Farmshield User Guide – Ethernet Gateway Setup
Farmshield is an online remote monitor and control interface for AutoVent control products. This guide covers connecting the Ethernet Gateway and registering your controller.
Gateway & Farmshield setup
Farmshield is an online remote monitor and control interface for AutoVent control products. The Ethernet Gateway plugs into your controller and connects it to the Farmshield service over a standard internet connection, so you can monitor and control your equipment from a browser or phone.
Requirements
- Curtain Controller, with firmware version 1000 or higher. (this is important)
- Farmshield gateway
- Ethernet cable and internet access at the controller location
- A computer or phone with browser and internet access
Connect the gateway
- Plug the gateway into the controller.
- Plug the ethernet cable into the gateway.
- If the ethernet is connected to other buildings, grounded elsewhere, or works intermittently, we recommend using a galvanic isolator such as a Startech 1G-NETWORK-ISOLATOR or EverStar MI-300. These items can be purchased on Amazon.
Check connection status on controller
Tap on the “About” button on the controller touchscreen menu. This will show any information about the attached gateway device.
Add to Farmshield
- Login to your farmshield.com account at app.farmshield.net. Create a new account if you don’t have one yet.
- Click on Register New Controller.
- Enter the Farmshield ID in the controller serial number box. The Farmshield ID can be found on the controller’s About screen, as highlighted.
Troubleshooting
No connection info appears on “About” screen
- Check your cable between controller and gateway.
- Check to see if the lights are illuminated on the gateway. If not, this means the gateway device has no power. The gateway receives its power from the controller, so this likely means a bad cable or connection between controller and gateway.
- Check the controller firmware version. The version is visible in the controller’s “About” screen. Must be version 1000 or higher! Contact support@autoventllc.com or 610-987-0488 for firmware upgrade procedures.
Status screen says “No Internet Connected”
- Check that the gateway is connected to the internet cable.
- Check that there is an active internet connection, by using another device to test the ethernet cable.
- There must be a DHCP server on the same LAN. If not, the gateway will fall back to IP address 192.168.1.100.
Error blink codes
There are 2 small status LEDs on the gateway.
- The LED on the right side is the power indicator, and is always on when the gateway has power.
- The LED on the left is a status indicator.
| Blink pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Single blink every ~3 sec | Normal operation |
| Double blink every ~3 sec | Can’t connect to controller, check cable |
| Triple blink every ~3 sec | Can’t connect to Farmshield site, check internet connection |
Field notes & FAQ
Grounding through a surge protector
From a support call:
“Okay-trying it now. Plugged it straight into the wall… Oh! The screen just changed. It says ‘Internet not connected.’ That’s new-it didn’t say anything before. Wait… Boom. Got it. It just grabbed an IP address: 192.168.1.132. It’s working!”
Fred: There you go! It was the grounding in the surge protector. That’s a tough one to track.
Kevin: Yeah. I never would’ve found it if you hadn’t mentioned ground. Thank you. I’ll send over photos of what I was using, and maybe we can add a note to warn other users.
Fred: Yep. This might call for an Ethernet isolator or maybe even a fiber optic adapter between the switch and the controller-especially for remote buildings like greenhouses.
Connected but no IP address
From a second support call:
“Hey, Kevin, thanks for calling back. I installed a gateway on my Captain 8 and pushed a firmware update-version 11.23. That all went fine, but now the controller won’t connect to the FarmShield server.”
Kevin Hoover: Okay, what’s the controller showing right now?
Caller: On the About screen, it says, “Internet connected. FarmShield failed. No FarmShield contact yet.” I’m getting one blink every three seconds on the gateway LED, which I thought meant it’s connected.
Kevin: Yeah, one blink every three seconds usually means it has a connection. But you should also see an IP address listed there. Do you see one?
Caller: No, I don’t see any IP address listed. Just the serial number and that it’s trying every five seconds.
Kevin: That’s the issue. If it’s not showing an IP address, then it’s not fully connected to the Internet yet. Let’s try this: Can you take a different device-like a laptop-and plug it into that same cable to confirm there’s actually a working Internet connection?
Caller: Good idea. I was using a Wi-Fi extender before, but I plugged the gateway directly into the same Ethernet line. The extender was working fine, so I figured the signal was good. But yeah, I’ll test with a laptop to be sure.
Kevin: Perfect. Also, once it gets an IP address, it should start talking to FarmShield automatically. You don’t even have to log in for it to start communication-it just shows up on the FarmShield system.