Swivel Sync Device Troubleshooting & Network Setup

How to Use This Article

Use this article when your Swivel Sync device is not coming online, the Last Heartbeat displays as never, or your IT team needs the device security details, network placement guidance, or network requirements to configure your firewall for Swivel Sync.

• Setting up your device for the first time? Start with the Get Started with Swivel Sync article and return here only if you encounter setup issues.
• Vetting Swivel Sync for your network? Skip directly to Device Security & Network Placement for OS, cybersecurity, and DMZ guidance.
• Need to share network requirements with your IT team? Skip directly to Network Firewall Requirements.

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Device Is Offline or Last Heartbeat Shows “Never”

If your Swivel Sync device is not coming online, or the Last Heartbeat shows never after 30 minutes, this typically indicates a problem with the device’s internet network connection.

Work through the following steps in order:

1. Confirm the device is powered on. The white indicator light on the front of the device should be lit. If the device is off (e.g. due to a power outage), turn it back on.
2. Verify the device is connected to an active internet port. Confirm the ethernet cable is securely connected from the Swivel Sync device to an active port on your wifi router.
3. Verify the serial number entered in Swivel matches the device. Locate the serial number on the bottom of the device and compare it against the serial number entered in Swivel Sync > Device. The serial number is case-sensitive.
4. Confirm the network firewall allows the required outbound traffic. If the device is connected to an active internet connection but is still offline, your network firewall may be blocking the connection. Share the Network Firewall Requirements below with your internet network provider or IT team.

Tip

🔍 Tip: You should see a heartbeat within 30 minutes of plugging in your Swivel Sync device and entering the serial number. If your device has been online previously and recently went offline, the most common cause is a power interruption or a network change on your side.

Caution

⛔️ Do NOT press the PIN reset button.

Some Swivel Sync devices have a PIN reset button. Pressing it does not fix connectivity or heartbeat issues. Once the button is pressed, the device can no longer be used and must be returned to Swivel and a new replacement device will be issued, resulting in avoidable downtime. If your device is offline, work through the troubleshooting steps below instead, and contact us via Swivel Help Chat or email sync@swivelcrm.com if the issue persists.

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Device Keeps Going Offline or Won’t Stay Online

If your device comes online but does not stay there (for example, it heartbeats for 10 to 15 minutes, drops offline, then reconnects on its own a short time later), the cause is usually something interrupting the connection between the device and Swivel rather than the device being unable to connect at all.

When the standard steps above have not resolved it, the fastest way to find the cause is to run the device on a completely different internet connection. Office networks vary widely: firewall rules, content filtering, VLAN settings, and security appliances can all interfere with the device’s connection in ways that are difficult to observe from the outside. Running the device on a simple, unrestricted connection removes those variables and isolates whether the problem is your network or the device.

Running the Test

1. Unplug the device from your office network and bring it to a location with a different internet connection (most commonly a team member’s home internet).
2. Plug it in exactly as you would at the office. Connect the ethernet cable from the device to an open port on the home router and power the device on. No setup changes are required. The serial number stays registered to your account and nothing needs to be reconfigured.
3. Leave it connected for a full business day, or overnight, so there is enough time to observe whether the device stays online consistently and whether connected carrier and institution logins remain connected.
4. Link your sources once the device is online. From the left-hand navigation menu, click Swivel Sync, then link each source as you normally would. Linking confirms the device is not just reporting a heartbeat but is able to complete a full round trip to the carrier or institution, the part of the workflow that actually matters. Note whether sources authenticate successfully and whether they stay linked for their usual duration.
5. Monitor the results in Swivel Sync > Device. Check the Last Heartbeat periodically throughout the test. Let our Support team know when the test begins and we will monitor the device on our end at the same time.
6. Return the device to your office network once the test is complete. This is a short-term diagnostic, not a permanent setup.

Understanding Your Results

Result	What It Means	Next Step
The device stays online, heartbeats consistently, and carrier logins remain connected	• The device hardware is working correctly and is not the cause of the problem. • The same device that was dropping at the office is running cleanly elsewhere, which points to the office network or internet service provider.	• Share the Network Firewall Requirements below with your IT team or internet provider, and review recent network, firewall, or security appliance changes. • Support team is happy to provide anything from our side that helps their investigation.
The device is offline or heartbeats intermittently here as well	Your network has been ruled out. The issue is with the device itself.	Contact Support to arrange a replacement device and/or further troubleshooting may be needed.

Tip

🔍 Tip: This test is worth running before requesting a replacement device. If the cause turns out to be a network setting, a replacement device will experience the same issue, and the test either points to your IT, your internet service provider to the right place, or confirms a replacement is warranted.

Security Considerations During the Test

The Swivel Sync device protects itself the same way regardless of where it is plugged in. It sends information outbound to Swivel only (nothing can reach into the device from the internet), and only the Swivel team can access it. Information the device collects is stored in the Swivel platform, which is encrypted and independently audited. Moving the device to a different network does not change any of this.

What a change of location does change is the network around the device. A business network typically has a business-grade firewall performing monitoring that a home router does not. Whether that difference is acceptable for a short-term diagnostic test is a question for your organization’s compliance team, not one Swivel can answer on your behalf.

Caution

⚠️ Before running this test: If your organization has compliance or data-handling requirements governing where equipment may be connected, loop in your compliance team first. This test is intended as a short-term diagnostic. The device should be returned to your office network once it is complete.

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Before Contacting Support

If you have worked through the steps above and your device is still offline, please gather the following information before reaching out. Having these details ready helps our Support team resolve your issue faster.

• Device serial number (from the bottom of the Swivel Sync device)
• Last Heartbeat timestamp (from Swivel Sync > Device)
• Date and approximate time the device was first plugged in or last went offline
• Network setup details, including whether the device is plugged directly into your router or through a switch
• Confirmation from your IT team that the required outbound ports (TCP 80, 443, UDP 4242) are allowed on your firewall

Note

Contact Support If the issue persists after completing the troubleshooting steps above, please contact us via Swivel Help Chat or email sync@swivelcrm.com for additional assistance.

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Device Security & Network Placement

This section answers common questions IT teams ask when vetting the Swivel Sync device for deployment on their network. It covers what the device runs, how it’s protected, and where it can be placed.

Operating System

The Swivel Sync device runs Ubuntu Linux.

Cybersecurity

The Swivel Sync device has firewall rules that block all inbound requests except those originating from Swivel’s internal network. The device is only accessible via SSH public key authentication.

Network Placement

The Swivel Sync device can be placed anywhere on your network where you would place a standard PC. Whether placement in a router DMZ is appropriate depends on how your network is configured. Because the device has its own OS-level firewall configured to tightly restrict inbound traffic, leaving it in a router DMZ poses minimal risk, but the DMZ is typically used as a temporary configuration during connectivity troubleshooting, not as a recommended default.

To decide where the device should sit on your network:

• If the device ended up in the DMZ during setup and syncing is working correctly, there’s no urgent need to move it.
• If your organization has strict IT or compliance policies governing DMZ usage, consult with your IT team or administrator to determine whether the device should be moved to your standard internal network.
• Otherwise, treat the device the way you’d treat any standard internal-network workstation.

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Network Firewall Requirements

For the Swivel Sync device to function correctly, your network must allow the following outbound connections from the device.

Minimum Requirements

Protocol	Port	Direction	Purpose
TCP	80	Outbound	Standard HTTP communication
TCP	443	Outbound	Secure HTTPS communication
UDP	4242	Outbound	Device synchronization service

Minimum Requirement: All three ports must be allowed outbound from the network.

Optional: Restricting Traffic to Specific Destinations

If your IT or security policy requires limiting firewall rules to specific destinations, you can configure the firewall to allow traffic only to the following endpoints.

TCP 80 / 443	Allow outbound traffic to: https://swivelcrm.io
UDP 4242	Allow outbound traffic to the following IP addresses: • 143.244.181.212 • 24.199.105.142

Tip

🔍 Tip: Have additional questions about device security, network placement, or DMZ configuration? See Device Security & Network Placement above.