Devices Offline After Moving to UniFi OS Server

The configuration moved but some devices show as offline or disconnected. In almost every case the device is still trying to reach an old address, and the fix is to tell it the new one.

Check the inform address first

Every UniFi device holds an inform address: the URL it reports to. Restoring a backup on a new console does not change what the device has stored.

For a hosted console the correct inform address is:

http://yourname.netconsole.cloud:8080/inform

If your console was migrated from the Network Application, the old http://yourname.cloudunifi.com:8080/inform address also works, because we keep that name pointing at the new console.

The quickest check is the UniFi Toolkit, which reads the device's status and inform address from your own network. Over SSH, the info command shows the same thing.

Devices stuck on an https address or port 8443

Devices that were once pointed at https://...:8443/inform can sit in a loop after a move. Set the inform address by hand:

SSH to the device (the credentials are in the Network application under Settings > System > Device SSH Authentication).
Run set-inform http://yourname.netconsole.cloud:8080/inform.
Wait a minute and check the Network application. If the device shows as Pending Adoption rather than reconnecting, adopt it; your settings for it are still in the site.

Do not force provision

When a device is stuck, it is tempting to use Force Provision on it in the Network application. On devices running old firmware this pushes a full configuration and can leave the device unusable rather than merely offline. Set the inform address instead, and update the firmware once the device is back.

"Server Reject" in the device status

If info on the device shows Server Reject, the device holds an authentication key from a previous adoption that this console does not recognise. Remove the device from the Network application first (open the device, then Manage > Remove), reset it to factory defaults (hold the reset button for about ten seconds), and adopt it again.

Device adopts and then drops repeatedly

A device that adopts, disconnects a few seconds later and repeats is usually on firmware too old for the current controller's encryption. Update the firmware over SSH using the firmware file for that model from Ubiquiti's downloads, then adopt it again.

Everything is offline

If every device on a site is offline at once, the site's devices are still informing to an address that no longer resolves, or the site's DHCP option 43 or DNS unifi record points at the old controller's IP address. Update the DNS record to the new hostname.

DHCP option 43 can only carry an IP address, not a hostname. If your sites rely on it, add the Dedicated IP option to your subscription from the customer portal: your console then has a fixed address of its own that option 43 can point at, and that address stays with your console. If you cannot find where the old address is set, contact us with the site name and we will check what the devices are calling.

When to contact us

Email support@cloudunifi.com with the device model, its firmware version and the output of info from SSH, or the UniFi Toolkit result. We can see whether the device is reaching the console and what it is sending.