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If your Lockbox and the dashboard are showing different states — for example, the dashboard says “Offline” while your device shows a green connection indicator, or your lock session isn’t behaving as expected — this guide covers the most common causes and fixes.

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Dashboard shows offline but device shows connected

Your Lockbox shows a green dot when it has both WiFi and MQTT broker connectivity. The dashboard may take up to 60 seconds to reflect the device’s actual status. Try these steps in order:
  1. Wait up to 60 seconds — The dashboard polls for device status periodically and may lag behind the actual connection state.
  2. Hard reboot with resync — Force the device to re-establish its connection and pull the latest lock state from the server.

Hard Reboot Procedure

Press and hold the Enter/Lock button for 10 seconds to force a full resync.
  1. Check for alpha firmware — If you’re enrolled in the alpha program, alpha firmware can occasionally cause sync issues. Consider returning to stable firmware using the web flasher.
  2. Remove and re-pair — As a last resort, remove the device from your account (Settings → Devices), then re-pair it using the pairing code on your Lockbox.
If your lock session is stuck in a “pending” state along with this issue, ask your keyholder to abandon the session from the dashboard so you can start fresh after resolving the connectivity problem.

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Flashing yellow persists or Applying update repeats

If the Wi‑Fi icon shows connected but the status indicator below it keeps flashing yellow and never turns solid green, or the screen shows Applying update and the device reboots in a loop, the Lockbox is not completing a connection to the dashboard (or is retrying a firmware update). This is different from a brief yellow flash at cold boot, which usually turns green within about two minutes—see Symbols. The same kind of failure can show up as a firmware version that appears to revert after restart — for example, the startup screen or Update Device flow shows a newer build, but after you Restart Device or power‑cycle, the startup screen lists an older version again and the device tries to install the same update. Treat that as an incomplete or stuck update: follow the steps below, and use the web flasher if the reported version keeps going back to the old number. Try these steps in order:
  1. Stay on power and Wi‑Fi — Keep the device plugged in and on your network. On boot it may need time to download or apply an update. Avoid using Restart or a hard reset while Applying update is visible unless support tells you to; interrupting an update can require USB recovery (Restarting your device).
  2. Hard reboot with resync — If the device is responsive but stuck, use a hard reboot with resync: press and hold Enter/Lock for 10 seconds, then release. Use Enter/Lock only—do not hold the Back button at the same time.
  3. Reinstall firmware — If the yellow indicator never stabilizes, or the reboot loop continues after a long wait on Wi‑Fi, install the current stable release with the web flasher. Leave Erase device unchecked unless you want a full factory reset.
  4. Screen stays off after a long hold — Holding Enter/Lock for 10 seconds can leave the device in bootloader mode (screen may stay off while USB still connects). Connect the Lockbox to a computer with a data-capable USB‑C cable and follow My Lockbox won’t turn on to recover with the web flasher.
Temporary service or connectivity issues between your Lockbox and our servers can produce the same symptoms as a local Wi‑Fi problem—even when the Wi‑Fi icon looks fine. If you have waited well past two minutes with no solid green dot, or support confirms a known incident, follow their guidance or email support@researchanddesire.com with what you see on screen.

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WiFi works but pairing won’t complete

Your router’s device list (or USB serial output if you use developer tools) may show the Lockbox connected to Wi‑Fi with a valid IP address, but pairing still never finishes, or the device cannot complete requests to the dashboard. That usually means the device is online at layer 2–3 but something is wrong with HTTPS traffic or firmware—not a bad Wi‑Fi password or 2.4 GHz vs 5 GHz mix-up. Try these steps in order:
  1. Give the device time to update over the air — Leave the Lockbox powered on and connected to Wi‑Fi. On boot it may download and install a firmware update that restores communication with the dashboard.
  2. Reinstall the latest firmware — If pairing still fails after a full reboot, use the web flasher to install the current stable release. That addresses cases where an automatic update left the device unable to complete secure connections needed for pairing.
  3. Remove and re-pair — If you performed a full erase while flashing, or support reset pairing, remove the Lockbox from Settings → Devices (if it appears) and pair again using the pairing guide.
If you capture serial logs while debugging, errors mentioning SSL, TLS, or memory allocation during HTTPS—even when Wi‑Fi association looks fine—usually point to firmware needing an update rather than a different network.
If you still cannot pair after updating firmware and following the pairing FAQ (section QR code or pairing code doesn’t work), contact support@researchanddesire.com with your account email and what you have tried.

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Lock randomly unlocks or doesn’t sync

If your Lockbox unlocks unexpectedly or lock commands from the dashboard aren’t being applied correctly, the device and server may be out of sync. Common causes:
  • A temporary network interruption caused the device to miss a state update
  • The device woke from deep sleep and loaded stale local state before syncing
  • Alpha firmware introduced a sync regression
How to fix: Perform a hard reboot with resync by pressing and holding the Enter/Lock button for 10 seconds. This forces the device to restart, reconnect to WiFi, and pull the latest lock state from the server.

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Severe bidirectional desync

Rarely, the Lockbox and dashboard can stay out of sync in one or both directions for more than a brief moment. (Only one side may be wrong—for example the dashboard updates when you lock locally, but a lock started on the dashboard never engages the hardware—even when the Wi‑Fi icon shows a solid green status dot.)
  • You lock or unlock on the device, but the dashboard does not update to match.
  • You start a lock from the dashboard (timer and UI behave normally), but the Lockbox does not physically engage.
If you have already tried a hard reboot with resync, power-cycling, re-pairing, and leaving the device online long enough to install an automatic firmware update, reinstalling the current stable release with the web flasher often clears this. If the behavior continues after flashing, contact support@researchanddesire.com.
For ordinary one-way sync glitches, contact support@researchanddesire.com if resyncing does not help. For bidirectional desync, try the steps above (including flashing) before escalating, unless you need immediate assistance.

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Alpha firmware sync issues

Alpha firmware receives early-access features that may occasionally introduce sync regressions. If you’re experiencing connectivity or sync problems while enrolled in the alpha program:
  1. Hard reboot with resync — Press and hold the Enter/Lock button for 10 seconds to force a resync
  2. Abandon and restart the lock — If your keyholder can access the dashboard, have them abandon the stuck session so you can start a new one
  3. Reflash to stable firmware — If issues persist, use the web flasher to return to stable firmware. After flashing, you may need to remove the device from your account (Settings → Devices) and re-pair it

Alpha Updates

How to enroll in or leave the alpha program.

Firmware Flashing

Step-by-step firmware flashing instructions.

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When to contact support

Contact support@researchanddesire.com if:
  • A hard reboot does not resolve the sync issue
  • Your lock session is stuck and your keyholder cannot abandon it
  • You removed your keyholder during an active session and your lock is stuck (support can abandon the lock on your behalf)
  • The dashboard consistently shows incorrect lock state after multiple resync attempts
  • Bidirectional desync (dashboard commands do not reach the Lockbox and local lock state does not update the dashboard) continues after you follow Severe bidirectional desync, including reflashing
  • Pairing fails after following the pairing guide and WiFi works but pairing won’t complete — including confirming WiFi, using the current pairing code, trying automatic pairing in Chrome or Edge if possible, and updating firmware if Wi‑Fi is confirmed but HTTPS to the dashboard still fails
Include your account email, a description of the issue, and what you’ve already tried.