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Troubleshooting

Trap won't turn on

What to check when your OcuTrap shows no light or will not power on: the battery, the power button, low-battery shutdown, and when to contact Support.

On this page

Applies to OcuTrap R1 and R2

A trap that seems dead is usually off, hibernating, or on a flat or disconnected battery. Work through the steps below in order. Each one links to the page with the full detail.

A dark LED is normal most of the time. About 5 minutes after the last button press or app command, the trap goes into low-power mode and the light stays off between brief status flashes: about every 10 seconds when unarmed, about every 3 seconds when armed or holding a capture. Only a light that never appears, even after you press the User or Power button, is a problem. See the LED guide.

Quick checklist

  1. Press the User button once to see if the trap is already on.
  2. Unplug and reconnect the yellow battery connector.
  3. Press the Power button once and watch the LED.
  4. If the LED shows solid red at startup, charge the battery.
  5. Charge the battery fully and try again.
  6. If the LED never comes on, contact Support.

Step 1: Check whether the trap is already on

The trap has two buttons on the POD: the Power button on the left and the User button on the right.

Press the User button once. If the trap is on, you get a short beep and the LED shows the trap's state for about 5 seconds. If that happens, the trap is working. It was saving power between check-ins.

For what each status color means, see Using the buttons on the trap.

Step 2: Check the battery connection

The battery pack has two connectors. The yellow connector goes to the trap. The black connector is only for charging.

  1. Disconnect and reconnect the yellow battery connector.
  2. Make sure it is fully seated. It should click into place without forcing.
  3. Make sure you are using the yellow connector, not the black charging connector.

See Battery overview for the connectors on each battery pack.

Step 3: Press the Power button once

Press the Power button once and watch the LED.

  • If the LED comes on and the trap starts up, it was off or hibernating. Send any command from the app to confirm it is awake.
  • If the LED shows solid red during startup, the battery is too low. Go to Step 4.
  • If the trap powers down again right away, the battery may be too low. Go to Step 4.
  • If there is no light at all, go to Step 4 and charge the battery before trying again.

Press, don't hold. Holding the Power button about 3 seconds turns the trap off: the LED flashes red while you hold, then goes solid red with a descending beep. To cancel, let go while it is still flashing. After a shutdown, the trap stays off until you press the Power button again.

Step 4: Charge the battery

When the battery is critically low at startup, the trap shows a solid red LED, shuts itself down, and hibernates. It wakes once an hour to re-check, for two attempts. If the battery is still low after that, it stays off until you press the Power button.

To recover:

  1. Plug the battery's black connector into the supplied charger and connect the charger to power.
  2. Wait for the charger light to turn green. Red means it is still charging. A full charge takes about 5 to 6 hours.
  3. Reconnect the yellow connector to the trap.
  4. Press the Power button once.

Use only the charger that came with your trap. See Battery overview for charging and care, and Low battery startup behavior in the LED guide.

Why a trap turns itself off

A trap can power down on its own, without anyone pressing a button:

  • Low battery. The trap hibernates when the battery is too low to keep running. The app sends battery warnings first: a low battery warning at 20%, a critical warning at 10%, and a final alert before it shuts down.
  • Hibernation. In hibernation the LED is off and the trap cannot send notifications or receive commands from the app.

In the app, a trap that shut itself down on a low battery shows Offline. A trap that was put to sleep shows Sleeping. See Power modes for each power state, and Trap offline or won't connect if the trap turns on but does not show online.

Still no light?

If the LED never comes on after a charged battery is connected and the Power button is pressed, contact OcuTrap Support. Include:

  • Your Trap ID
  • What you see: no light at all, or the LED color and pattern
  • When the battery was last charged, and the charger light color
  • Any recent battery change, impact, transport, or weather

See also