Notificator Base Setup

Use this guide to connect and configure a Notificator Base device in the app.

Prerequisites

You are signed in to the mobile app.
You have at least one active API key of type WordPress or Internal.
You have your own HiveMQ Cloud cluster and device credentials.
Your device is powered on and in setup mode.

The current firmware supports HiveMQ Cloud only. HiveMQ offers a Serverless free plan; follow MQTT Broker Setup to create the cluster and find its hostname and credentials before opening the device portal.

1. Open the device setup portal

On first boot, after a Wi-Fi reset, or after holding the capacitive control for six seconds, the device opens the local Notificator setup portal. The portal runs entirely on the device and does not load fonts, scripts, or other assets from the internet.

Power on the device and wait 10-30 seconds.
On your phone, open Wi-Fi settings.
Connect to the device hotspot named WPNOTIF-<deviceId>.
If the captive portal does not open automatically, open a browser and go to 192.168.4.1.
Choose Set up this device.
Select your home or office Wi-Fi network and enter its password.
In Message delivery, enter your HiveMQ Cloud hostname, secure MQTT port, device username, password, and topic prefix.
Use exactly the same cluster and topic prefix configured in the WordPress plugin. New configurations default to notificator-project.
Save and wait for the device to restart and connect.

After successful connection, the temporary setup hotspot disappears and the device becomes reachable on your normal network.

Notificator does not provide a default MQTT broker. See MQTT Broker Setup before configuring the device. The portal also provides Device information for checking network and hardware details without changing the saved configuration. Firmware update credentials are not requested because official releases are authenticated by the device itself.

2. Add or open the device

In the mobile app:

Open Account → Device connection and save the HiveMQ Cloud hostname, mobile publisher credential, and topic prefix. Use Test connection before saving to confirm the unsaved details.
Open Devices.
Tap Add Device (or edit an existing device).
Set Device Type to Notificator Base.
Enter Device ID and optional nickname.

Save the device.

The phone stores its MQTT connection in operating-system secure storage, not Supabase. Use the same cluster and topic prefix as the device, but preferably a separate publish-only credential.

3. Configure idle theme

In device settings, choose one of:

Clock
Weather & Clock
Weather

Weather & Clock alternates on-device every 2.5 seconds:

2.5s clock
2.5s weather

4. Configure weather (optional)

If you use Weather or Weather & Clock:

Enter a city, area, or postal code.
Select the intended result from the location search.
Review the timezone selected for that place.
Save to send the resolved location to the device.

The app resolves latitude and longitude internally. It does not request the phone’s continuous or background location. Place search is provided by Open-Meteo using GeoNames location data.

Advanced manual coordinates

Most users should not need coordinates. Expand Advanced location only when the search cannot distinguish the intended place or you need weather for a specific remote point.

Latitude ranges from -90 to 90.
Longitude ranges from -180 to 180.
Both values are required when either is entered.
Use decimal format with . as the decimal separator.

For example, Athens is approximately latitude 37.9838 and longitude 23.7275. Selecting Athens through search fills these values automatically.

5. Send settings to device

When you save, the app sends device commands to apply:

idle theme
weather configuration (if set)
display brightness

Brightness is stored on the Base device and can be changed later from the same mobile device editor. Sound volume is available only on Notificator Touch.

If save succeeds but device screen does not change immediately, verify the device is online and not paused.

6. Verify status

On the Devices screen, check:

Last status dot (up/down/slow)
Device metadata line (type, theme, firmware)

You can also use the device actions to clear messages or refresh firmware status.

7. Install firmware updates

Open the device in the mobile app and check for an update. The app displays the latest compatible release and asks the API to notify the device using the selected stable or preview channel.

The device downloads the official model-specific manifest, verifies its ECDSA signature using a public key compiled into the firmware, and confirms the firmware file’s SHA-256 digest before activating it. MQTT, WordPress, and mobile app credentials are not used to sign firmware.

Devices using an older flash partition layout require one complete USB or web installer flash before they can use the current A/B OTA system. This is a one-time migration; current Notificator Base installations can then update over the air.

Troubleshooting

Setup portal does not open: after joining the setup hotspot, manually visit http://192.168.4.1.
Device hotspot not visible: power-cycle the device and wait up to 30 seconds.
Wrong Wi-Fi credentials: reboot to setup mode and re-enter them in the Notificator setup portal.
MQTT setup required: connect your own HiveMQ Cloud cluster; the project does not provide a shared broker.
No MQTT notifications: verify the device and WordPress plugin use the same cluster and topic prefix.
Command failed: ensure your account has an active WordPress/Internal API key and Account → Device connection contains the correct HiveMQ details.
No device response: verify device ID matches firmware device ID exactly.
Weather not showing: verify Wi-Fi connectivity, search and select the weather location again, and review the timezone.
Theme not persisting: confirm DB migration for idle_theme is applied.