If you’re missing water usage events, unable to run Plumbing Checks, and seeing communication errors in the Phyn app, this is usually caused by a local network configuration issue that is blocking your Phyn device from sending real-time data to the cloud.
What you may be experiencing
If this issue applies, you will typically see all of the following:
Activity Monitor does not show Temperature, Pressure, or Flow values
Water Use Plus shows total daily gallons, but zero events
Plumbing Checks fail with the message: “I wasn’t able to run a plumbing check. Please try again.”
An alert that says: “Phyn is having trouble communicating with your device at (Home name). Please check for internet issues. You can also try rebooting your device.”
What’s causing this
This issue is most often caused by a DNS or network traffic filtering configuration that interferes with Phyn’s real-time data streaming.
Common causes include:
DNS settings on your router that differ from your ISP’s default
Use of pi-hole or similar DNS-based ad-blocking services
pi-hole configured to block in-app or background traffic
Network rules blocking AWS Kinesis traffic
Port blocking enabled on the router
Temporary DNS issues with your Internet Service Provider
When this traffic is blocked, your Phyn device cannot upload sensor data, which prevents:
Water usage events from appearing in the app
Plumbing Checks from running successfully
Live sensor data from displaying
How to fix the issue
Try the following steps in order:
Configure a working DNS server on your router.
Use a public DNS option such as Google’s DNS (8.8.8.8).
Disable pi-hole or any DNS-based ad-blocking service.
Disable port blocking or restrictive firewall rules on your router.
Check with your Internet Service Provider to confirm there are no active DNS issues.
Once network communication is restored, Water Use Plus events, Plumbing Checks, and live sensor data should resume automatically.
If the issue continues after completing these steps, contact Phyn Customer Support for further assistance.