# Troubleshooting sensor disconnection

Unexpected sensor disconnection is usually caused by radio interference/blocking, however sometimes the iPad/iPhone Bluetooth stack and/or sensors can stop functioning normally which can be mitigated by restarting and rebooting them.

Re-assigning the sensors will generally not have any effect on sensor connection issues (unless you are replacing a sensor unit with a spare).

# Restart Bluetooth and Sensors

The first thing to try for any sensor connection related issue is to restart Bluetooth on the iPad/iPhone and restart the sensors:

  1. If the sensors are currently on a person, remove them and place them near the iPad/iPhone
  2. Force close the Jas App (opens new window)
  3. Turn Bluetooth off by going to the iPad/iPhone Settings > Bluetooth and switching Bluetooth off
  4. Wait 10 seconds
  5. Turn Bluetooth on
  6. Open the Jas App
  7. Go to the sensors page and wait for the sensors to connect
  8. Press the settings icon at the top right (the gear)
  9. Reset the sensors
  10. Wait for the sensors to reset and reconnect

This will have both the iPad/iPhone and the sensors and a pristine state which can resolve some unexpected disconnection issues.

# Interference/blocking

The sensors use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to communicate with the iPad/iPhone, which allows them to have a longer battery life and to be connected without having to manually pair the sensors. As with all radio communication devices, they are susceptible to interference from radio sources near the same frequency (2.4GHz) and from signal blocking from solid objects (generally metal).

Proximity between the sensors and the iPad contributes to the signal strength

# Possible sources of interference:

  • Two-way radios - particularly if people nearby are wearing them (including the person performing the task being assessed), or are used extensively on the site
  • Microwaves
  • Electric motors
  • Electric welders
  • Powerful WIFI networking equipment

# The signal can be blocked by:

  • Metal grating/mesh - the sensors generally won't connect at all if a metal mesh is between the sensors and the iPad/iPhone
  • Water - this includes human bodies; if there are people between the sensors and the iPad/iPhone this will reduce the radio signal

# Check signal strength

To determine if there is an environmental issue or a low Bluetooth signal strength on the iPad/iPhone, the standard sensor signal strength can be checked in-situ to make sure there isn't a problem.

  1. Open the Jas app if it is not already running
  2. Go to the sensors page
  3. Place the sensors 3m (3yrds) away from the iPad/iPhone in direct line-of-sight (no objects between the sensors and the iPad/iPhone)
  4. Observe the signal strength numbers on the sensor icons (they will)

The numbers should be somewhere between -30 & -50 (these are minus numbers, with the lower the number the lower the signal). If one or two specific sensors are lower than the rest you may need replacement sensors; contact support for more troubleshooting and replacement.

# Disable iPhone low power mode (iPhone only)

iPhones have low power mode that reduces the speed of the hardware to save battery. Lower power mode is enabled by default when the battery is at 15%, but can also be turned on manually. This can cause captured assessments to have low quality video, and cause connection problems, so it is not supported when capturing. If lower power mode is on, you can manually turn if off (opens new window).

# Disable real-time face blurring (Premium only)

Real-time face blurring is requires substantial computing power (only suggested on the latest iPads/iPhones), and when used on devices without sufficient CPU speed can cause lower quality captured video, and (in extreme cases) sensor connection issues. It is strongly recommended to only enable real-time face blurring on devices released from 2020 onwards.

  1. Open the Jas app if it is not already running
  2. Go to the settings page
  3. Turn off "Blur faces"

If you have an older device and still want faces blurred, you can still blur faces via the portal (which is also higher quality and more consistent)

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