Why to I keep getting logged out while I'm using the site

There are a few reasons why you may keep getting logged out while using the site. The site will keep you logged in as long as the "session" stays the same and your IP address stays the same (see at the bottom of this article for more information on both of these).

• You should click "Remember me" when logging in. If you don't click this check box when logging in then you may find you get logged out as you navigate around the site.
• Don't have the website running on multiple devices (see below for more on this)
• Roaming. If you are using the data connection on a mobile phone and driving around then the website may log you out because your IP address keeps changing. The website keeps track of what IP address you are connecting from, and will log you out if that IP address changes.
• Switching networks: if you move around and change network (going from Wifi to Mobile data for instance) then your IP address will probably change and you will be logged out.

Don't have the website running on multiple devices

In general having multiple tabs open or being logged in on multiple devices can cause problems.

Where this can work is if you start with one tab and then open more tabs from that one. i.e. you use a browser option that's called something like "open in a new tab". New tabs opened this way will keep to the same session. Where this can fall down is if you then save those tabs (either because your browser has that as an option or you bookmark all the tabs) then when you open your browser again the sessions in those tabs will not be the same and you may find the site repeatedly logs you out as you navigate the site.

More Info on Sessions

A website session is something maintained by your browser and the website server. This website uses PHP session handling and so the site is restricted to whatever policies the latest version of PHP uses.

More info on IP Addresses

An IP address is like your home address. When a website wants to send data (a webpage or image) to your computer it needs to know where to send it, just like the postman. The system used by computers is called and Internet Protocol Address (a bit like your postcode) and is how data reaches your computer. 

If your IP address changes (because you've switched to a different network) then the website will invalidate the session and log you out. This is to stop your connection to the website being intercepted.