Connection issues

If your charging station does not connect properly to Chargekeeper, follow these steps to identify and resolve the issue.

Step 1: Check compatibility with secure WebSockets (TLS)

1. WebSocket TLS compatibility: Make sure your charging station is compatible with the secure WebSocket protocol (WSS) over TLS.

   • Some charging stations may not handle this type of secure connection by default. In that case, check the station's configuration options.

2. Configure the OCPP URL: When entering the OCPP URL in the charging station:

   • Replace wss:// with ws:// if the station allows entering the URL in plain text.
   • Try changing the port used, switching from 443 (secure) to 80 (non-secure).
   • If the station's configuration interface allows it, disable TLS security via a checkbox or a drop-down list.

Step 2: Check the entries related to the WebSocket URL

An incorrect configuration of the OCPP URL or of the station identifier can cause connection issues. Here are the important points to check:

1. Charge Box ID:

   • Avoid using special characters or spaces. Prefer simple alphanumeric characters (example: Borne123).

2. URL segmentation:

   • Some charging stations require the URL to be entered in several parts (for example: address, port, path).

3. Trailing slash (/):

   • Some charging stations are sensitive to the presence or absence of a trailing slash in the URL. If the URL provided by Chargekeeper is wss://ocpp-j.service-evse.com, check whether the station requires a / to be added at the end.

Step 3: Check the SIM card and connectivity

1. Data availability on the SIM card: If the station uses a mobile connection, check that the SIM card still has credit or an active data plan.

   • Also make sure the SIM card is not restricted to another supervision solution (for example, a former operator or another system) and that it is free to use Chargekeeper.

2. Check network connectivity: If the station is connected via Ethernet (wired), make sure that the network and firewalls do not block ports 80 and/or 443 used by the WebSocket protocol.

Step 4: Handling intermediate supervision platforms

1. Intermediate supervision: For some charging stations, the Chargekeeper supervision URL cannot be entered directly in the station's firmware. It goes through an intermediate supervision platform (such as the manufacturer's).
   • In that case, the URL must be configured in the manufacturer's supervision interface in gateway mode (gateway), so that the station can communicate correctly with Chargekeeper.

Step 5: Check reinforced TLS security options

1. TLS security options: Some charging stations offer a reinforced security option for secure WebSocket connections (TLS), such as validation of the supervision platform's remote certificate.
   • If this option is enabled and the station's firmware is not up to date, the connection may fail. For example, the Strong TLS option on some Delta stations can cause issues.
   • In that case, disable the Strong TLS option or request a firmware update from the station manufacturer.

Step 6: Update the station's firmware

1. Firmware update: Make sure your station's firmware is up to date. Some updates fix connection bugs or improve compatibility with supervision systems such as Chargekeeper.

   • If an update is available, apply it and try connecting the station to Chargekeeper again.

Step 7: Check the supported OCPP profiles

1. OCPP profiles: Check whether the station supports the OCPP profiles required for communication with Chargekeeper (Core, Firmware Management, Smart Charging, etc.). Chargekeeper requires at least support for the Core profile to establish basic communications.

2. Transport protocol: Make sure the station is configured to use the correct transport protocol, either OCPP-J (JSON over WebSocket) or OCPP-S (SOAP). If the station is not configured correctly, connection issues may occur.

3. OCPP version: Chargekeeper recommends using OCPP 1.6 JSON for optimal compatibility, but OCPP 1.5 is also supported. Make sure the station uses one of these versions to ensure correct communication with the system.

Step 8: Contact support

Check whether you have a proxy or DNS configuration issue; if the DNS is set to 0.0.0.0, try 8.8.8.8

Step 9: Contact support

If, after following these steps, the station still does not connect to Chargekeeper, please contact our technical support at the following address: support@charge-keeper.com.

In your message, please include the following information:

• Station identifier.
• Date and time of the connection attempts.
• Any error or error message visible in the logs.