Configuration & troubleshooting guide Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz and LAN

Prerequisites for the Wi-Fi connection to work

Before you start configuring Amp Guard, it is important to check the following:

• Amp Guard units manufactured before July 2021 cannot handle special characters in the Wi-Fi name (SSID) or password. This applies to devices with serial numbers formatted like 2107****G where:

• 21 = year

• 07 = month

On these units, the SSID and password may only contain:

• A–Z

• 0–9

• hyphen (-)

• underscore (_)

Spaces and special characters such as å, ä, ö, !, #, % and & are not supported.

If the network contains unsupported characters, create a separate guest network without special characters.

• The signal strength must be sufficient.
  Recommended signal strength is RSSI better than −80 at the Amp Guard.
• The network must use only the 2.4 GHz frequency band.
  Charge Amps Amp Guard cannot connect to networks that only use 5 GHz.
• If your router uses both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz (dual-band), Amp Guard may occasionally lose the connection.
  It may therefore be necessary to lock the network to 2.4 GHz or use a separate access point / Wi-Fi extender.
• Mesh networks may cause connection problems.

If mesh is used, the access point closest to the Amp Guard should have its own unique network name (SSID).

This ensures that Amp Guard always connects to the correct access point and not to one that is further away.

• Make sure you have the correct Wi-Fi credentials.
  You will need the network name (SSID) and password.

Wi-Fi configuration

1. Set your mobile device to airplane mode and forget / remove Wi-Fi networks that the device has previously connected to nearby. This prevents the device from automatically switching to another network during configuration.

2. Restart Amp Guard by turning the fuse off and on. The device will then broadcast its own Wi-Fi for a limited time.

3. Open Wi-Fi settings on your mobile device and look for the network
   AMPGUARD_NNNNNN
   where NNNNNN are the last six digits of the device serial number.

4. Connect to this network.
   The password is the Amp Guard PIN code (located on the underside of the device).

5. Open Google Chrome on your mobile device.

6. Enter the following address in the address bar:
   192.168.251.1

7. You will now reach the Amp Guard configuration page.

8. If a list of Wi-Fi networks is displayed:

• select your network from the list

• enter the network password

• click “Update”

9. If no list is displayed:

• enter SSID (name of the Wi-Fi network)

• enter the network password

• click “Update”

10. Amp Guard will now restart and connect to the network.

11. When the device has restarted you can, if necessary, open 192.168.251.1 in Chrome again and log in.
    On the configuration page it should now say:

“Connected to Wi-Fi NNN”

where NNN is the name of your network. The signal strength is also displayed here.

Problems connecting Amp Guard to Wi-Fi

If Amp Guard does not connect to Wi-Fi after following the configuration guide above, start by checking the points below. These resolve most connection issues.

Quick checks

Check the following before proceeding with further troubleshooting:

• Enable airplane mode on your mobile device and forget / remove Wi-Fi networks the device has previously connected to nearby. This prevents the phone from automatically switching to another network during installation.

• Make sure the Wi-Fi signal is strong enough at the Amp Guard. Signal strength should be better than RSSI −80.

• Ensure that your network uses the 2.4 GHz band. Amp Guard cannot connect to networks that only use 5 GHz.

• If you are using a mesh network, verify that the access point the Amp Guard connects to has its own unique SSID.

• Make sure no cable is connected to the LAN port on the product. If LAN is used, the Wi-Fi connection will not function.

• Restart Amp Guard by turning the fuse off and on.

Common problems

I cannot find the Amp Guard Wi-Fi network

Check the following:

• Amp Guard is powered and has recently been restarted. It broadcasts its internal Wi-Fi for about 10 minutes after startup.

• No LAN cable is connected to the product.

• The Wi-Fi antenna is correctly installed.

• Your phone is in airplane mode and previously saved Wi-Fi networks nearby have been removed.

• Try using another mobile device, preferably from a different manufacturer.

I cannot connect to the Amp Guard Wi-Fi

(Read more about this here)

Check the following:

• Amp Guard is powered and running. If the device shows no lights, the 12 V cable may be connected with incorrect polarity. Check the polarity.

• The network AMPGUARD_NNNNNN appears in the list of available Wi-Fi networks. If it does not appear, the device may not be receiving correct power or may not be started.

• Make sure there is no loose connection to the circuit board. If necessary, remove the green transport protection covers on the cables.

• Forget the network on your phone and try connecting again.

• Try using another mobile device if possible.

I can connect to the Amp Guard Wi-Fi but the configuration page does not open

Check the following:

• Amp Guard has recently been restarted and is still broadcasting its internal Wi-Fi.

• Your phone is in airplane mode and previously saved Wi-Fi networks have been removed.

• Use Google Chrome as your browser.

• Try using another mobile device.

• Clear the browser cache.

• If the problem persists, you can turn off Amp Guard for a few hours and then start it again.

I enter Wi-Fi credentials but Amp Guard does not connect

Check the following:

• SSID (network name) and password are entered correctly.

• Amp Guard has recently been restarted and is broadcasting its internal Wi-Fi.

• Your phone is in airplane mode and previously saved Wi-Fi networks have been removed.

• The Wi-Fi signal is stronger than RSSI −80.

• The network uses 2.4 GHz.

• If using a mesh network, the access point has a unique SSID.

LAN

LAN normally requires no configuration. Connect a network cable between the Amp Guard and the router – the unit connects automatically.

Requirements:

• Internet connection without captive portal or authenticating proxy

If the Amp Guard does not come online via LAN, check the following:

IP address (DHCP)

The Amp Guard uses DHCP and requires a dynamic IP address.

Ensure that:

• DHCP is enabled in the network

• The router has available IP addresses to assign

For IT / network administrator

Basic requirements

• DHCP required (no static IP support)

• Only outbound traffic is required (no inbound traffic needed)

Allow the following destinations:

HTTPS (port 443)

• 20.238.130.224/28

• Used for OCPP (ocpp.charge.space)

FTP (port 21 + dynamic ports in PASSIVE mode)

• 104.41.201.115

• Used for firmware updates (may in some cases use HTTPS)

Other (recommended to allow):

• NTP: time.google.com (UDP 123)

• ICMP: ping to 8.8.8.8 (connectivity test)

Common blockers (corporate networks):

• Strict outbound filtering

• Proxy requiring authentication

• VLAN with client isolation

• Blocked FTP (most common cause of failed updates)

Need more help?

Contact in the following order:

Installer → Distributor → Charge Amps support

for further assistance.