If Ara is constantly vibrating please follow these steps:
Step 1: Put Ara on as if you were going to use it. Make sure the straps are tight and straight and the haptic foam rests flat on your chest or on your upper abdomen.
Step 2: Stand in a space where objects are at least 6 feet or 2 meters away from you.
Step 3: Turn Ara on and make sure your hands are not in front of the device while you are doing this.
Step 4: Ara should not vibrate at this point. If Ara is does not stop vibrating, let us determine the area where the vibrations are coming from.
Step 5: Depending on the area where the vibrations are coming from, we will be able to determine which sensors might be malfunctioning, dirty or know if Ara is not properly placed to fit your body.
Incorrectly positioned: If Ara is positioned incorrectly, the haptic foam may not be resting flat against your body. The top straps may be too tight and the side straps may be too loose. This may cause the device sensors to be pointing towards your body and detecting you instead of your surroundings. Please make sure both strap sets are equally snug and straight (sometimes straps may be twisted), and that the haptic foam is resting flat against your chest or just above your abdomen. After making sure Ara is properly placed, turn Ara Off and back On. Should the problem persist, please go to the next option.
Sensor obstruction: If Ara is positioned correctly then the sensors may have debris or dirt and as a result they will give out wrong readings and falsely detect an obstacle in your way. The best way to solve this problem is simply by cleaning the sensors. For the ultrasonic sensors, please grab a swab and gently clean the sensor, make sure not to use compressed air or poke the center of the ultrasonic sensor with any hard and/or sharp objects because that will damage the sensor. For LiDAR sensors use a microfiber cloth to gently clean the lenses. Once you have cleaned them, please turn Ara Off and back On. Should the problem persist, please go to the next step.
Hardware or firmware malfunction: If the problem persists please attempt a hard reset by pressing and holding both the menu button (left button) and the power button for 7 seconds. If the above actions did not fix the problem, please contact our support team.
Damped vibrations can be caused by:
Try the following solutions to fix the problem:
Loose straps: Please tighten the straps as much as possible without making it uncomfortable and then turn Ara OFF and back ON. Then pass your hand in front of each sensor level (top, mid, low) and make sure the vibrations are obvious and noticeable. If the straps cannot be tightened to fit your body you may have a larger size than the one you requiere.
Low battery: If the battery is extremely low, there might be a small decrease in haptic performance. Please charge the device and then turn it on and test each haptic area again by passing your hand in front of each sensor level (top, mid, low).
Hardware or firmware malfunction: Once you have made sure the straps and the device snugly fit your body and if the problem persists, please make a hard reset by pressing and holding both the menu button (left button) and the power button for 7 seconds. If doing this does not solve the issue, please contact our support team.
If the problem is only happening with low obstacles then the white cane mode might be enabled (remember that white cane mode comes activated by default out of the box). Turn it off by pressing volume down for 5 seconds.
If the problem persists in the bottom sensors and at any other level follow these steps:
Step 1: Make sure Ara is fully charged.
Step 2: Put Ara on as if you were going to use it. Make sure the straps are tight and straight and the haptic foam rests flat on your chest or on your upper abdomen.
Step 3: Turn Ara on.
Step 4: Ara’s default mode after turning it on is obstacle detection. Do not enter learning mode or any other mode because obstacle detection may be deactivated.
Step 5: If this issue persists please make a hard reset by pressing and holding both the menu button (left button) and the power button for 7 seconds. If doing this does not solve the problem, please contact our support team.
If Ara is not responding to any of the buttons pressed, the device might be frozen. To solve this problem make sure Ara is fully charged and perform a hard reset by pressing and holding both the menu button (left button) and the power button for 7 seconds. If the problem has not been solved by then please contact our support team.
If Ara isn’t charging, make sure you are plugging in the USB-C cable correctly. If you have plugged the cable correctly you should hear a charging sound notification. If you don't hear this notification, the charging port might be dirty and need some maintenance. Please make sure Ara’s charging port is clean.
If you are pressing a button and it does not pop back to its original position, or if you don't feel a click when pressing the button, the button might be stuck. If this happens just wiggle it gently so it can pop back to its original place.
If Ara has been exposed to heavy rain, has a broken case or broken straps, please stop using the device. The device was engineered to work under ideal conditions in order to provide its intended performance for your own safety.
If Ara cannot be turned ON, the battery might be completely drained. Try charging the device for at least 5 hours. After those 5 hours try turning the device ON again, if the problem persists try performing a hard reset by pressing and holding both the menu button (left button) and the power button for 7 seconds. If doing this does not solve the problem, please contact our support team.
If your device isn’t connecting to your WIFI network it might be because of the following:
Minimum router/modem requirements: Ara connects to your wifi router through WPS (Wifi protected setup), this means your router/modem needs a physical WPS button in order to start the pairing mode. If you don’t have a router/modem with a WPS button, we recommend asking your ISP (Internet Service Provider) for recommendations on what router to purchase or if they have available options. We also recommend the following routers:
NETGEAR Wireless Desktop Access Point (WAC104)
TP-Link AX1800 - Router WiFi 6 (Archer AX21)
TP-Link AC1750
Even if your router/modem has a WPS button, make sure this feature is turned on. For more information on the WPS mode of your router, please contact your ISP (internet service provider).
Ara’s WPS mode: Make sure Ara is charging and has at least 75% battery. If the device does not meet these conditions, Ara will not start the WPS mode.
WPS timeout: Ara’s WPS mode has a 60 second window for security reasons.
Test the WPS mode in your Ara device:
Step 1: Press the WPS on your router/modem. It is a small button usually found in the back side of the modem. Please look into your modem model or contact the manufacturer to get precise information on the location of the WPS button.
Step 2: On your Ara device, press and hold the volume up button and the menu button (left button) for 3 seconds. If done correctly you will hear a looping sound notification. This means Ara is pairing correctly. The pairing process may take up to 2 minutes.
Step 3: If the pairing process was successful you will hear a confirmation sound. If the pairing process stopped without any further feedback, please try again.
Step 4: Should you want to exit the pairing process, press and hold the power button for 3 seconds, or press and hold for 3 seconds the volume up button and the menu button (left button).
If Ara is unable to connect to your WIFI network despite meeting these conditions, please hard reset Ara by pressing and holding both the menu button (left button) and the power button for 7 seconds. If the hard reset does not fix this problem please contact our support team.
If your device isn’t updating correctly that might be because of the following:
Ara has not established a connection with your Wifi network. To establish a connection with your Wifi network, enter Ara’s Wifi Setup mode:
Step 1: Press the WPS button on your router/modem. This is a small button usually found in the back of the modem. Please look into your modem model or contact the manufacturer to get precise information on the location of the WPS button.
Step 2: On your Ara device, press and hold the volume up button and the menu button (left button) for 3 seconds, you will hear a repeating sound notification. This means Ara is pairing correctly. The pairing process may take up to 2 minutes.
Step 3: If the pairing process was successful you will hear a confirmation sound. If the pairing process stopped without any further feedback, please try again.
Step 4: Should you want to exit the pairing process, press and hold the power button for 3 seconds, or press and hold for 3 seconds the volume up button and the menu button (left button).
If you change your WIFI’s name and password you will have to start the WPS mode again and repeat the previous steps.
After establishing a connection with your WIFI network please follow these steps:
In order to update your device, Ara needs to be charging. First you will need to turn on your device and access WPS mode by pressing and holding for 3 seconds the volume up button and the menu button (left button). Provided Ara has the necessary authorizations, it will start looking for an update.
Available Updates: If there is an update available you will hear an update notification sound and Ara will begin updating automatically.
Successful update: If the device was updated successfully you will hear a successful sound notification and Ara will restart automatically and enter obstacle-detection mode, you can either use your device or turn it off.
Unsuccessful update: if the update was unsuccessful you’ll hear an unsuccessful sound notification. Should that be the case please try again.
No update available: If there isn’t an update available Ara will turn off automatically.
Updates can fail due to the following reasons:
Internet Connection: If Ara loses connection during an update, the update will fail and you will need to start the process again. Make sure to have Ara close to your router for a higher chance of a successful update.
Dead battery: If Ara has low battery and it becomes unplugged from the outlet or detached from the charging cable, the update might not finish and it will need to run the process all over again.
If Ara is unable to connect to and update despite meeting the conditions above, please hard reset Ara by pressing and holding both the menu button (left button) and the power button for 7 seconds. If a hard reset does not fix this problem, please contact our support team.
In order to access learning mode, first plugin your earphones, then press and hold the menu button (left button) for three seconds. Learning mode will only begin when your earphones are plugged in. If you are following these instructions and the learning mode is not working, please hard reset Ara by pressing and holding both the menu button (left button) and the power button for 7 seconds. If performing a hard reset does not fix this problem, please contact our support team.
Presently Ara’s learning mode (preloaded in the device) is only available in English. If you wish to access the Spanish version you can access it through this link https://strap.tech/es/onboarding
Ara’s smart on/off feature, turns on and off automatically depending if you are moving or not, if you stop walking it turns off the device and if you start walking again it turns back on.
Testing if Smart on/off works:
Step 1 Place Ara on a table, Ara’s haptic foam should be resting on the table.
Step 2 Turn Ara on. You should hear the On sound notification.
Step 3 Let Ara rest in place until it automatically turns off, you should hear the off sound notification.
Step 4 Take Ara and give it a shake.
If Ara turns on, you should hear the On sound notification. This means that the Smart on/off feature is working and then we will know it is a matter of Ara’s sensitivity threshold. Ara is designed to detect steps but if your steps are too light and slow, Ara may not detect the first step you take and turn on only after the third step. This means the feature works but you have to take a strong first step, or do a short and fast situp or any other harsh movements.
If Ara does not turn on while you are walking or does not go to sleep when you are not moving, the feature may be deactivated; to activate the feature, back press and hold the power button and the volume up button for 5 seconds. You will hear a confirmation sound. Try again the steps above to make sure the feature has been properly activated.
If this feature doesn’t meet your needs you can deactivate it by pressing and holding the power button and the volume up button for 5 seconds. You will hear a confirmation sound. Should you want to activate this feature again, press and hold the power button and the volume up button for 5 seconds. You will hear a confirmation sound.
If the feature is not working please hard reset Ara by pressing and holding both the menu button (left button) and the power button for 7 seconds. If performing a hard reset does not fix this problem please contact our support team.
If you are using Ara together with a white cane or your guide dog, you can turn on the White Cane Mode by pressing and holding the volume down button for 5 seconds. The bottom sensors will shut down and you will feel a haptic effect on the bottom actuators of the main core. Remember that Ara comes with this feature activated out of the box.
If the feature is not working please hard reset Ara by pressing and holding both the menu button (left button) and the power button for 7 seconds. If performing a hard reset does not fix this problem please contact our support team.
If Ara is sounding an alarm and turning off, your device may have been critically damaged, and should not be used. To make sure it is not a bug, please hard reset Ara by pressing and holding both the menu button (left button) and the power button for 7 seconds. If performing a hard reset does not fix this problem, please contact our support team.
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