> This page is for Portal. > For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL. > For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.emnify.com/llms.txt. > For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.emnify.com/_mcp/server. > Tips and solutions for resolving why a device isn't performing as expected The following information provides a starting point for determining why a device isn't performing as expected. ## Device connectivity info First, determine the device's state either by looking at the [device's details](/portal/connected-devices#get-device-information). | State | Description | | ------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Attached** | If the device has successfully attached to the emnify Core Network in the past, its state is displayed as **Attached** until the visited network has signaled that the device is inactive/offline. Usually, the visited network informs the emnify Core Network within 1-2 days after a device has gone offline. | | **Blocked** | Service is suspended either due to exceeded traffic limits or [IMEI lock](/services/security#imei-lock). | | **Offline** | A network connection isn't possible. There are many reasons for this state. | | **Online** | A network connection is active, and the device can use data and SMS per the device policies. | > **Tip** > > The most efficient way to see if your device has connectivity is to look for the **PDP Context active 00:00:00** display that refreshes every 20 seconds in the **Connectivity Status** section of **Device Details**. > If it's present and the active time (shown in hh:mm:ss format) increases with each refresh, then you know your device is connected to the network. #### What's a PDP context? A Packet Data Protocol (PDP) context is a data structure that enables a device to transmit and receive data using Internet Protocol (IP). This data structure includes a device's IP address, IMSI, and additional parameters to properly route data to and from the network. If a device's most recent PDP context event is **Create PDP Context**, the device should be *online* with an active network connection. The device is offline if a device's most recent PDP context event is **Delete PDP Context**. ## Usage charts The **Usage** column under **Device Details** displays a chart if any usage is present for the given time period, which defaults to the **Last Hour**. The absence of data usage or spikes in data usage could indicate abnormal behavior. ## Events The events log often contains information that can be used to determine what went wrong. #### Where to find a device's events ![Device details with the Events tab selected, listing events with severity, event type, network, and country](/_fern-img/cb8f25cf0798375bc336ffd6fe678eff1a3a62611ef77becbe18b4ff683f7a90.webp) > **Info** > > Events are always shown in reverse chronological order, with the newest ones at the top. > **Warning** > > Don't rely solely on the **Event Type** to determine what event was logged. > For instance, **Create PDP Context** by itself *doesn't* mean that a PDP context was successfully created. ### Event severity When used for troubleshooting, an event's severity is more important than the event type. For instance, if a network connection can't be established because of an IMEI lock, the event type may show as **Create PDP Context** with a green play button icon in front of it. Also, since its **Event Source** is only shown if you expand its details, you won't see at first glance that this is a **Policy Control** issue. The only hint that something might have gone wrong is its severity, **Warning**. In contrast, a successful **Create PDP Context** event has an **Event Source** of **Network** and a completely different **Description**. #### Compare a failed Update Location event with a successful one ![Expanded Update location events: a Warn event with a rejected location update and an Info event with a new location received](/_fern-img/3ac0b37099e609869d1750d964ace6033d6d83faca7f3bc18bb57a28a22d61b5.webp) ### Filtering The first column, **Severity**, provides the following filters: * **All** (default) * **Info** * **Warning** * **Critical** For instance, if you filter for the **Warning** severity and see any of the following events, it's a good indication of a failure that's preventing network connectivity. * **Create PDP Context** * **Endpoint blocked** * **Endpoint data traffic limit warning** * **User authentication failed** > **Note** > > For more detailed information about events, see [**emnify system events**](/system-events). ### Events indicating normal operation The expected series of events for a fully functional, connected device would look similar to this: 1. Info: Endpoint enabled 2. Info: SIM activation 3. Info: Update GPRS location 4. Info: Create PDP Context 5. Info: Update location 6. Info: Create PDP Context 7. Info: Delete PDP Context 8. Info: Create PDP Context ### Reset connectivity If you reset connectivity for a device, the expected series of events would be: 1. Info: Delete PDP Context 2. Info: Endpoint disabled 3. Info: Endpoint enabled 4. Info: Update location If the connection (PDP context) is never created and the connection remains **Attached**, try rebooting the device. In some cases, a reboot is needed to establish the data connection. If so, these additional events should be logged, with **Create PDP Context** being the crucial one. 1. Info: Update GPRS location 2. Info: Create PDP Context ## Flow Logs Beta \[#flow-logs] Use Flow Logs when a device is online and consuming data, but the application still doesn't behave as expected. Flow Logs help you understand which destinations the device communicates with, which protocol and port are used, and how much data is exchanged. This is useful to check whether the device is reaching the expected backend services, whether traffic goes to unexpected destinations, or whether most data is uploaded or downloaded. Common troubleshooting questions Flow Logs can help answer: * Is the device communicating with the expected domain or IP address? * Is the device using the expected protocol and destination port? * Which destinations consume the most data? * Did traffic happen during the time window where the issue was observed? * Is the device communicating with unknown or unexpected services? > **Note** > > Flow Logs are processed periodically and may not appear immediately. > If recent traffic is missing, refresh the view later or adjust the time filter. > Each record of an active flow usually covers about 60 to 70 seconds of traffic. > See [Event timing](/system-events/event-types/flow-logs#event-timing). For more information, see [Flow Logs](/portal/connected-devices#flow-logs) in Connected Device Details. ## How SIM status and device status interact The SIM status and device status are closely related. The following table outlines how the SIM status changes based on the device status you select when creating devices from the [SIM inventory](/portal/sim-inventory). | Selected device status | Affect on SIM status | | ---------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Enabled | All SIMs become **Activated**. | | Disabled | Any **Activated** SIMs are suspended. **Issued**, **Factory Test**, and **Suspended** SIMs remain the same. | | Factory Test | **Issued** SIMs are put in [factory test mode (FTM)](/services/factory-test-mode) and show the **Factory Test** status. SIMs already in **Factory Test** remain the same. Not applicable to **Activated** or **Suspended** SIMs. | When you release a SIM, its status changes depending on its current state: * **Activated** SIMs become **Suspended** * **Suspended** SIMs remain **Suspended** * **Factory Test** SIMs remain **Factory Test** * **Issued** SIMs remain **Issued** If you delete devices, **Issued** and **Factory Test** SIMs keep their status. ## More troubleshooting tips Several factors can cause data connectivity problems. For more detailed troubleshooting tips, see [Troubleshooting](/quickstart/troubleshooting).