Boot Issues - troubleshooting Guide

If your Pimeleon router won't boot, use this guide to identify and resolve common boot problems.

Quick Diagnosis

Identify Your Symptoms

Step-by-Step troubleshooting

1. Power Problems

Check These First:

1. Is the power adapter LED lit?
2. Is the cable fully plugged in?
3. Try a different outlet
4. Try a different power adapter (5V, 3A minimum for Pi 4; 5V, 2.5A for Pi 3B+)

2. SD Card Problems

If only the red LED is on:

1. Remove and reseat the SD card
   • Power off completely
   • Remove SD card
   • Check for dust or damage
   • Reinsert firmly
   • Power on again
2. Try the SD card in another Pi or computer
   • If it doesn't work elsewhere, the card may be faulty
   • If it works elsewhere, try a different Pi
3. Replace the SD card
   • Use a high-quality SD card (SanDisk, Samsung recommended)
   • 32GB or larger
   • Class 10 or UHS-I speed rating

3. Boot Loop (Starts but Doesn't Finish)

The Pi starts booting but keeps restarting:

1. Watch for error messages on screen
   • Connect a monitor via HDMI
   • Note any error messages that appear
   • Take a photo if they scroll too fast
2. Boot to Emergency Mode (for advanced users)
   • Requires editing SD card boot configuration
   • Mount SD card on another system and edit /boot/cmdline.txt
3. Restore from backup
   • If you have a backup, restore the previous configuration
   • See Backup and Restore Guide

4. System Appears Frozen

Pi boots but doesn't respond:

1. Check for network activity
   • Look for blinking lights on Ethernet port
   • Try pinging the Pi's IP address from another device
2. Check if specific services are down
   • You may still be able to access the web interface
   • Try http://your-pi-router-ip/admin

When to Get Help

Contact support or the community if:

• You've tried all the above steps
• The Pi hardware appears damaged
• You see repeated unusual error messages
• Data recovery is needed

Getting Help

• Community Forum: [Pimeleon Community/community/)
• Discord Support: Join our support channel
• Documentation: [Pimeleon Documentation/docs/)

Preventing Boot Issues

Best Practices:

1. Use a high-quality power supply (official Raspberry Pi adapter recommended)
2. Use quality SD cards from trusted brands
3. Keep regular backups
4. Safely shut down before unplugging (Settings → System → Restart in admin interface)
5. Protect from power surges with a UPS or surge protector

Note: For advanced recovery procedures and low-level system commands, see internal documentation.