Server Outage

This is also happening with the Garmin Express Windows App. I've tried to uninstall and re-install, but same error. 

I am sorry you have an issue with Garmin Express on your Windows computer. I am not seeing any patterns of our service being down on our end. We are not currently receiving other reports of server issues worldwide which suggest the issue is likely specific to your computer. In general, if a computer is not able to communicate outward to our servers, it can be a wide variety of causes. Using a work computer behind a firewall, security/firewall software, viruses/malware, even the time being off on a computer will cause a server error.

Please review this Support Center article:

- Garmin Express Displays a Server Error Message

If you continue to receive a server error with Garmin Express, please try another computer. If there are no issues adding your watch to Garmin Express while using a different computer, you will have confirmed a bigger issue exists with your main computer that a computer technician will need to look into further.

I had a similar issue with Garmin Connect Mobile last week, Tuesday I think it was. While I was out on a walk activity I checked GCM and had an error on the screen saying there was a server error. I completed my walk and saved the activity on my F6X Pro, a few hours later the issue cleared by itself.

There does seem like there is/was something strange going on. 

Chris- Thank you for the quick reply. This is my lone home computer, so I can't try GE on another device. I have however reset and tested my network and I'm able to connect to anything else I try to connect to, including Garmin Connect.  I'd already taken the steps in the support article, up to, and including uninstalling and re-installing Garmin Express. I have since tried to install an older version, which apparently connected to the server well enough to force an upgrade to the latest version, which then told me it could not connect to the server. 

I am sorry really your issue is going to be a needle in the haystack issue but I can only assure you that you have an issue with either your computer whether a virus or malware or security software or modem/router settings. I come to this conclusion due to no other reports worldwide and Garmin Express is used tens of thousands of times daily across dozens of products across all of our segments. (Outdoor, Fitness, Automotive, Aviation, Marine.)

I am sending you a PM to see if your Garmin Express log files will provide a clue to the cause of your issue. I will be happy to do everything possible to help you.

1295428 said:

I have since tried to install an older version, which apparently connected to the server well enough to force an upgrade to the latest version, which then told me it could not connect to the server.

GE connects to around a dozen of subdomains of garmin.com, and most of them are protected by the CloudFlare service, which also acts partially like a firewall refusing the connection to the destination if it detects something suspicious, or when the remote IP address is blacklisted. This might be perhaps your case too.

You can try temporarily disabling the firewall, antivirus, anonymizers, VPN, proxy, and other similar services, if you use any on your computer. You can also try connecting the computer to an alternative connection - for example neighbor's WiFi router, or activate the WiFi hotspot on your phone, and connect your computer through it.

And if there is no VPN in use, then oppositely you can try using one, but preferably not an obscure service that may be used by hackers, since those tend to be blocked by CloudFlare easily.

To be fair to the user reporting the issue, you can replicate the issues with the down message or server taking too long  easily when Garmin connect via windows computer.

it especially occur when you start connect before connecting the watch to the computer, it times out and does resync reporting failures even if it sync. You can replicate with foxes a sync multiple times. 

You are correct. If the issue is only what you describe, then everything will still sync and the software and maps will download etc.

However, when there is a server connectivity error where the software update cannot be downloaded or maps cannot be downloaded and updated, that is where it becomes a real pain and I feel bad for anyone dealing with serious computer issues.

Matt_Barrett said:

To be fair to the user reporting the issue, you can replicate the issues with the down message or server taking too long  easily when Garmin connect via windows computer.

Frankly, I can't replicate it. Though I do not understand what you mean by "when Garmin connect via windows computer". I have my Garmin Express on a Windows computer, and do not see any messages "Server down", regardless whether the watch is connected with the USB cable or not.