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Wi-Fi Notecards have the ability to connect to Wi-Fi access points and transmit data over Wi-Fi networks. In this guide you’ll learn two different ways to set up a connection.

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To connect a Wi-Fi Notecard to a Wi-Fi access point, you must first connect the Notecard to a companion Notecarrier board . If you're not sure how to do so, refer to our guide on connecting a Notecard to a Notecarrier.

Once you have your Wi-Fi Notecard seated on a Notecarrier, you're ready to connect it to a local Wi-Fi access point. There are two ways to accomplish this:

  1. Using a Notecard API command
  2. Using your smartphone
warning

Before you continue, please note that Wi-Fi Notecard is only compatible with 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi access points. Access points that combine 5gHz and 2.4gHz with the same SSID may cause issues using the Notecard. Also, your ensure your Notecard firmware version is at least v3.2.1.

Connect your Notecarrier to your computer via USB. You should see a red LED flash repeatedly, letting you know it's booting up. Using your terminal program (or the in-browser REPL), send this request to the Note Wi-Fi:

{"req":"card.wifi","ssid":"<ssid name>","password":"<password>"}

In return, you'll get a confirmation that your Wi-Fi Notecard is set to connect to the specified SSID using a specific security protocol. For example:

{
  "ssid": "<ssid name>",
  "security": "WPA2"
}
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This does not mean your Wi-Fi Notecard is successfully connected to your access point, it just means that it is ready to connect once there is data to be sent. You'll know your Wi-Fi Notecard is actively connected to an access point when the blue LED is on (which it will be after you send a request).

Alternatively, you can set up your Note Wi-Fi using your smartphone.

With your Wi-Fi Notecard and Notecarrier plugged into a power supply, press and release the black button on the face of the Note Wi-Fi:

The location of the black button

Next, open up your smartphone and browse for available Wi-Fi access points. Within a minute or so, you should see "Notecard" as an option:

A list of available access points on a smartphone

Connect to "Notecard" on your phone and you'll be redirected to a window where you can enter the SSID and password. You can also use the "Scan List" feature to look for available access points, then tap on an access point to pre-fill everything except for the password.

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If the browser window doesn't automatically appear after connecting to the Notecard SSID, visit 10.10.0.1 in your phone's browser.

The Wi-Fi Notecard’s connection screen

Finally, tap "Connect" to complete your Wi-Fi configuration. Your Wi-Fi Notecard should reboot (note the flashing red LEDs), at which point you’ll have successfully connected.

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You'll know that your Wi-Fi Notecard is actively connected to a Wi-Fi access point when the blue LED is on. Don't worry if it's not on right now, as it should only be on after you make your first hub.set command. If you’re unsure how to run a hub.set command, refer to the Notecard quickstart.

The light remains on when the connection to the Wi-Fi network is active. If you set the Notecard’s mode to "continuous" the Notecard will maintain a connection to your access point. If you set the Notecard’s mode to "periodic" the Notecard will only connect when it needs to transfer data.

If you change your Wi-Fi configuration and the hub.sync.status command returns "status": "connect delayed...”, power cycle the Notecard to have it immediately use the new Wi-Fi configuration.

The blue LED on a Wi-Fi Notecard

There are a variety of reasons why a Wi-Fi Notecard may be unable to connect to a Wi-Fi access point (SSID). As of Notecard firmware v3.3.1, one of the following error messages may be returned when a Notecard is unable to connect:

  • authentication failure - The provided password is incorrect.
  • invalid parameter - The password is too short or the SSID is too long.
  • AP not found - The SSID is incorrect, out of range, or no password was supplied.