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Troubleshooting a satellite connection
Troubleshooting a satellite connection

Troubleshoot a poor or lost satellite internet connection (Satellite WOW systems only)

Updated over a week ago

📝 In 2025, most control units were upgraded with new software. If you have trouble performing the steps in this article, see the equivalent article referencing the old software.

A poor internet connection will slow down data the flow of data to Datamars Livestock. A lost connection will prevent data flow altogether.

🤚 When troubleshooting a satellite internet connection, you will need to power up/reboot the WOW system. Always make sure that the satellite antenna is connected first, before connecting the battery and solar panels, or the control unit could be damaged by a power surge.

Check the satellite signal strength

To check the satellite signal strength:

  1. Position yourself beside the Control Unit.

  2. Use a laptop to search for the Control Unit Wi-Fi. This is a unique Device ID, but it will always begin with the letters rwow-

  3. Enter the network security key (password). This is scorpio followed by the last 6 characters of the unique Device ID, as used in the Wi-Fi network name. Type the characters exactly as they appear, using lower case letters and no spaces.
    ​
    Example:

  4. In an internet browser address bar, enter the URL 192.168.50.1:8888/satellite

  5. The Hughes satellite configuration page will be displayed:


    💡 If the Hughes satellite configuration page is not displayed, press the Home key on your keyboard to reveal the full URL and change https://192.168.50.1:8888/satellite to http://192.168.50.1.8888/satellite
    ​

  6. Make sure that the satellite antenna is still connected. Power up/reboot the control unit by disconnecting the solar panel connectors and the battery power connector, wait for two minutes, then reconnect the battery power connector only:

7. Go back to the Hughes configuration page and refresh the browser. After a few minutes, the Status should change:

– The Connection Status should be Connected.

– Signal Strength should be >62.

📝 You must determine the Signal Strength value within the first 2 minutes of powering up/rebooting. After this period, the value will drop.

If the satellite signal strength is <61

Have you moved the WOW system?

If the WOW system has been moved a significant distance away from where you first set up the system, you will need to re-orient the satellite antenna. See ????. If there are still issues, follow the steps below.

Is the WOW system on even ground?

Make sure that the WOW system is on even ground. If this is not possible, you will need to adjust the angle of the satellite antenna to compensate. Use an inclinometer or level (or an app on your mobile phone) to set the angle and disregard the measurements on the angle bracket on the satellite antenna bracket. Inclinometers and levels work from a horizontal plane so you will need to calculate the angle required by subtracting the Elevation from 90°. For example, if the Dishpointer website advises the satellite is at an Elevation of 35°, the incline will be 55 (90 minus 35).

This example shows the iPhone Measure tool with 55° incline:

After re-orienting the satellite antenna using an inclinometer or a level, check the Satellite Signal Strength again.

If the satellite signal strength is 0

Check that the satellite antenna is securely connected at both ends:

If there are still further problems, the SIM card which stores the satellite data may have reached its limit and will need to be reset. Contact the Datamars Smart Farming support team.

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