The device is offline or does not show up

What it is for

You want to connect, but the device is offline — or it is not in your list at all. "Offline" only means: the device is not signed in at the relay right now. The reason is almost always on the device itself. Go through the steps in order.

What you need

• For most steps: someone at the device, or you sit in front of it yourself.
• For the steps in the console: access to the console of your access (the console calls the access "tenant").

How to do it

1. Is the device on and awake? In sleep, switched off or without a network it is offline. The program then shows Gerät ist offline (device is offline) with Aufwecken (Wake up) — that tries to wake the device through another BrowserDesk device in the same network (D11). In the browser the sentence reads "unknown or offline host".
2. Read the state on the device. Open BrowserDesk on the device → on the left Fernzugriff (Remote access) → card Erreichbarkeit (Reachability). There is a line with a coloured dot:

| Line | Meaning | Remedy | |---|---|---| | "Bereit" or "Bereit (Dienst)" (ready, ready (service)) | The device is signed in. | Is the ID right? It is shown next to it at "Eigene ID" (own ID). | | "Aus" (off) | Nobody accepts connections. | Switch on Eingehende Verbindungen zulassen (allow incoming connections) or set up the service (C4). | | "Verbindet mit dem Relay …" or "Dienst verbindet mit dem Relay …" (connecting to the relay) | The device does not reach the relay. | Check the network (H10). | | "Dienst startet … (noch kein Lebenszeichen)" (service starting, no sign of life yet) | The service is starting or hangs. | Wait a few minutes (step 5). | | "Nicht angemeldet" (not signed in) | The relay rejects the device. | The reason is in the card Ihr Desktop (Your desktop) (H8). | | "Nicht erreichbar — kein Zugang" (not reachable — no access) | The device is signed in but belongs to no access. | Add the device to the access (C2). |

1. Test the network on the device. Einstellungen › Netzwerk (Settings > Network) → card Netzwerktest (Network test) → Test starten (Start test). The test shows where it gets stuck (H10). Under "RELAY-ADRESSE" (relay address) there must be the relay you use too — otherwise the device signs in elsewhere and shows up there as a new device.
2. Is the device missing from the list altogether? Then it is not in your access: - It was never added, or only "joined" without a place: C2. - It dropped out of the access after a repair or reinstallation: H24. - It is being rejected: in the console it is then listed as Rejected (H8).
3. Does the service hang? On Windows a WatchDog watches the service. If the service's sign of life is missing for a good ten minutes, it restarts it — gently at first, thoroughly if it repeats. Wait for that time. If that does not help, restart the computer.
4. Does it not come online cleanly after the restart? Repair the client (H18, KB: Repair a client). ID, password and access are kept.

How you know it worked

• On the device it says "Bereit" or "Bereit (Dienst)" (ready) with a green dot.
• In the console the device is Online, and Last seen is current.

What the other side sees

The person at the device notices none of this as long as nobody connects.

Good to know

• In the console the device list shows each device's state (Online, Offline, Rejected) and Last seen.
• A rejected device tries again every two minutes. After the remedy it can therefore take up to two minutes until it is online.
• Without the service the device can only be reached while the program runs and Eingehende Verbindungen zulassen (allow incoming connections) is on (C4).

If it does not work