How should my Network (Wi-Fi and firewall) be configured?

Network, Wi-Fi and firewall requirements for Smappee products, plus what to check when a device cannot reach the Smappee Cloud.

Every Smappee device needs a working internet connection to send measurements, receive settings and stay up to date. In most homes and small offices no special network configuration is needed. In networks with a managed router, a firewall or a company IT policy, the requirements below apply.

This article covers Wi-Fi properties, IP addressing and firewall rules. It applies to Smappee monitors and gateways, and to Smappee EV chargers that connect to the internet through a Smappee gateway.

Wi-Fi requirements

Requirement	Details
Frequency band	2.4 GHz is required. 5 GHz networks are not supported. Automatic channel selection on the router is recommended.
Encryption	WPA2 is recommended, WPA is also supported. Open networks without security are not supported.
Network name (SSID)	The SSID must be visible during installation. Hidden networks are not supported.
DHCP	A DHCP server is required. The router assigns the IP address to the Smappee device. Networks without DHCP are not supported.
MAC filtering	MAC filtering must be switched off on the router, or the Smappee device must be added to the allowed list before installation.
Outbound traffic	The firewall must allow the Smappee device to open outbound secure connections to the internet. See the firewall section below.

Note: If the router broadcasts 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz under the same network name, the Smappee device may fail to connect. Ask the network owner to split the bands into two separate network names, or to temporarily switch off 5 GHz during installation.

Allowed characters

Not all characters can be used in the network name or password:

Field	Allowed characters
SSID	a-z, A-Z, 0-9 and ! # $ % & ' ( ) * + - . \ : ; < > ? @ [ ] ^ _ ` { \| } ~
Wi-Fi password	a-z, A-Z, 0-9 and ! " # $ % & ' ( ) * + - . / : ; < > ? @ [ \ ] ^ _ ` { \| } ~

If the network name or password contains a character that is not in this list, change it before installation, or use a different network. To change the Wi-Fi settings of a device that is already installed, see How do I change the Wi-Fi settings of my Smappee Connect monitor?

IP addressing

The Smappee device receives its IP address from the DHCP server of the router. No fixed IP address is required.

If your network policy requires a fixed address, this can be reserved on the router or set on the device. See How to set a static or fixed IP on Smappee products

Firewall rules

No specific firewall settings are needed in a standard network. If a firewall is used, the usual secure defaults are enough:

Inbound: all inbound ports closed. No port forwarding is needed.
Outbound: outbound connections allowed.

If your IT policy requires a restricted allow list, allow outbound traffic to the destinations below.

Hardware

farm1pub.smappee.net port 443 & 80
farm1propub.smappee.net port 443 & 80
kafka1.smappee.net port 443
kafka2.smappee.net port 443
kafka3.smappee.net port 443
mqtt.smappee.net port 443 & 80
NTP 123 (pool.ntp.org)

Smartphone app

farm1pub.smappee.net port 443 & 80
farm1propub.smappee.net port 443 & 80
mqtt.smappee.net port 443 & 80

Dashboard

dashboard.smappee.net (MQTT + farmwebclient) port 443 & 80

Important: Time synchronisation over NTP is not optional. If port 123 is blocked, the device cannot set its clock correctly, which leads to module appearing offline, missing data or misaligned measurement data even when the device shows as online.

Troubleshooting

Make sure mobile data is switched off on your phone.
Make sure location services are switched on on your phone.
Double-check your password and SSID.
Double-check that your smartphone is connected to the correct Wi-Fi network, not to a hotspot or another network where you have a password saved.