Common problems

The symptoms people write in with most, what usually causes them, and what to do. Each chapter has its own table for its subject; this page is the short list for when you do not know which chapter to open.

Reaching the device

Symptom	Likely cause	What to do
No WiCAN_ network in the WiFi list	a phone is connected over Bluetooth (the access point is off until a power cycle); Auto-Disable AP has switched it off while WiCAN is on your network; WiCAN is asleep; no power	disconnect the phone and power cycle; open WiCAN through your network; ignition on; check the power LED
The WiCAN_ network is there but 192.168.80.1 does not open	the phone is still on mobile data, or the browser insists on https	mobile data off; type http://192.168.80.1
The access point password is refused	it was changed from @meatpi# and forgotten	Recovery over USB with the erase step
wican_<id>.local does not resolve	the network does not carry mDNS, or the computer does not resolve .local	the address from the router's device list; the Status tab over the access point
WiCAN disappears from the network every evening	sleep mode: the car's battery dropped below the sleep voltage	expected; it is back when the engine runs

The web interface

Symptom	Likely cause	What to do
Submit Changes stays grey	a field is out of range: the red message at the top says which (passwords 8 to 63 characters, SSID 1 to 32, topics 1 to 32, ports 1 to 65535, passkey six digits not starting with 0, voltages within their sliders)	fix the field
The settings came back as factory after a restart	the stored configuration was refused when WiCAN started (a password shorter than 8 characters, an empty topic)	enter the settings again within the limits; Backup and restore
Submit Changes is blue although nothing was changed	the page re-checked the form while loading the Automate tab	harmless; pressing it saves and restarts
The Automate rows I added are gone	Store was not pressed, or the browser was closed before it	press Store, then restart
Get Latest fails on the Automate tab	the phone has no internet while on the WiCAN access point	do it with the phone on your home network, or load the profile file by hand
The Monitor tab worked, now the app does not	the monitor took the CAN controller	System › Reboot

The car and the apps

Symptom	Likely cause	What to do
Car Scanner says BUS INIT: ...ERROR or finds no ECU	the app is on automatic protocol detection, which WiCAN does not support	pick protocol 6 in the app, then 7, 8, 9
The app connects, then no data	ignition off; the wrong protocol on WiCAN (an OBD app needs elm327, RealDash CAN needs realdash66); the wrong bit rate	ignition on; Settings › CAN
Port 3333 refuses the connection	the protocol is AutoPID, which does not serve the port; or another client holds it	switch the protocol; one client at a time
The data LED never blinks	nothing on the bus: ignition off, wrong bit rate, or on WiCAN USB the wiring	ignition; 500K for a car; CANH, CANL and GND
The car's alarm goes off or a module stays awake with the car parked	AutoPID polling a parked car	turn on sleep mode, or set Polling to Disable while the car is parked

Home Assistant and MQTT

Symptom	Likely cause	What to do
Home Assistant does not find WiCAN	not on the network, mDNS blocked	AP+Station; add it by address
The webhook card says Fail, last error STA not connected	WiCAN lost the WiFi	the router; the WiFi settings
Last error https not supported	the integration registered an https:// address	give Home Assistant's http:// address
Entities exist but stay empty	no rows on the Automate tab, the protocol is not AutoPID, or the ignition is off	AutoPID
MQTT never connects	WiCAN is not on the network, Bluetooth is enabled, the broker is wrong, or the broker wants TLS	AP+Station; BLE Status Disable; a plain MQTT broker on your network
The MQTT card is missing from the Settings tab	MQTT is Disable on the CAN card, or Bluetooth is enabled	set it to Enable; disable Bluetooth

Power and sleep

Symptom	Likely cause	What to do
WiCAN sleeps while driving	the car charges below the sleep voltage	lower Sleep Voltage
The car's battery went flat	sleep mode off in a car that sits for weeks	Sleep Mode Enable; the battery alert
On WiCAN USB with USB power, the device sleeps after two minutes	sleep mode reads VIN, which is near zero	sleep mode only with VIN on a battery

Still stuck

• The firmware repository has the issues and discussions where most problems have been seen before.
• When you write in, say which device (About: hardware and firmware version), what the Status tab shows, and what you changed last.