your computer:
| http://DEVNAME/ |
(on Windows-computers) |
| http://DEVNAME.local/ |
(on Mac or Linux computers) |
If this URL loads and you get a graph that's updating, the eGauge is
working fine and accessible through your LAN. If the URL does not load,
check the following:
- Verify that the HomePlug adapter is plugged into a
wall-outlet and that all LEDs are (mostly) green. If you have a
Netgear adapter, all three LEDs should be a steady green, except
that the bottom LED may be flickering from time to time,
indicating network traffic. If you have an Actiontec adapter,
both the Power and Link LEDs should be mostly green,
except for the occasional flicker, indicating traffic on the
powerline or the LAN, respectively.
- Check the Status LED on the eGauge. It should be green. If
it is blue, it may indicate the the HomePlug speed is too low or
the HomePlug link is interrupted. You can use the software on the
CD that came with the HomePlug adapter to further diagnose the
problem. If the Status LED is any color other
than green or blue, contact eGauge support.
Caution: The eGauge is installed in an enclosure
with wires carrying high voltage. If you cannot see the Status LED
without opening the enclosure, please have a licensed electrician
check on the Status LED.
Fourth, let's find out whether the eGauge is connected to the
server at egauge.net. Open a browser on a computer and try to
load this URL:
http://DEVNAME.egaug.es/
If the page loads fine and results in a graph that's updating,
your eGauge is fully operational. If the page does not load, it
indicates a problem in your LAN environment. For example, the
DCHP server on your LAN may be handing out incorrect Internet
information. Please consult an IT professional for further help.
- How do I power-cycle eGauge?
- In your breaker-panel, locate the breaker to which the eGauge is wired. This breaker should be labelled "eGauge Disconnect" or something similar. Once you locate the breaker, trip it so power is off, wait 5 seconds, then turn it back on. Normally, there is a single multi-pole breaker for eGauge, but in some cases there may be two or three separate breakers (one per phase/leg). In the latter case, turn off all eGauge breakers, leave them off for 5 seconds, then turn them all back on.
- Can I connect a computer directly to the HomePlug adapter?
- Yes, that's possible. Here are the recommended steps to establish
communication with an eGauge when the HomePlug adapter is directly
connected into the Ethernet port of a computer:
- Configure the computer's Ethernet-port to a static IP
address of 192.168.1.99. The exact steps to do this vary
with the operating system of the computer. For Mac OS X,
this can be done by clicking on the Apple Menu's "System Preferences",
then on "Network Control Panels". For Windows,
this can be done by starting the "Control Panel", then
selecting the "Network and Sharing Center".
For Linux, this can be done by
selecting "System", then "Administration", then
"Network Tools".
- Power-cycle the eGauge main unit (turn off the breakers it is wired
to, wait for 5 seconds, then turn them back on).
- If you can see the Status LED of the eGauge, it should be blinking
green/cyan (light-blue) now.
- Open a browser on the computer, then type the address
http://192.168.1.88/
into the browser's location bar, then press the
Enter key.
- At this point, you should be connected to the device.
- My HomePlug adapter is connected to a Cisco Catalyst Ethernet switch and it stopped working. What do I do?
- This answer applies only when a Netgear HomePlug 1.0
adapter is in use! With Actiontec adapters (or any Turbo-mode
HomePlug adapter), there is no issue connecting to Cisco Catalyst
switches. Also, this question only applies to professional-grade
Catalyst Cisco products, not to Cisco home routers or switches.
Certain Cisco Catalyst switches detect excessive numbers of collisions
on the port with a Netgear HomePlug 1.0 adapter and end up
shutting down the port. When this happens, the bottom LED on the
Netgear HomePlug adapter will go dark. Also, the switch's log file
may contain error messages of the form:
Jan 6 19:41:46 192.168.1.15 1041767: 1041766: Jan 6 19:41:46.038 MST: %ETHCNTR-3-HALF_DUX_COLLISION_EXCEED_THRESHOLD: Collisions at FastEthernet0/14 exceed threshold. Considered as loop-back.
Jan 6 19:41:46 192.168.1.15 1041768: 1041767: Jan 6 19:41:46.038 MST: %PM-4-ERR_DISABLE: loopback error detected on Fa0/14, putting Fa0/14 in err-disable state
To work around this issue, change the switch configuration
to force full-duplex mode on the port. That is, turn
off auto-negotiation and force the port into full-duplex mode, even
though the HomePlug adapter advertises itself as a half-duplex device
only. Alternatively, replace the HomePlug adapter with a Turbo-mode
adapter (85Mbps).
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For a list of currently connected devices, click here:
Device List
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