The Flapit Troubleshooting Guide
1. My Flapit arrived. How do I get set up?
After unpacking your device, we strongly recommend to hold onto the original packaging in case you change locations, travel with the unit or face the need to have it replaced.
To get set up and connected, please make sure the light at the back of your unit is blinking yellow to get set up properly. If it is not, you will need to reset your unit (check question 2 on how to perform a reset).
Once the device is blinking yellow, please follow the instructions in our step-by-step guide to get connected and get flapping.
A blinking blue light means the unit is looking for your Wi-Fi network. Once this light turns to a steady blue light, the Flapit has found your network.
2. How do I perform a reset?
A reset is performed by sliding a paperclip (or similar) through the small pinhole at the back of the unit. The reset button is inside the device and needs to be pushed down for a few seconds. A reset was carried out correctly if the unit is blinking yellow in the back.
If the light is blinking green, you have pressed the WPS button and the unit has not been reset correctly.
3. I have logged in to the configuration portal but I don’t see my unit. What’s going on here?
Chances are you have logged on before synching your unit with your Wi-Fi network. Please reset the Flapit and pair it with your network (following the steps in our step-by-step guide). Once the light at the back of the Flapit is a steady blue and the device is connected, please proceed to the log in page and make sure you enter your email and password correctly to start configuring your Flapit.
4. My Flapit moved but is displaying an error message. What now?
There are a number of reasons your unit may be struggling to connect to your network. Your Flapit will display the relevant error message, explained below:
i. nowifi - Flapit was unable to connect to the indicated Wi-Fi network. Please verify that the password you entered was correct. If other devices you usually connect to this network are struggling to connect, try resetting your Wi-Fi router.
ii. nodns, noinet, noserv: Flapit was able to connect to your Wi-Fi network, but was not able to access the Internet. Please verify that DHCP is enabled for your network and that the Internet is accessible from other devices, connected to the same network. If the problem persists, please reset your Flapit to factory settings and repeat the setup.
iii. error1: Flapit encountered an internal error. Please reset your Flapit to factory settings and repeat the setup.
5. My Flapit has just displayed something incorrectly. Why is this?
Together with our engineers, we have made every effort to get the Flapit’s accuracy as close to 100% as possible and while we are bafflingly close, please allow for a flap to display inaccurately once in a blue moon. Should this happen to your device, no need to worry! The units are recalibrated every time the flaps pass through the position of the ‘0’ flap and the error will not repeat itself.
If for some alien reason your Flapit is failing you an abnormal amount of times, please get in touch and we will sort things out for you.
6. The network I want to connect my Flapit to requires login and/or a policy acceptance. Can Flapit connect to this network?
Connecting to a network that requires policy acceptance or login data is not possible. You will need to talk to your network administrator to allow for an exception for Flapit to bypass this requirement. Alternatively, you can connect the device to tethered network generated by a mobile hotspot (iPhone or similar).
7. My router supports WPS. Can I use this feature to connect the Flapit?
Yes, you can. The alternative, quicker way to setup your Flapit is to use the WPS button at the back of the device. WPS is a widely used Wi-Fi networking standard for automatic configuration of client devices. If your router supports WPS, it will feature a similar button on its exterior. Please locate it and press the buttons on both devices simultaneously for a brief period of time.
The blinking green light on the back of the Flapit will indicate that your Flapit is attempting to connect to the local network. Once the connection is established successfully, the green light will turn to blue. If the WPS pairing was not successful, you'll see the green light increase its blinking tempo.
If this is the first time your Flapit is connected to the Internet, you'll see "www.bla.st/" appearing as a leading flap, followed by a 6-digit code (for example: http://www.bla.st/123456). Please visit the indicated address to complete the setup and configure your Flapit.
8. My network uses static DNS and IP addresses and I’m not able to connect my Flapit.
Unfortunately, Flapit doesn't support statically defined IP and DNS settings. The network must be configured to provide these over DHCP. If you have strong reasons to not provide DHCP to all clients, you have the option to specify your Flapit's MAC address in a white list of devices that bypass the policy in place.
9. Where can I find the API Tokens?
You can find the required tokens for using the API after logging into the configuration portal. Once logged in, create a new configuration. You'll be taken to the page letting you specify the social networks and custom messages appearing on your Flapit, as previously. At the bottom of the same page, you'll see a button with the label "Use Flapit's API to control this device". Once you click on this button, you'll be taken to a personalised version of the API documentation, which will feature the API tokens for your account (the example code will also be pre-populated with the tokens).
10. I need to replace my unit. What is the process for this?
We are sorry that something is wrong with your unit! We try to make this process as straightforward as possible. You will need to:
1. Contact us regarding the issue !T 2. Once the issue was confirmed, we will send you DHL return documentation !T 3. Repack the unit safely, ideally in its original packaging and insert the return documentation into the sleeve on the outside of the box. !T 4. Call your local DHL office to schedule a pick up !T 5. Once the unit is returned to our warehouse, we will verify the defect and process a replacement via DHL Express
Best Practices and Use Cases
Any best practices your can recommend to keep my Flapit flapping for as long as possible?
Yes, indeed. We want you to be able to enjoy your Flapit for as long as possible and recommend the following best practices to ensure this will be the case:
We recommend that you unplug or pause your unit or use the scheduling function in the configurations manager to give your Flapit a break whenever possible to prolong your unit’s lifetime.
Alternatively, you can unplug your unit while it is not flapping and keep it turned off while it is not in use or on display. Re-plugging a unit will mean it will automatically find the most recent Wi-Fi network it was connected to and reconnect without having to go through the set up process again.
We also recommend holding onto your unit’s original box in case you need to move locations or return an item.
I want to open the Flapit to add a custom logo. Sound good?
We understand the upside of using a custom logo and there is a blank flap available that allows for thin, cut stickers to be applied, in theory. However, we have to notify you that opening the device to do this automatically voids the limited 1-year warranty. We recommend instead getting in touch with us regarding the customization options we offer.
I go to a lot of trade shows and want to travel with my Flapit on occasion. Good idea?
We have certainly travelled with a unit from time to time and we understand that if you have your own end-clients, demonstrating the Flapit for them on site can be essential. We recommend taking the Flapit on board as hand luggage when traveling by plane as well as always trying to greatly limit the amount of vibrations and shocks the unit will be exposed to. We recommend holding onto the Flapit’s original packaging if you know you will be traveling a lot with your unit and using extra protection as needed.
I am trying to connect to a public Wi-Fi network. Why is this not working?
While it is possible to move the Flapit around and reconnect to a new network after hitting the reset button, what is not possible is connecting the unit to a shared Wi-Fi Hotspot that requires accepting terms and conditions or submitting personal information to gain access; the kind of networks you will find at some events, trade shows or airports, for example.
Our recommended solution here is to bypass these types of Wi-Fi network altogether and synch your unit with a mobile phone hotspot instead. The daily consumption of constant activity amounts to just around 500kB so even when roaming, mobile phone synching with the Flapit should have limited impact on your data usage. We do, however, advise to check on your roaming and carrier rates before going ahead with this option and Flapit cannot be held responsible for charges incurred for data connectivity.