Connecting to Wi-Fi

A controller with no saved Wi-Fi details starts in SETUP MODE. That’s every new controller, and any controller after a Wi-Fi reset. You set it up from the MakerOps mobile app over Bluetooth. The controller never opens a configuration web page of its own.

The setup screen shows a QR code, the controller’s Bluetooth name (MO- followed by six characters), an 8-character setup CODE, and its Wi-Fi MAC address.

Set up a new controller

Stand near the controller with the app open. Your account needs permission to manage controllers. Without it, the app says “Ask an admin to set up controllers.”

1. In the app, open More, then Controllers, and tap + at the top right.
2. Pick the controller. The app lists nearby controllers by their MO-… name, marked “Ready to set up”. Tap yours. If it isn’t listed, tap Search again.
3. Enter the setup code. Tap Scan QR code and scan the QR on the controller’s screen, or type the 8-character CODE shown next to it. Tap Connect.
4. Choose the Wi-Fi. Pick your network from the list the controller found, or tap Other network… to type a hidden network name. Enter the password and tap Send to controller.

The controller joins the network and the app shows Controller is online.

If it can’t join

The controller gives up after about 45 seconds and its screen says why:

Controller screen	What to do
NETWORK REFUSED THE LOGIN	The password, or the username on a campus network, is wrong. Fix it in the app and send again.
NETWORK NOT FOUND · 2.4GHZ ONLY? CHECK SSID	The controller only uses 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. Check the network name and that it broadcasts on 2.4 GHz.
JOINED - BUT NO IP ADDRESS	The network accepted the login but didn’t give the controller an address. It usually needs the MAC registered. See below.
COULD NOT JOIN NETWORK	Send the details again from the app.
LAST ATTEMPT FAILED · CHECK WIFI SETTINGS	Check the network name and password, then send again.

The second line can end with a code, such as CODE 15. That’s the Wi-Fi reason code for the failure. Give it to your IT department.

The app also says what went wrong, for example “Wrong Wi-Fi password — the controller could not join.”, and goes back to the network list. Correct the details and tap Send to controller again. On firmware before 0.9.60, the controller ignores details sent after a failed attempt. Turn its power off and on, then send them again.

Press STOP to cancel an attempt in progress. To erase everything and restart setup mode, hold STOP for about five seconds on the setup screen.

If it joins Wi-Fi but can’t reach the server

Joining Wi-Fi isn’t the last step: the controller then connects to the MakerOps server at mqtt.makerops.ai on port 8883 (encrypted MQTT over TLS). The network must allow that outbound connection. Many campus and guest networks block it until IT opens it.

On firmware 0.9.54 and later, a paired controller that can’t get through shows SERVER UNREACHABLE after 30 seconds , with the cause (for example NO ANSWER FROM SERVER or SERVER NAME NOT FOUND (DNS)), how long it’s been offline, and NETWORK MUST ALLOW OUTBOUND MQTT.MAKEROPS.AI PORT 8883. It keeps retrying and recovers on its own once the network lets it through. Show that screen to your IT department. Re-pairing won’t help. See SERVER UNREACHABLE for each cause.

On older firmware the same problem shows NOT PAIRED YET and the pairing QR instead, which looks like the controller lost its pairing. It hasn’t: check the network first.

Campus networks (WPA2-Enterprise / 802.1X)

The controller works with enterprise networks that sign in with a username and password (PEAP or EAP-TTLS with MSCHAPv2). That’s what most campus and eduroam-style networks use. The app recognises these networks in the list and asks for:

• Username and Password: the account your IT department issued for the device.
• Outer identity (optional), sometimes called anonymous identity. Some eduroam realms need it. Leave it blank unless IT tells you otherwise.

For a hidden enterprise network, tap Other network… and tick Uses a username (WPA2-Enterprise).

Networks that need a certificate installed on the device (EAP-TLS) aren’t supported yet. Ask IT for a password-based or MAC-registered network instead.

MAC registration. Many campus networks only let registered devices join. The controller’s MAC address is on the SETUP MODE screen and on the admin menu’s NETWORK STATUS page. If the controller signs in but gets no address, its screen says REGISTER THIS MAC WITH YOUR IT DEPARTMENT and shows the MAC in large text. Give that to your network team.

Pair the controller with a machine

Once it’s online, a controller that has never been paired shows NOT PAIRED YET and a QR code. On firmware 0.9.54 and later , a controller that was paired before shows this screen only when it has been removed from your space and needs pairing again. On firmware 0.9.57 and later it shows it as soon as it is removed, and ends any session that was running. A paired controller that simply can’t reach the server shows SERVER UNREACHABLE instead (see above).

1. Tap Scan in the app (or Open scanner on the success screen) and scan that QR.
2. On Pair controller, choose the Machine and the Control mode, and optionally give it a name.
3. Tap Pair controller.

If the machine isn’t in MakerOps yet, tap Add without a machine. The controller joins your space, and you can pair it later from Controllers.

From then on the idle screen shows the machine’s name. Session rules, timers and who may start it are managed in the platform. See Machine access.

Move it to a different network

1. Open the admin menu (hold STOP on the idle screen) and choose WIFI SETUP. Unlock it if the controller asks (see The admin menu).
2. The controller asks ARE YOU SURE? Press GREEN (ERASE AND REBOOT). Press STOP to cancel.

It erases the saved Wi-Fi details, including any enterprise username and password, and restarts in setup mode. Then set it up again as above.

Do the same when your network’s password changes. The controller keeps retrying the saved password until you do.

The admin menu opens even when the controller can’t reach its old network. If the controller is offline and has no admin PIN, WIFI SETUP stays unlocked so you can always re-provision it where it is. If a PIN is set, enter it when asked.