My Appliance Shows Offline in the App

Overview

You open the Shipshape app and see the word "Offline" next to your water heater, HVAC system, or another appliance. It is natural to worry, but here is the most important thing to know right away:

"Offline" means Shipshape lost contact with the sensor monitoring that appliance. On its own, it does not mean the appliance stopped working.

Usually your water heater is still heating water and your HVAC is still running, and only the monitoring connection between the sensor and SAM has stopped. The exception is a smart plug that lost power: then the appliance plugged into it has no power either (see Step 2). Think of it like losing cell signal. Your phone still works, you just cannot make calls until the signal comes back.

This guide helps you figure out what went offline and how to get it back.

Why Appliances Go Offline

An appliance shows Offline when at least one sensor connected to it has lost its signal. It is uncommon, but not unusual, and no reason to panic. The usual reasons:

• Weak signal. The sensor is out of range of the gateway.
• Dead battery. A battery-powered sensor ran out.
• Damaged sensor. Most often, it got wet.
• No power at the outlet. The home, a breaker or the outlet lost power. This applies to smart plugs only.
• Unplugged or battery removed. Someone unplugged a smart plug or took the battery out of a sensor.

Gateway offline or sensor offline?

• A sensor is offline. Shipshape loses the data from that one sensor, and the appliance it watches shows Offline. If the same appliance also has a smart plug, its power data keeps coming in, but the water, humidity or temperature readings from that sensor stop. Other devices on the same gateway are not affected.
• The gateway is offline. Shipshape gets no data from any sensor or smart plug in the home, so every appliance shows Offline. If the gateway stays offline for about an hour, longer during a widespread internet outage, the app shows a gateway offline alert. It doesn't send a push notification. See My Gateway Is Showing Offline, or Gateway Won't Come Online During Installation for a new gateway.

Step 1: Check Your Gateway First

The gateway is the hub that all your sensors communicate through. If the gateway is offline, every sensor in your home will show offline. This is the single most common reason for seeing multiple devices go down at once.

Open the app and look at your gateway status:

• Gateway online (green indicator): The problem is with a specific sensor, not the whole system. Proceed to Step 2.
• Gateway offline: Fix the gateway first. Everything else will come back once it reconnects. See our Gateway Is Showing Offline guide.

Quick check: Are multiple sensors offline, or just one?

• Multiple sensors offline at the same time almost always means a gateway or internet issue. Start with the gateway.
• One sensor offline while others are working points to a problem with that specific sensor. Continue below.

Step 2: Identify the Sensor Type

Only work on a device you can reach safely. If it sits in a crawl space, attic or cramped utility room, contact us or schedule a service visit instead.

Different sensors have different troubleshooting steps. Figure out what type of sensor monitors the offline appliance:

Smart Power Plug

Power plugs monitor appliances by tracking their electrical usage. They plug into the wall outlet, and the appliance plugs into them. You will find these on:

• Water heaters
• Sump pumps
• Refrigerators and freezers
• Washing machines and dryers
• HVAC systems (sometimes)

If a power plug is offline:

• The plug lost its wireless connection or lost power.
• If it lost its connection, your appliance still has power. If the plug lost power, so did the appliance.
• See our detailed Smart Power Plug Shows Offline guide for step-by-step instructions.

Quick fix: Press the button on the plug to toggle it off, wait 5 seconds, press again to turn it on. Wait 1 to 2 minutes.

Still offline? Restart the plug:

1. Unplug the plug from the outlet, wait 1 minute, and plug it back in.
2. Wait 1 to 2 minutes, then check the app.
3. Still offline? Test its signal: hold the button until the light turns purple, then let go. The light blinks red (poor signal), yellow (fair) or green (good). Red means the plug is too far from the gateway, and a range extender can help.
4. If it is still offline, restart the gateway as described in Troubleshooting Multiple Offline Sensors.

If the plug's light is purple, the plug is switched off: tap the button once to turn it back on (the light goes solid green).

Don't hold the button for 20 seconds: that resets the plug and takes it off your gateway. If it needs to be paired again, contact your installer or Shipshape support.

No power at the outlet? A smart plug cannot work if its outlet has no power. If you are home, check whether other things plugged in nearby still work, and reset the breaker for that circuit if it tripped. Battery-powered sensors do not depend on an outlet.

Water Leak Sensor

Leak sensors are small battery-powered devices placed on the floor near water-using appliances. They detect moisture on their contact points.

If a leak sensor is offline:

• The most likely cause is a dead or low battery.
• It could also be a range issue if the sensor is far from the gateway.
• See our Water Leak Sensor Offline or Low Battery guide.

Quick fix: Replace the battery. Wait 2 minutes for the sensor to reconnect.

Temperature or Humidity Sensor

These sensors monitor environmental conditions near your appliances and in key areas of your home.

If a temperature sensor is offline:

• Battery is the most common cause. Check the code printed on the old battery and buy that exact code. Sensor Battery Life and Replacement lists each sensor.
• Range issues are also possible, especially in attics, crawlspaces, or basements.

Quick fix: Replace the battery or move the sensor closer to the gateway temporarily to test connectivity.

Range Extender

A range extender passes the signal along for several devices, so getting it back online can bring several sensors back at once. See Aeotec Range Extender 7.

1. Find the range extender. Make sure it sits between the gateway and the sensors it serves. If it does not, move it to a better spot.
2. Look at the light next to its button. No light means the extender has no power, so it is offline. Check its outlet.
3. Press the button once. The light should flash, then turn solid white. If it was already flashing, one press sets it to solid white.
4. Check the app to see whether the sensors reconnect.

If that does not work, or you cannot reach the extender, contact us or schedule a service visit.

Damaged Sensors

Check the sensor for damage. Too much water or a hard drop can damage a sensor for good, and the most common cause is a sensor that got wet. Contact us for a replacement. With an active monitoring subscription, covered hardware is replaced at no charge: see Hardware Warranty & Replacements.

Step 3: Check for Range Issues

If your gateway is online and the sensor has power (or a fresh battery), the problem may be range. Wireless signals get weaker with distance, and certain materials in your home can reduce range significantly.

Factors that reduce Z-Wave range:

• Distance. Z-Wave range is roughly 30 to 50 feet indoors.
• Walls. Each wall the signal passes through reduces range. Brick, concrete, and stone walls have the most impact.
• Floors. Signals passing between floors lose strength, especially through concrete subfloors.
• Metal. Large metal objects (filing cabinets, HVAC ductwork, appliances) can block or reflect signals.
• Water. Large water tanks (like your water heater) can absorb wireless signals.

How to test for range issues:

1. If the offline sensor is battery-powered, temporarily move it closer to the gateway.
2. If it comes online when closer, range is the problem.
3. The solution is to add a Z-Wave range extender or another smart power plug in between, since powered Z-Wave devices act as repeaters in the mesh network.

Larger homes may need several range extenders. They are always plugged into an outlet, and every smart plug also works as a repeater.

Does My WiFi Help?

No. Shipshape sensors and your WiFi use different kinds of radio signal, like two radios tuned to different stations. A stronger WiFi signal does not help the sensors, and the sensors do not interfere with your WiFi.

Step 4: Power-Cycle the Sensor

A simple restart often resolves connectivity glitches.

For smart power plugs:

1. Unplug the power plug from the wall outlet.
2. Wait 10 seconds.
3. Plug it back in.
4. Wait 2 minutes for it to reconnect.
5. Check the app.

For battery-powered sensors (leak detectors, temperature sensors): even if the battery is not dead, taking it out and putting it back can reset the sensor.

1. Open the battery compartment.
2. Remove the battery.
3. Wait 10 seconds.
4. Reinsert the battery (check that the positive and negative ends are correct).
5. Close the compartment.
6. Wait 2 minutes for the sensor to reconnect.
7. Check the app.

Still offline? Restart the gateway as described in Troubleshooting Multiple Offline Sensors. The gateway usually sits next to your internet router.

Your Appliance Is Probably Fine

It is worth repeating: an "Offline" status in the app is about the monitoring connection, not the appliance itself.

Here is a helpful analogy. Imagine you have a security camera watching your front door. If the camera goes offline, your front door is still there, still locked, still working perfectly. You just cannot see it on your phone until the camera reconnects. Shipshape sensors work the same way.

That said, there are a few situations where you should verify the appliance manually:

• Sump pump offline during heavy rain. Go check that the pump is running.
• Freezer or refrigerator offline for an extended period. Open the door and verify it is cold inside.
• Water heater offline after a known power outage. Make sure the pilot light is lit (gas) or that the breaker did not trip (electric).

These checks take 30 seconds and give you peace of mind while you work on getting the sensor back online.

Troubleshooting Multiple Offline Sensors

If several sensors go offline at the same time, work through this checklist:

1. Check the gateway. This is cause number one. If the gateway is down, everything is down.
2. Check your internet connection. If your WiFi is down, the gateway cannot communicate with the cloud even if it is powered on.
3. Check for a recent power outage. After an outage, devices reconnect at different speeds. Wait 5 to 10 minutes and most should come back on their own.
4. Restart the gateway. Unplug it for 30 seconds, plug it back in, and wait 3 minutes. Sensors will gradually reconnect.

If most sensors come back online but one or two remain offline, those specific sensors likely have a battery or range issue. Troubleshoot them individually using the steps above.

Preventing Future Offline Issues

A few simple practices keep your sensors connected reliably:

• Gateway placement matters. Keep the gateway in a central location, elevated off the floor if possible, and away from metal enclosures.
• Build the mesh. Each smart power plug acts as a Z-Wave repeater. The more plugs you have, the stronger your mesh network. Strategically placing a plug between the gateway and a distant sensor creates a signal bridge.
• Replace batteries proactively. When SAM alerts you about a low battery, replace it within a week. Keep the right spare cells on hand — check which one each sensor takes, as leak and temperature sensors use a different battery from motion and door/window sensors.
• Check your network periodically. A quick look at the app once a week confirms everything is online and reporting normally.

Quick Reference

When to Contact Support

Contact Shipshape support if:

• A sensor stays offline after completing the troubleshooting steps above.
• Several sensors stay offline after these steps.
• You see repeated offline events (more than once per week) for the same sensor.
• The device is somewhere you cannot reach safely, like a crawl space, attic or utility room.
• You are not sure what type of sensor monitors a particular appliance.
• You need help placing a range extender or improving your mesh network coverage.

Your service professional can also assess sensor placement and range during their next visit and make adjustments to ensure reliable connectivity.