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Address or certificate not ready

A web address goes through a few steps before it opens: the name has to point at Obacht, the device claims it, and the device fetches a certificate for HTTPS. Each step can stall. Here is how to tell which one did.

"Re-check DNS" keeps failing on your own domain​

Cause: The A record (the entry at your registrar that says where a name points) is missing, points to the wrong place, or has not spread yet. The check shows two values: what the name resolves to now, and what it should be. If they differ, that is the problem.

What to do:

  1. Compare the resolved value with the expected one in the wizard. If the resolved value is empty, the record is not there yet. If it is another IP, it points elsewhere, often at an old web host.
  2. Fix the record at your registrar. The wizard step Add this DNS record at your registrar shows name and value to copy.
  3. Wait. New records usually show up within minutes, but some registrars take an hour or more. Click Re-check DNS again, not more often than every few seconds, or the check says "Please wait a few seconds between checks".

Nothing is lost while you wait. Click I'll continue later and come back. The steps are on Point one domain at a device.

"This hostname is protected"​

Cause: The name you want is inside a zone that another account has protected, or inside one you protected yourself but under a different account. Outside protected zones it is first come, first served, so the name may also simply be taken by someone else.

What to do: If the zone is yours, protect it under the right account first: the message points you to Settings → Protected Domains. If the zone belongs to someone else, pick a different name. How zones work: Use your own domain.

The address shows "Address is being set up" and Open is greyed out​

Cause: The device has the address but has not finished getting the certificate from Let's Encrypt yet. The app page holds the Open button until that is done and says "This address is still being set up". Usually this takes under a minute. It stalls when the DNS record was wrong at the moment the device asked, or when the device went offline in between.

What to do:

  1. Make sure the device is online.
  2. In the advanced view, open the Hosting tab, find the address and click Retry certificate.
  3. Watch for the toast that says the certificate is live. The Hosting tab then shows Certificate active and Open on the app page works.

If Retry certificate fails repeatedly, go back one step and run Re-check DNS on that address.

Your Obacht address stays "being set up"​

Cause: Your Obacht address (<app>.<username>.obacht.space) needs no records from you, so the usual reason is the device being offline right after the install. Check Device shows offline first.

tip

An address problem never stops an install. The app keeps installing, and you can fix or add the address later from the app page.