Notificator Touch Setup

Notificator Touch 3.49 is the touchscreen model for the Waveshare ESP32-S3 Touch LCD 3.49. Firmware 0.9.3 is a preview release while its interaction design and update flow are validated before version 1.0.

What you need

A Waveshare ESP32-S3 Touch LCD 3.49 and USB data cable.
A phone or computer for first-time setup.
Your own HiveMQ Cloud cluster and a device credential with publish and subscribe access.
The Notificator mobile app, an active WordPress or Internal API key, and the mobile HiveMQ connection saved under Account → Device connection.

Follow MQTT Broker Setup before starting if the cluster and credentials are not ready.

1. Install the preview firmware

Open the firmware web installer in desktop Chrome or Edge, select Notificator Touch 3.49, and connect the board over USB.

A browser installation writes the complete factory image and erases existing device configuration. It is the recommended first installation and recovery method. Future compatible releases can normally use signed OTA updates.

2. Complete first-time setup

After the device restarts:

Note the pairing ID shown on screen.
Join the WPNOTIF-<ID> Wi-Fi network.
If the portal does not open, visit http://192.168.4.1.
Choose the local Wi-Fi network and enter its password.
Enter the HiveMQ Cloud hostname, secure port, device username, password, and topic prefix.
Keep the topic prefix as notificator-project unless the same custom prefix is already used by WordPress and the mobile app.
Review the detected UTC offset and save.

The setup portal stores Wi-Fi and broker credentials only on the device. When you reopen it, the MQTT password remains blank; leaving it blank keeps the saved password.

3. Add the device to the mobile app

Open Devices → Add Device.
Choose Notificator Touch.
Enter the pairing ID exactly as displayed.
Add an optional nickname and save.

Touch device IDs are normalized by the platform, but using the displayed lowercase value avoids confusion when checking MQTT topics.

4. Configure the screen

The device supports Clock, Weather & Clock, and Weather idle modes. Enter a city, area, or postal code in the device editor, choose the intended match, review the timezone, then save to send the resolved weather location over MQTT. Latitude and longitude are handled internally; manual values remain available under Advanced location when needed.

The same screen also provides sliders for:

Display brightness
Sound volume

Both values are stored on the device. They can also be changed locally from the Touch Settings screen. Notificator Base supports brightness but does not expose a sound-volume control.

Everyday controls

Use Home, Alerts, Device, and Settings in the bottom bar.
Browse the six latest in-memory alerts using Newer and Older.
Alert accents distinguish Info, Warning, and Critical severity.
After 60 seconds of inactivity, the device enters its clock or weather view. Touch the display to wake it.
Open Settings to scan for and change Wi-Fi directly on the device. The previous network is restored if the new connection fails.
Hold BOOT for four seconds to reopen the phone-based setup portal.
Hold PWR for about 1.8 seconds to shut down. The reset control restarts immediately.

Firmware updates

Touch uses the separate preview OTA channel. In the mobile app, open the device, select Check for Updates, and then approve the compatible release.

The app sends the update request through the HiveMQ connection stored on that phone. The device then downloads the official model-specific manifest, verifies its ECDSA signature and firmware SHA-256 digest, installs the image, and reports the new version after restarting.

If the app shows Connection refused: Not authorized, re-enter the HiveMQ username and password under Account → Device connection. That message means the broker rejected the publisher credential before the OTA request reached the device.

Troubleshooting

No setup portal: join WPNOTIF-<ID> and manually open 192.168.4.1.
No on-screen keyboard: ensure the installed model is Touch 0.9.1 or newer.
Mark all read has no effect: install Touch 0.9.3 or newer, then retry the command from the app while the device is connected to MQTT.
Commands do not arrive: confirm the phone, device, and WordPress plugin use the same cluster and topic prefix.
Weather is wrong: search for the location again, select the intended regional match, and review the timezone. Use manual coordinates only when the place search cannot identify the required location.
OTA is not offered: check that the device type is Touch and the preview channel is available.
Recovery required: reinstall the complete Touch factory image through the browser installer.