Overview
Every QuickServer gateway is licensed for a fixed number of points. When a configuration maps more points than the license allows, the gateway does not fail immediately. It keeps running for a grace period, then reboots and lights the Error LED (ERR). Both the on-screen status area and the diagnostic log report that the point count has been exceeded.
This article explains what a point is, how QuickServer counts them, exactly what happens when the limit is crossed, and where to find the evidence so you can confirm the cause and plan a fix.
[!NOTE] The wording of on-screen messages and log lines can vary slightly between firmware versions. Treat the examples below as representative and confirm the exact text against your own unit’s Diagnostics page.
What Counts as a Point on a QuickServer
A point is a single data value that the gateway stores and translates as it moves data between a source protocol and a destination protocol. In the configuration, points are the individual values held in the gateway’s Data Arrays and referenced by Map Descriptors.
In practical terms, a point is consumed for each value the gateway actively moves through its point map, for example:
- One Modbus register read from a field device and stored for translation.
- One BACnet object value exposed to a downstream supervisory system.
- One MQTT payload value, SNMP OID, or other protocol value carried through the gateway.
A single physical data value that is read from one protocol and exposed on another is generally counted where it lives in the gateway’s data model — as a stored Data Array element referenced by the mapping. The key idea is that the licensed limit counts the size of the working point model, not the number of devices or the number of registers a device happens to publish.
[!TIP] The number of points is not the same as the number of devices or registers on the wire. A device that publishes 200 registers where you only map 20 consumes far fewer points than the raw register count suggests. Map only what the project needs.
How Points Are Counted (Point Tiers)
QuickServer licenses are sold in point tiers — fixed allowances such as 250, 500, 1,000, or 5,000 points. The tier is a property of the unit’s license, not something the configuration can raise on its own. When a deployment grows, the point tier has to grow with it. See the Multi-Device Particle Monitoring point-tier expansion case study for a real example of a project that outgrew its original tier and was upgraded rather than redesigned.
The total point demand of a configuration is the sum of the values the point map moves. As you add devices, add mapped registers or objects, or expand the scope of an existing job, the total climbs toward the licensed ceiling. Crossing that ceiling is what triggers the behavior described below.
What Happens When the Point Count Is Exceeded
The over-limit condition is not an immediate outage. The sequence is:
- The gateway keeps running for about 24 hours. During this grace period the QuickServer continues to pass data, so the site may look healthy at first glance. This is deliberate — it gives an integrator time to notice and correct the problem before service is interrupted.
- After roughly 24 hours the gateway reboots. If the configuration is still over the licensed point count after the reboot, the over-limit condition persists.
- The Error LED (
ERR) turns on. The litERRLED is the physical signal that something needs attention on the unit.
[!WARNING] Because the gateway runs normally for the first 24 hours, an over-limit configuration can pass initial commissioning and only surface as an unexplained reboot a day later. If a QuickServer reboots on its own roughly a day after a configuration change and comes back with the
ERRLED lit, suspect the point count first.
Where the Error Appears
When the point count is exceeded, the message surfaces in three places:
| Location | What you see |
|---|---|
| Error screen | A status message stating that the point count has been exceeded. |
| User Messages screen | The same point-count-exceeded message, shown in the running message list. |
| Diagnostics page | The number of points currently in use, which you can compare against the licensed tier. |
The Error and User Messages areas tell you that the limit was crossed. The Diagnostics page tells you by how much — it reports the points in use so you can see how far over the licensed tier the configuration is.
How to Check Your Point Usage
- Open a web browser and navigate to the gateway’s IP address, for example
http://192.168.2.101(the QuickServer default). - Log in with the gateway credentials (default username
admin; the password is printed on the label on the back of the unit). - Open the Diagnostics page.
- Read the reported points in use and compare it with the unit’s licensed point tier.
If the points-in-use figure is at or above the licensed tier, the configuration is over the limit and the 24-hour reboot behavior will apply until the point demand is brought back under the ceiling or the tier is upgraded.
Example Error in the Diagnostic Log
The point-count message also appears in the QuickServer’s captured diagnostics. A representative log line looks like this:
2026-07-14 09:12:44.310 [ERROR] - System: Point count exceeded.
Configured points exceed the licensed limit for this unit.
The gateway will restart until the point count is within license.When reading a diagnostic capture, search for the phrase point count (or points). The important part is the statement that the configured points exceed the licensed limit — that single line explains both the reboot and the lit ERR LED.
[!NOTE] The exact string, timestamp format, and severity tag depend on firmware. If your log wording differs, match on the phrase “point count” rather than on an exact character-for-character string.
Before You Reboot: Capture Diagnostics
If the gateway is in the over-limit state and you are about to reboot it — locally or remotely — capture a full diagnostic log first. Once the unit reboots the live message history is easy to lose, and the diagnostic capture is what lets Chipkin (or you) confirm the cause and size the correct point tier.
- Capture the diagnostic before rebooting so the point-count messages and the points-in-use figure are preserved. See How to Generate a Diagnostic File from a QuickServer Gateway.
- Note the points in use from the Diagnostics page and the licensed point tier of the unit.
- Record the time the
ERRLED was first noticed and whether the unit had recently rebooted on its own.
[!TIP] A rebooting-once-a-day QuickServer is often reached over a remote connection into the site network. Capturing diagnostics remotely before you reboot means you do not have to wait for the problem to recur on the next 24-hour cycle to gather evidence.
How to Resolve It
There are two ways to clear an over-limit condition. Both start from the same measurement: points in use versus licensed tier.
- Reduce the mapped point count. Trim the configuration so the total points fall back under the licensed tier — for example, remove values the project does not actually consume, or drop unused registers and objects from the point map. Reload the configuration and confirm on the Diagnostics page that points in use is now below the tier.
- Upgrade the point tier. If every mapped point is genuinely required, the unit needs a larger license. Contact Chipkin support with your FSE number, the points in use figure, and the current tier so the correct upgrade can be applied.
After either fix, verify that points in use is under the licensed limit, then confirm the gateway runs past the next 24-hour window without an automatic reboot and with the ERR LED off.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely Cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| QuickServer reboots on its own roughly 24 hours after a config change | Configuration exceeds the licensed point count; the grace period elapsed | Check points in use on the Diagnostics page against the licensed tier |
ERR LED lit after an unexplained reboot | Over-limit condition persisted through the reboot | Capture diagnostics, then reduce points or upgrade the tier |
| Site looked healthy right after commissioning, then failed a day later | Data still flowed during the 24-hour grace period before the reboot | Do not assume commissioning proved the point count; verify points in use directly |
| Diagnostics show points in use at or above the tier | Point demand meets or exceeds the license ceiling | Trim the point map or arrange a point-tier upgrade |
| Points in use looks higher than expected for the device count | Point count reflects mapped values, not devices | Review the point map and remove values the project does not consume |