Certificate failures typically* are caused by the clock being very wrong (not by seconds, but by days or even years,) while you attempt to do something involving a certificate. There are two things that the LabQuest needs a certificate for:
- Connecting to a WPA2-Enterprize** network (one that asks for a username&password instead of just a password.)
- Sending e-mail.
If you are getting certificate errors, the first thing to do is check/set the clock. There are 4 ways to do that:
- Manually via the Home screen, “Settings”, “Date&Time”. Don’t forget to set the time zone in this dialog too.
- Via network time protocol when connected to WiFi. This happens automatically, but it requires that you are already connected to the network, and it won’t change your time zone. Note this is blocked on some local network in which case it won’t work, but for most people most of the time you never need to worry about the clock once you’ve set the time zone.
- Via GPS, if the GPS is turned on and has a signal. This is the most accurate way, but it requires you go outside and wait a few minutes for a location fix. You turn on GPS by going into the LabQuest app, “Sensors” menu, “Sensor Setup”, and check the box for “GPS”. Note if the GPS hasn’t been used in 30 days, it will require 12.5 minutes to get the location, (and set the clock.)
- Via Logger Pro, when connected via USB. This is only as accurate as the computer time but since most modern operating systems use network time protocol to set the clock it is normally pretty good. If your network is blocking network time protocol then #2 won’t work, and this will be less accurate.
*Avoiding a long explanation about certificates and what they do, they are basically an ID card for what you are connecting to, and like an ID card they have an issue date and expiration date, so we look at those dates and compare them to our clock: if LabQuest’s clock is very wrong then a valid certificate will look expired/too new.
**Some (but not all,) WPA2-Enterprize networks require that you independently verify their certificate, in which case you’ll need to install it via USB. See:
My WPA2 Enterprise network requires a certificate, how do I install it on LabQuest 2 or LabQuest 3?
If the clock is set correctly and you are still getting certificate errors, contact us for further troubleshooting.