A machine has gone offline
Work through this in order, cheapest check first. Most offline machines are a network problem, not a machine problem.
First, check whether it is only this machine
If you have several machines at one site and all of them are offline, the venue's internet is down or something changed on their network. That is a phone call to the venue rather than a drive across town.
If machines at several different sites went offline at the same moment, suspect your carrier or a platform issue before you suspect the machines.
Then check what the platform last saw
Look at the last time the machine reported in, and what it was doing. A machine that went quiet mid-afternoon with no errors is a different problem from one that reported faults for an hour first.
Common causes, in the order to check them
- Power. Someone unplugged it to vacuum, a cleaner switched off the outlet, the venue re-arranged. Ask the venue to confirm the screen is lit before you set off.
- Wi-Fi password change. Venues change their Wi-Fi and never think to mention it. This is by far the most common cause on Wi-Fi machines.
- Cellular data. Check the SIM has not been suspended, expired or run out of data.
- Signal. A layout change, a new shelving unit or a metal partition can put a machine somewhere it was never going to hold signal.
- Modem or router state. If the machine is on venue Wi-Fi, ask whether their router has been replaced or reset.
- The machine itself. Least likely, so check it last.
If you have to go to site
- Confirm the screen is on and the machine has power.
- Check the network status on the machine's own screen — it usually tells you whether it thinks it is connected.
- For Wi-Fi, re-enter the password. Do not assume it is unchanged.
- For cellular, check signal strength on the status screen and try the SIM in a phone if you can.
- Restart the machine. Do this after you have looked at the status, not before — a restart destroys the evidence.
- If it comes back, watch it for a few days. A machine that drops weekly has a cause you have not found yet.
What still works while it is offline
Depending on configuration, a machine may keep vending and taking payments while offline, then sync when it reconnects — or it may stop taking card payments entirely. Know which yours does before it matters, because it changes how urgent an offline machine is.