The app can't find what I'm looking for — what do I do?

Updated 18 September 2026

Pick the line that matches what you are seeing.

The scan finds nothing at all

You tapped Scan for Devices and got the red No devices found banner. In order, easiest first:

• Turn off mobile data. If the phone can reach the internet over cellular, it may not bother using the Wi-Fi you need. Swipe down and switch mobile data off, leave Wi-Fi on, scan again.
• Check which Wi-Fi you are on. It has to be the same network as the equipment. A "guest" Wi-Fi almost never is — guest networks deliberately hide everything else on them. Ask whoever runs the site which network the controls are on.
• If there is no Wi-Fi near the equipment, that is normal in a plant room. You need a USB-to-Ethernet adapter: plug it into the phone, run a network cable from the adapter to the same switch the controllers are on, and scan again.
• Try again a couple of times. Wi-Fi quietly drops the kind of "shout to everyone" message a scan uses. The app already repeats it for about 45 seconds, but a second scan sometimes catches what the first missed.
• Move closer / onto the wired side. A weak Wi-Fi signal loses these messages first.

It finds some devices, but not the one I want

• Look by number, not just name. Every device shows a Device ID and an IP address under its name. The unit you want might have a blank or unhelpful name but the right ID. See BACnet Device IDs explained.
• The one you want may be on another segment. Same cause as finding nothing — some devices answer because they are near you, while the missing one sits behind a router that is not forwarding to your spot. Being plugged into the same switch as that specific unit fixes it.
• It may simply be powered down or unplugged from the network. Worth checking before assuming it is the app.

I opened a device but it shows no points

• Give it a moment. The app reads points one at a time so it works with every controller, so a big unit can take up to a minute. Watch for the "Loading points" progress.
• Back out and open it again. A single dropped reply can stall the list; reopening starts it fresh.
• Some small devices genuinely expose very little — a sensor might have only one or two points. That is the device, not a failure.

I see a point but no value (it shows a dash, or "none")

• Tap Refresh. The value is read live; one miss shows a dash until the next read.
• Not every point has a live value. Some are settings or status the device does not report as a number, and a dash is the honest answer.
• If a whole device suddenly shows dashes, it has stopped answering — it may have lost power or dropped off the network. Scan again to confirm it is still there.

Two self-checks that pin down the problem

Before you call anyone, two quick tests will tell you whether you are looking at a network problem or a BACnet problem — and save a lot of back-and-forth.

• Add the device by its IP directly. A scan uses a broadcast; adding a device by its exact IP is a directed read that skips the broadcast entirely. If a directed read works when a scan doesn't, the device is fine and you have a broadcast/subnet problem — often a missing BBMD.
• Ping the device's IP. Find its address from the switch, the equipment label or the controls contractor, and ping it from a laptop on the same network. If it doesn't ping, the fault is the network path, not BACnet. If it does ping but no BACnet tool sees it, the device is online and the problem is BACnet-specific — a blocked port, the wrong port, or a configuration issue. Our is my BACnet device actually online? guide walks through the test and what each result means.

Still stuck? Here's who to contact

Once those checks point you at network versus BACnet, a short call to the right provider is the next step. Use the symptom to decide which one — contacting the wrong trade is the most common reason these issues drag on.

Contact your IT / network provider if…

The problem is reaching the equipment on the network. This is the right call when a scan finds nothing at all, when you suspect you are on a guest Wi-Fi or the wrong subnet, or when some devices answer but others appear to be blocked by a firewall or VLAN. They own the wiring, switches, Wi-Fi and IP addressing — they can confirm which network the controls live on and get your phone onto it.

Have ready: your phone's IP address and subnet mask (the app shows these when a scan finds nothing), and which switch or network jack you are plugged into.

Contact your controls / BMS provider if…

The app can reach the device, but the points or values are wrong. This is the right call when a device shows up but is unconfigured or has a duplicate Device ID, when expected points are missing after commissioning, when a value reads correctly but nothing acts on it, or when you suspect the devices are MS/TP controllers that haven't been routed onto IP. This is the company that programmed and commissioned the control system.

Have ready: the Device ID, name and IP from the scan, the point name and what it is doing, and what you expected versus what you saw. Exporting the scan as a CSV and attaching it is often the fastest way to give them what they need.

Contact your HVAC / mechanical provider if…

The app reads a point correctly but the physical equipment isn't behaving — a fan or pump that won't run, no heating or cooling, or a unit that has mechanically tripped. Easy BACnet can confirm the controller is reachable and reporting; the machine itself is their domain.

Not sure which of the three it is? Our who do I call — IT, HVAC, or controls/BMS? guide walks through each symptom in more detail and lists exactly what to have ready so the call is short.