Knowledge Base › Troubleshooting

How do I power cycle or restart my Nimbio device?

A simple restart resolves most connectivity hiccups. There are several ways to do it depending on how your gate is set up.

For: Installers Category: Hardware & Installation

Four ways to power cycle, depending on your setup

Use whichever matches how your gate operator is powered. Each has a matching walkthrough video in the Video Library’s Troubleshooting section.

Disconnect the power connector

Unplug the controller’s power connector, wait a few seconds, then reconnect it.

Flip the circuit breaker

If the operator is on its own breaker, switch it off, wait a few seconds, then switch it back on.

Battery / solar operators

For gates running on battery or solar power, disconnect the battery lead to cut power to the controller.

Gate operator base switch

Many operators have a physical on/off switch at their base — use it to cut and restore power to the whole unit.

Using the physical button on the board

The controller also has a physical button with three distinct actions depending on how long you hold it.

Short press — admin mode

A quick press puts the board into admin mode. This isn’t a restart.

Hold ~2 seconds — reboot

A roughly 2-second hold reboots the board — the equivalent of a standard restart, without needing to touch any wiring.

Hold ~10 seconds — modem reset

A roughly 10-second hold resets the cellular modem specifically — the option to reach for if the NET LED shows a network problem that a simple reboot didn’t fix.

Board seems briefly dead after a reset? The board can also self-recover from a fault on its own — cutting its own power for a second or two and fully resetting itself. A short stretch of dark LEDs isn’t necessarily a broken board.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between a reboot and a modem reset? +

A ~2-second button hold reboots the whole board — a general-purpose restart. A ~10-second hold resets specifically the cellular modem, which is the better option when the issue looks network-related (check the NET LED first).

Is holding the button safe, or could it damage anything? +

Yes, it’s a normal, designed-in function of the board — short press, ~2-second hold, and ~10-second hold are three distinct, safe actions.

I power cycled the device and it’s still not connecting — what next? +

Check the STATUS and NET LEDs against the LED meanings reference to narrow down whether it’s a power, network, or server-connection issue, then contact support if it’s still unresolved.

What do the LED lights on my device mean? → How do I install a Nimbio device? →