Troubleshooting the Power Light on the Terra Device

Troubleshooting the Power Light on the Terra Device

Your Terra Station has a single green status light on the bottom of the unit. What that light is doing tells you a lot about the state of the device. (It's always green — the behavior is what matters, not the color. In bright sun, shade the bottom with your hand to see it.)

First: give it 60 seconds

After you plug in, the Terra Station takes about 60 seconds to boot up. During boot, the light runs through a series of varied blink patterns — these don't mean anything, so don't try to read them. Always wait about a minute after plugging in before judging what the light is doing.

What the light means

Light behavior (after the ~60 second boot)MeaningWhat to do
Steady, with a brief blink every 5 secondsHealthy and connected to your WiFiNothing! Your Terra should appear in the app and website.
Fading in and out (a slow pulse)Setup mode — operating, but not connected to WiFiRun the setup process in the Terra Listens app. If it keeps pulsing after setup, move the Terra Station closer to your WiFi router and try again.
Blinking rapidly (fast, hard flashing)Something is wrong with the unit itselfContact us at support@terra.zohodesk.com — we'll arrange a replacement.
Solid with NO blink, or any other odd patternSomething is wrong with the unit itselfContact us at support@terra.zohodesk.com.
Off — no light at allNot powering onWork through the power checks below.

If the light is off: power checks

Go through these three checks in order:

  1. Confirm the outlet works. Test it with a lamp or phone charger. Outdoor and garage outlets are often on a GFI/GFCI circuit that has tripped — press the reset button on the outlet (or on another outlet on the same circuit).
  2. Check the cable-to-power-supply connection. The power cable screws onto the black power block. The keyed (flat-edged) plugs only seat one way — make sure they're aligned, then finger-tighten the threaded ring until it's flush with no exposed threads. Look for any damage like crushed connectors.
  3. Check the connection at the Terra. Make sure the barrel connector is fully seated into the Terra Station.

After each fix, plug back in and wait the full ~60 seconds for boot before judging the light.

  • Still no light after all three checks? Contact us at support@terra.zohodesk.com — the usual fix is a replacement power supply and cable, which we'll ship to you.
  • Already received a replacement power supply, and the light is STILL off? (Make sure it stayed off through a full ~60 second boot attempt.) Then the Terra Station itself is the problem — contact us and we'll arrange a replacement unit.

A couple of power tips

  • The power supply and cable are weatherproof, but not waterproof — never submerge them (or the station).
  • Don't leave the power cable plugged in outdoors while it's NOT connected to the Terra Station — the exposed connector can corrode.

If your light looks normal but something else isn't working (no sound, not showing in the app), the light isn't the problem — reach out at support@terra.zohodesk.com and we'll help you track it down.