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How to Fix an Offline Vivint Garage Door Controller

Authored by:
Support.com Tech Pro Team
This Guided Path® was written and reviewed by Support.com’s Tech Pro team. With decades of experience, our Tech Pros are passionate about making technology work for you. We love feedback! Let us know what you think about this Guided Path® by rating it at the end.

Introduction

A couple of issues can cause your garage door controller to lose the connection to the Vivint panel. While the controller is offline, you won't be able to open or close the door with the panel. The app will not work either while the smart device isn't connected to the network.

You can avoid frustration and guesswork in fixing problems like this with the proper guide. Before you call in help or reboot the panel, try the steps in this Guided Path.

In this troubleshooting article, learn how to check and restore power to the controller's electrical outlet. Then, refresh the Z-Wave Mesh network connection via the panel to get the garage door controller back online. Let's get started!

garage door opener

1 Make sure your garage door controller has power

  1. Locate the garage door controller.
    vivint garage door controller
  2. Make sure the controller is plugged into a working electrical outlet. You can test another electric device, such as the garage door opener, with the same power outlet. Press the garage door wall button to see if the outlet is working.
    garage door
  3. If the outlet has no power, try restoring it.

? Does the garage door controller have power?

  1. Yes, the outlet and controller have power
  2. How to restore power to an electrical outlet

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A couple of issues can cause your garage door controller to lose the connection to the Vivint panel. While the controller is offline, you won't be able to open or close the door with the panel. The app will not work either while the smart device isn't connected to the network.

You can avoid frustration and guesswork in fixing problems like this with the proper guide. Before you call in help or reboot the panel, try the steps in this Guided Path.

In this troubleshooting article, learn how to check and restore power to the controller's electrical outlet. Then, refresh the Z-Wave Mesh network connection via the panel to get the garage door controller back online. Let's get started!

garage door opener
  1. Locate the garage door controller.
    vivint garage door controller
  2. Make sure the controller is plugged into a working electrical outlet. You can test another electric device, such as the garage door opener, with the same power outlet. Press the garage door wall button to see if the outlet is working.
    garage door
  3. If the outlet has no power, try restoring it.

Disarm your system

SkyControlDisarm from the panel
  1. From the home screen, tap and hold the Shield icon.
    home screen shield icon
  2. Drag down to disarm your home.
    Disarm
  3. Enter your 4-Digit PIN to disarm.
    please enter your pin to disarm
  4. The system is now disarmed.
    Disarmed.
Vivint AppDisarm from the app
  1. Launch the Vivint Smart Home app.
    vivint
  2. Press the Shield icon in the middle of the screen and drag down.
    shield icon
  3. The system is now disarmed.

Open general settings

  1. Tap the Home button on the panel to bring up the home screen.
    home button
  2. From the home screen, tap the menu icon in the navigation bar.
    Menu
  3. Tap General under Smart Home Settings.
    General
  4. Enter your 4-Digit PIN to access general settings.
    Please enter your PIN

Refresh the Z-Wave network

  1. Tap Connectivity.
    connectivity
  2. Tap Z-Wave to open Z-Wave settings.
    z-wave
  3. Tap Refresh Z-Wave network. This checks which Z-Wave enabled devices are connected and communicating. Then it optimizes the communications path. This takes around 3 minutes.
    refresh z-wave network
  4. Tap Yes to confirm.

Disarm your system

SkyControlDisarm from the panel
  1. From the home screen, tap and hold the Shield icon.
    home screen shield icon
  2. Drag down to disarm your home.
    Disarm
  3. Enter your 4-Digit PIN to disarm.
    please enter your pin to disarm
  4. The system is now disarmed.
    Disarmed.
Vivint AppDisarm from the app
  1. Launch the Vivint Smart Home app.
    vivint
  2. Press the Shield icon in the middle of the screen and drag down.
    shield icon
  3. The system is now disarmed.

Open panel settings

  1. Tap the Home button on the panel to bring up the home screen.
    home button
  2. From the home screen, tap the menu icon in the navigation bar.
    Menu
  3. Tap Devices under Smart Home Settings.
    Devices
  4. Enter your 4-Digit PIN to access devices.
    Please enter your PIN

Reboot the panel

  1. Tap Displays for a list of your Vivint panels.
    displays
  2. Tap to select your panel.
    panel
  3. Tap Reboot to restart the panel.
    reboot
  4. Tap Yes if you are sure you want to reboot. It can take around 10-20 minutes to reboot. During this time, you will be unable to access your Vivint system.
    reboot yes

support

If you have tried the troubleshooting steps and the garage door opener is still not connected to Z-Wave, contact Vivint support for more help.

If the outlet doesn't have power, it is easy to assume the worst. It's true that some electrical problems are best left for an electrician. However, there are some simple steps you can take first to get power back on. After restoring power, check the panel to see if the camera is back online.

Check for a switch controlling the outlet

If your outlet is set up so that it can be controlled by flipping a switch on and off, make sure the switch is in the ON position.

Light Switch On

Check for GFCI outlet

A GFCI (ground-fault circuit interrupter) outlet protects against deadly electrical shocks by tripping off power in certain circumstances. If your device is plugged into a GFCI outlet, press the RESET button to make sure it isn't tripped.

gfci reset

Check the circuit breaker box

Circuit breakers interrupt power to a circuit when the electrical current flow is above safe levels. Go to the electrical panel, locate the tripped breaker and reset it. To reset it, move the switch to the OFF position and then turn it back to the ON position. Power should now be restored.

circuit breaker

electrician

If the outlet still doesn't have power or it continues to trip, contact a qualified electrician. A professional will be able to resolve the underlying issue and get the power back online to that circuit.

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