Solar monitoring says "offline": Is your system actually down?

Name: Rivertown Solar & Roofing
Address: 23 Main Street, Irvington, NY, 10533, USA
Telephone: (914) 231-6866
Price range: $$$$

Enphase Microinverters • October 19, 2026

Your solar app went blank or says "not reporting"? Your panels are often still making power. Here's how to tell, and how to get the app back online, from Rivertown Solar.

One of the scariest things a solar owner can see is a blank app. No numbers, no graph, maybe a red "not reporting" alert. It's natural to assume the whole system is down.

Usually, it isn't. At Rivertown Solar, many of the "my system is offline" calls we get from Westchester homeowners turn out to be a WiFi problem, not a power problem. The panels kept producing the whole time. The app just couldn't hear about it. Here's how to tell which one you have, what to check, and when to call us.

Why your app can go dark while your panels keep working

Your panels and your app are connected by a small box called the gateway. On Enphase systems it's labeled "IQ Gateway" (older ones say "Envoy"), and it's often mounted inside or next to the combiner box near your electric meter.

The gateway collects data from every microinverter and sends it to the app over your home internet. If your WiFi drops, the gateway can't send anything, so the app shows no data. But your panels don't need WiFi to make power. They only need sunlight and the grid.

That's why the first question we ask is simple: is the gateway offline, or did the panels stop? The answer points to two very different problems.

Gateway offline, every panel shows no data: usually WiFi. Your system is probably still producing.
Gateway online, but all panels stopped at once: usually a breaker. See our breaker checklist.
Gateway online, but one or two panels stopped: usually a microinverter. See our post on a lagging panel.

Safety first

Everything in this checklist can be done from your phone, your router, and the ground. Don't go up on the roof.
Only open doors and covers you can open without tools. Never touch wiring inside the combiner box.
If a box is wet, scorched, smells like burning, or makes a buzzing sound, stay away and call us.

The 5-minute "offline" checklist

Read exactly what the app says. Look for words like "gateway not reporting," "no data," or "communication." Those point to the internet connection. Take a screenshot of the alert.
Check whether you're still making power. If your Con Ed online account shows your smart meter's hourly data, look at a sunny afternoon. Power going back to the grid means your panels are working, and the problem is only the app.
Think about what changed at home. A new router, a new WiFi password, a new internet provider, or a power outage that reset your router can all disconnect the gateway. It only knows your old network. If something changed around the time the app went blank, that's almost certainly the cause.
Restart your router. Unplug it, wait 30 seconds, and plug it back in. Give it 15 to 30 minutes, then check the app again. The gateway usually reports about every 15 minutes, so the app won't update right away.
Check the gateway's lights. If you can see the gateway without tools, look at its status lights. No lights at all can mean it has lost power, which is a different problem. Take a photo of the lights either way.
Check how far the gateway is from your router. The gateway usually lives outside or in a garage or basement, often far from the router. Weak signal there causes the gateway to drop on and off, especially after storms or when the house is busy online.
Send us your screenshot and photos. Send the app alert and a photo of the gateway lights through our support form. We can check your gateway remotely and tell you whether it's WiFi, power, or something else.

Changed your WiFi recently? If you got a new router or password, the gateway needs to be reconnected to the new network. Send us a message and we'll walk you through it or reconnect it for you.

The permanent fix for WiFi drops

If your app keeps going offline every few weeks, restarting the router is only a short-term fix. There are two better options:

Hardwire the gateway with an ethernet cable. A cable from your router to the gateway doesn't drop like WiFi does. This is the most reliable fix, and it's what we recommend for systems that keep losing connection.
Boost the WiFi signal near the gateway. A WiFi extender or mesh system placed between the router and the gateway can give it a stronger signal. It's simpler than running a cable, but less reliable.

What about "meter" or "CT" errors?

Some systems also measure how much power your home uses, with small sensors called CTs (current transformers) inside the combiner box. If the app shows a meter or CT error, your production numbers or your home usage numbers may look wrong, even though the panels are working fine.

This isn't something to fix yourself, because the sensors sit next to live wiring. Send us a screenshot of the error and we'll check it remotely first.

What we've seen on real service calls

These are real 2025–2026 service calls from our customers, with names and addresses removed.

What the customer saw	What it turned out to be	How it got fixed
"Microinverters not reporting" for about a week.	No breaker had been touched. It was a communication gap, and the system had kept producing power the whole time.	It came back on its own. The homeowner added a signal-boosting router so it wouldn't happen again.
A commercial system in Dobbs Ferry kept showing as offline in monitoring.	The gateway's WiFi connection kept dropping.	We hardwired the gateway with an ethernet cable.
An APsystems system in Hastings-on-Hudson stopped reporting.	The monitoring unit (ECU) didn't have a reliable internet connection.	We ran an ethernet cable from the router to the ECU and recommissioned the system.
An Enphase system in Dobbs Ferry stopped reporting.	The gateway (Envoy) itself needed replacing.	We replaced the gateway and got monitoring reporting again.

The lesson: a blank app doesn't always mean a broken system. Check whether you're still producing before you worry, and if the app keeps dropping, fix the connection for good.

When to call us

Match what you're seeing to the most likely cause:

The app is still blank 24 hours after restarting your router. We'll check the gateway remotely.
You changed your router or WiFi password. The gateway needs to be reconnected. We can help.
The gateway has no lights at all. It may have lost power. Don't open anything that needs tools. Call us.
Your Con Ed hourly data (if your account shows it) has no power going to the grid on sunny days. Your system may really be down. Start with our breaker checklist, then call us.
You see a meter or CT error. Send us a screenshot. Don't touch the sensors.
The app goes offline again and again. Ask us about hardwiring your gateway with ethernet.

Even when it's only the app, it's worth fixing quickly. If the app is blank, you won't get an alert when something really does stop, and every day your system is down costs you net-metering credits on your Con Ed bill. Turn on production alerts in your Enphase app, and check it once a week.

Need help? Send us your screenshots through the support form or call (914) 231-6866. Many issues can be solved remotely.

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