diff --git a/abb_hardware_interface/src/abb_hardware_interface.cpp b/abb_hardware_interface/src/abb_hardware_interface.cpp
index 6bf2f07..a402dca 100644
--- a/abb_hardware_interface/src/abb_hardware_interface.cpp
+++ b/abb_hardware_interface/src/abb_hardware_interface.cpp
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ CallbackReturn ABBSystemHardware::on_activate(const rclcpp_lifecycle::State& /*
 {
   size_t counter = 0;
   RCLCPP_INFO(LOGGER, "Connecting to robot...");
-  while (rclcpp::ok() && ++counter < NUM_CONNECTION_TRIES)
+  while (rclcpp::ok() && counter++ < NUM_CONNECTION_TRIES)
   {
     // Wait for a message on any of the configured EGM channels.
     if (egm_manager_->waitForMessage(500))