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What do the connection errors mean and how do I get past them? Follow

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Aaron
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Networking can get complicated, so there is a lot of information in this article!  We suggest reading it through in its entirety and in the order presented (the order of operations for the device).  Regardless, below are links for jumping to the error you are experiencing.

If you’re encountering a connection error on your uAttend device, some element of the communication with your network, the internet, or the uAttend servers was unsuccessful.  Connection issues can also prevent common tasks like new device onboarding, software updates, fingerprint or face template registration, and/or punching activity.  This article will help you determine the factor(s) involved, which variable is most likely to be the cause of the error, and how to proceed through the steps to a successful communication status (green system ready).

The uAttend timeclocks are relatively uncomplicated in terms of networking hardware components, requirements, and activity.  They send and receive small data packets over just a few common ports to a small list of server URLs.  However, the factors and variables that can exist in the infinite varieties of enterprise network hardware, software, and security tools are innumerable.  If you are experiencing persistent or intermittent connection issues with your uAttend timeclock (running an up-to-date firmware version), it is likely your network/security administrator will need to be logistically involved with your deployment strategy.

There are only a few network-related settings on the device to configure: connection mode (LAN or WIFI), IP Assignment (DHCP or STATIC), and network settings (IP Address, Gateway, Subnet, DNS servers).  There are also only a few network-related displays to view or functions to perform on the device: MAC Address, forget network settings, and factory reset.  Power cycling the device will force the device to go through the network checks on reboot when initializing.

For troubleshooting purposes, connecting the device directly to the router will eliminate potentially influential variables that are outside the scope of what our support team can offer guidance with, such as switches, firewalls, and access points. Comparing the device functionality on an alternate standard/non-enterprise network (like a home office or 2.4 GHz mobile hotspot) is a simple, quick, and inexpensive method to verify that the device displays a green system-ready message when unobstructed by more strict security.  

Documentation of thorough troubleshooting must be submitted before a request for an RMA will be considered.  The warranty replacement will take time to ship and you are responsible for the return shipping cost to deliver the device being replaced to our warehouse.  Based on inspections of the devices replaced for "connection issues", connection issues are extremely rare due to a defective device.  Many of these devices were not maintained with regular updates, and so had out-of-date firmware, but almost none of them had defective networking hardware components and connected to the QC team's test network functioning perfectly after updating the firmware version.  

 

NET NOT FOUND ERROR

The uAttend timeclocks can be connected to a local network via LAN or WIFI (on select models). 

Your network/security administrator may need to establish the required permission for the timeclock to access your network.  This can be achieved in several ways (based on your specific networking equipment/infrastructure) that you can discuss with your network/security administrator.  Many organizations use a MAC address filter, which can be configured to recognize the timeclock based on the unique MAC address, that you can retrieve and provide from the device menu, to allow access for it to connect to your network.   

The LAN connection should be made with a known good working ethernet cable.  PoE (power over ethernet) is not supported.  You can verify the functionality of your ethernet cable by using the cable to connect an alternate device (like a laptop) and temporarily disabling the WIFI connection to test internet connectivity over the LAN connection.

The WIFI network must broadcast on a 2.4 GHz frequency band (5 GHz is not supported), be password protected, and use one of the supported security protocols. Hidden networks must be manually entered and configured on the device with the required information about your hidden network, provided by your network administrator. 

The WIFI password should be verified for accuracy on an alternate device (like a laptop or phone) after forgetting the network on the test device if saved.  

A successful connection to your network will result in a valid IP address and gateway, subnet, and DNS information (consistent with your network) being displayed in the LAN/WIFI settings on the device menu.  An unsuccessful connection will either display invalid or inconsistent data in the network settings on the device.

TIP: Run the following command from the command prompt on a PC (connected via the same method LAN/WIFI to the target network with the device) to view the basic information about the network.  This will be helpful when testing and comparing results from the timeclock.

ipconfig /all

If you are receiving a NET NOT FOUND error, access to your network was not successfully provided to the timeclock.    

 

DHCP ERROR

The device has a DHCP/Static option that will either request an IP address from your network or allow you to manually enter and configure the required network information on the device. 

The DHCP option will rely on your network to act as the DHCP server and assign a valid IP address that includes the required permission to communicate as needed on your network.  This can be achieved in several ways (based on your specific networking equipment/infrastructure) that you can discuss with your network administrator.   A DHCP reservation can be leased on your DHCP server for the timeclock so the IP address assigned to it will not be given to another device until the DHCP reservation lease expires.  This is the most common and simple method, so we suggest starting your attempts here. 

If you prefer to use a permanent IP address for the timeclock, or if there is not an active DHCP server on your network, a static IP address can be configured on the device.  Your network administrator will need to establish the IP address, and related details, including the required permission to communicate as needed on your network, and provide them for you to enter and configure in the network settings on your timeclock. 

TIP: Run the following command from the command prompt on a PC (connected via the same method LAN/WIFI to the target network with the device) to view a list of devices connected to your network with the MAC and IP address.  The timeclock has a MAC beginning with "00:17".

arp -a

After you identify the IP address for the timeclock you can run the command below (replacing the XXX with the IP address) to verify the connection on your internal network.

ping XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX

If you are receiving a DHCP error, a valid IP address was not successfully provided to the timeclock.    

 

INTERNET CONNECTIVITY ERROR

The device must be permitted access to the internet over the required ports.  To test internet connectivity, the device will attempt to ping google.com.  The timeclock does not support port randomization.  

Your network/security administrator may need to establish the required permission for the timeclock to access the internet over your network.  This can be achieved in several ways (based on your specific networking equipment/infrastructure) that you can discuss with your network/security administrator.  Creating a firewall exception for the device is a more common and straightforward method to accomplish this.  They should also verify the following ports are open to the device for bi-directional communication over the same port, over your network.

  • 80
  • 443
  • 59777
  • 59778

TIP: Run the following command from the command prompt on a PC (connected via the same method LAN/WIFI to the target network with the device) to view a list of open ports on your network.  Verify all ports listed above are open for the timeclock as well as for your PC.

netstat -aon

If you are receiving an Internet Connectivity error, access to google.com was not successfully provided to the timeclock.    

 

DNS ERROR

The DNS server entered and configured on the device must correctly resolve valid IP addresses for the uAttend server URLs.

The timeclock will rely on the DNS server(s) entered and configured in the Network menu to resolve valid IP addresses for the uAttend server URLs over your network.  This can be achieved in several ways (based on your specific networking equipment/infrastructure) that you can discuss with your network administrator.   Using Google DNS servers 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 for the primary and secondary DNS servers is generally more reliable than an ISP-based or local DNS server.

TIP: Run the following command from the command prompt on a PC (connected via the same method LAN/WIFI to the target network with the device) to resolve an IP address from the entire list of uAttend server URLs over your network.  Verify the DNS server being used on the timeclock against the DNS on the ipconfig info from the target network.

nslookup ws.trackmytime.com

If you are receiving a DNS error, a valid IP address for the list of required server URLs was not successfully provided for the timeclock.    

 

UATTEND CONNECTIVITY/SERVER ERROR

The device must be permitted access to the uAttend servers over the required ports.  The timeclock does not support port randomization.  

Your network/security administrator may need to establish the required permission for the timeclock to access the uAttend servers over your network.  This can be achieved in several ways (based on your specific networking equipment/infrastructure) that you can discuss with your network/security administrator.  Whitelisting the following URLs for the device is a more common and straightforward method to accomplish this with a firewall.

  • ws.trackmytime.com
  • ws1.trackmytime.com
  • ws3.trackmytime.com
  • ws4.trackmytime.com
  • ws5.trackmytime.com
  • ws6.trackmytime.com
  • Devicemanagementplatform.workwelltech.com
  • v2.trackmytime.com
  • app1.trackmytime.com
  • app3.trackmytime.com
  • app4.trackmytime.com
  • app5.trackmytime.com
  • app6.trackmytime.com
  • utilities.pptdev.com

TIP: Run the following command from the command prompt on a PC (connected via the same method LAN/WIFI to the target network with the device) to count the hops needed to reach the uAttend server URLs over your network.  Ideally, this will be less than 5 hops.  Verify all servers listed above are accessible for the timeclock as well as for your PC.

tracert ws.trackmytime.com

If you are receiving a uAttend/Server Connectivity error, access to the list of required servers was not successfully provided to the timeclock.    

 

 

Terms and definitions:

  • DHCP- Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a network protocol that is used to configure network devices to communicate on an IP network. A DHCP client uses the DHCP protocol to acquire configuration information, such as an IP address, a default route, and one or more DNS server addresses from a DHCP server.
  • DHCP LEASE- A DHCP lease is a temporary assignment of an IP address to a device on the network. When using DHCP to manage a pool of IP addresses, each client served on the network is only “renting” its IP address. Thus, IP addresses managed by a DHCP server are only assigned for a limited period.
  • STATIC- Static IP addresses typically matter more when external devices or websites need to remember your IP address. One example is VPN or other remote access solutions that trust (whitelists) certain IPs for security purposes.
  • DNS- DNS, or the Domain Name System, translates human-readable domain names (for example, www.amazon.com) to machine-readable IP addresses (for example, 192.0.2.44).
  • 8.8.8.8 is the primary DNS server for Google DNS. Google DNS is a public DNS service that is provided by Google with the aim to make the Internet and the DNS system faster, safer, secure, and more reliable for all Internet users.
  • GATEWAY- A computer that sits between different networks or applications. The gateway converts information, data, or other communications from one protocol or format to another. A router may perform some of the functions of a gateway. An Internet gateway can transfer communications between an enterprise network and the Internet.
  • SUBNETS- A subnet, or subnetwork, is a segmented piece of a larger network. More specifically, subnets are a logical partition of an IP network into multiple, smaller network segments. The Internet Protocol (IP) is the method for sending data from one computer to another over the internet.
  • WIFI SECURITY PROTOCOLS- There are four wireless security protocols currently available:
    • Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) Wired Equivalent Privacy
    • Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) Wireless Protected Access
    • Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA 2) second version of WPA
    • Wi-Fi Protected Access 3 (WPA 3) third version of WPA
  • FREQUENCY BAND- 2.4 GHz vs. 5 GHz: Which frequency should you choose? A 2.4 GHz connection travels farther at lower speeds, while 5 GHz frequencies provide faster speeds at shorter ranges. Your choice of 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz will depend on where and how you use your Wi-Fi connection most.
  • MAC ADDRESS- A MAC (Media Access Control) address, sometimes referred to as a hardware or physical address, is a unique, 12-character alphanumeric attribute that is used to identify individual electronic devices on a network. An example of a MAC address is 00-B0-D0-63-C2-26.
  • MAC FILTERING- In the settings, MAC filtering is usually found under Advanced Settings, Security, Access Control, or something else similar to these. Its exact location will vary with the router brand. Inside, you have the option to choose your form of filtering, with these two options:
    • Blacklist: Deny access to specific MAC addresses.
    • Whitelist: Grant access only to specific MAC addresses
  • PORTS- A port is a virtual point where network connections start and end. Ports are software-based and managed by a computer's operating system. Each port is associated with a specific process or service.
  • SERVERS- AWS is designed to allow application providers, ISVs, and vendors to host your applications quickly and securely – whether an existing application or a new SaaS-based application. You can use the AWS Management Console or well-documented web services APIs to access AWS's application hosting platform.
  • API CALLS- An API call, or an API request, allows one application to request data or services from another application. Most web applications regularly make API calls.
  • OFFLINE MODE- Some functions are unavailable when the device is offline.
  • DEVICE ID- A unique ID that pairs your device with your account (updated when a factory reset is performed).
  • DATA SYNC (ONBOARDING & REGISTRATION)- Synchronize data between the device and the servers.

 

 

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