Chapter 1 · Applies to firmware v390 and later · Updated 2026-09-21

Firmware, Wi-Fi and the web interface

New station? Start with the Quick start.

How an Aurora station joins a Wi-Fi network, how to move it to a new one, how it keeps its firmware up to date, and what you can see and change from its built-in web page.

Check the firmware version first. It is on the top line of the display, for example AURORA 9994 v388. The Wi-Fi setup screen described in section 3 needs v388 or later. A station with an older version cannot show it: it keeps trying only the networks it already knows, and shows 0.0.0.0 as its address. Update such a station with a USB cable (section 4.3) or contact Denko.

1. Timings at a glance

When	What the station does
Power-on	Tries the Wi-Fi networks it knows. When one answers, its IP address appears on the display, usually within half a minute.
No Wi-Fi saved	Shows the setup screen with a QR code within seconds of power-on, and opens its own setup Wi-Fi network (section 3). The bottom line reads `no wifi set`.
About 5 minutes without a network it knows	Shows the setup screen, and opens the setup network. This happens when a saved network cannot be reached after power-on, and when a network it was using disappears.
While the setup screen is shown	Keeps trying the networks it already knows, about once every 20 seconds. If one comes back (for example a router that was only restarting), the station joins it and the setup screen disappears by itself.
Setup screen up for an hour, nobody connected	Restarts by itself within about 10 minutes, tries its networks again, and brings the setup screen back: at once if no network is saved, otherwise after another 5 minutes. This is normal.
About 2½ minutes after start, then every 3 minutes	Checks for new firmware over the internet, and installs it if there is one (section 4).
After a firmware update restarts the station	The new firmware runs a 2-minute trial and then confirms itself. Keep the power on for at least 3 minutes after the restart. If the power is cut earlier, the station goes back to the previous version.
Once every 24 hours	Restarts by itself (never during an update) and reconnects within about half a minute.

2. Reading the display

The normal screen is the status screen. It shows everything you need to find the station on your network:

AURORA 9994 v388

IP 192.168.1.57

▂▄▆ -58dBmGPS 9sat

UP 2h05mlocked

Status screen (drawing; the real display is 128 × 64 pixels)

Part of the screen	Meaning
Top line	Station number and firmware version, e.g. `AURORA 9994 v388`.
After “IP”	The station's IP address on your network. Type it into a browser to open the web interface. Short addresses (up to 10 characters, for example `10.0.0.57`) are shown in large print on the line below “IP”. `-` means the station is not connected to Wi-Fi right now (firmware older than v390 shows `0.0.0.0`, and may keep showing an old address after the connection is lost).
Health line	Below the IP address (or next to “IP” when the address is shown large). Health of the station. `OK`: all is well. `INIT`: the first seconds after start. `BAD:` followed by one or more codes (for example `BAD:nofix,nbndlo`): the station is holding back its reports until the problem clears. `OK?` followed by a code: it is reporting, but has noticed something. `BAD:nofix` right after the first power-on only means no satellite position yet, which is normal. Every code is explained in chapter 2.
Bars and dBm	Wi-Fi signal strength. Around −70 dBm or better is comfortable; below −80 dBm the connection may drop.
`GPS 9sat`	Satellites in use. `GPS nofix` means no position yet. The satellite antenna is built into the base unit, so place the base unit where it can see the sky.
`UP`	Time since the last start.
Bottom right	State of the time reference. `locked` is the normal working state. `unlocked` is normal for the first minutes after start. `relock`: the time signal is back and the station is locking to it again. `holdover`: the satellite time signal was lost briefly and the station is keeping time on its own. `nofix`: the satellite receiver has no position; move the base unit, which has the satellite antenna built in, to where it can see more of the sky.

Other screens. Press the display button (marked BOOTSEL on the controller board) to step through the other screens: the last detected event, the clock, the site survey and the satellite view. Press again to come back to the status screen.

Two screens take over the display by themselves: the setup screen (section 3) and the firmware update screen (section 4).

3. Connecting to a Wi-Fi network

Requirements: a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network (5 GHz-only networks are not visible to the station), with a WPA2 password or no password. Network name: up to 32 bytes, which is 32 Latin letters or digits but only about 10 Japanese characters. Password: 8–63 characters, or empty for an open network.

The station remembers two networks. Saving a third replaces the oldest. Saved networks survive firmware updates.

3.1 With the QR code (easiest)

Power the station. With no Wi-Fi saved, the setup screen appears within seconds; a station with a saved network it cannot reach tries it for about 5 minutes first:
SETUP
scan or
join:
Aurora-9994
key:
K7QM4TXB
no wifi set
Setup screen (drawing). The name and key are different on every station.
Point your phone's camera at the QR code and tap the prompt to join the network Aurora-<station number>. The bottom line of the screen changes to phone ok. A unit that has not yet been given a station number shows a name made from its own board ID instead: Aurora- and four characters, for example Aurora-3F7A, so two new units in one room can be told apart.
The setup page opens by itself. If it does not, open a browser and go to http://192.168.4.1/.
Enter your Wi-Fi network name and password and press Save and connect.
The display shows Network saved / restarting... and the station restarts. If an update is being installed at that moment it shows finishing update / then restarting instead and waits up to about 2 minutes. Do not power it off.
After the restart the station joins your network and its IP address appears on the status screen. The setup network disappears.

If the station cannot join the network you entered, the setup screen returns after about 5 minutes, and its bottom line says why: wrong pass (wrong password), no network (network not found) or join failed (the router did not accept the station). When you join the setup network again, the setup page repeats the reason at the top. Correct the details and repeat the steps.

3.2 Without the QR code (typing the details from the screen)

If the QR code does not scan, or you are using a laptop:

Open the Wi-Fi settings of your phone or computer and join the network shown on the setup screen under join: (for example Aurora-9994).
When asked for a password, type the 8 characters shown under key:. The key uses capital letters and digits only; there is no letter O or I and no digit 0 or 1, so it cannot be misread.
Open http://192.168.4.1/ in a browser and continue from step 4 above.

3.3 Moving a connected station to a different network

While the station is online, you do not need the setup screen:

From a device on the same network, open http://<IP address>/wifi (the IP address is on the status screen).
Enter the new network name and password and press Save and connect. The station restarts and tries the new network first. Networks saved before are kept (up to two), and the station falls back to them if the new one cannot be reached.

To forget all saved networks, open http://<IP address>/wifi/forget and confirm. The station restarts and, with no network saved, shows the setup screen at once.

If you move the station to a network it cannot actually reach, it loses its connection. Nothing is lost: after about 5 minutes the setup screen appears and you can set it up again from there.

4. Firmware updates

4.1 Automatic updates

A station connected to the internet updates itself. You do not need to do anything.

It checks for new firmware about 2½ minutes after it starts, and then every 3 minutes.
When a new version is available it downloads it, verifies it and restarts into it. During this time the display shows the update screen:
FIRMWARE UPDATE
downloading v389
keep power ON
Update screen (drawing). Steps: checking, downloading v…, verifying, rebooting to new fw.
After the restart the new firmware runs a 2-minute trial. If it works, it confirms itself and becomes the permanent version. Keep the power on for at least 3 minutes after the restart.
If the new firmware fails its trial, or the power is cut before it confirms itself, the station automatically goes back to the previous version. A failed update cannot leave the station unusable.

Checking for updates does not disturb the measurement. While an update downloads and installs, measurement pauses, usually for a minute or two.

4.2 Checking for an update now

Open http://<IP address>/ota. This starts a check immediately and shows the current update status, for example idle v388 (no update) or downloading v389. Reload the page after a minute to follow the progress. For about 2 minutes after an update it shows update deferred (trial not committed); that is normal.

4.3 Manual update with a USB cable

Use this when a station cannot reach the internet, for example a station on firmware older than v388 that is not connected to any network. You need the firmware file (.uf2) and a computer with a USB port. Nothing needs to be installed on the computer.

Download the latest firmware (.uf2)

This is the same firmware that connected stations receive automatically.

Switch the station off. Keep the USB cable disconnected for now.
Hold down the display button (BOOTSEL), switch the station's normal power back on, and release the button after a second. The display stays dark; this is expected.
Now connect the controller board's USB port to the computer. A new USB drive appears on the computer.
Copy the .uf2 file onto that drive. When the copy finishes, the drive disappears and the station restarts into the new firmware by itself.
Leave the station powered for at least 3 minutes (the same 2-minute trial as in section 4.1). Then check the version on the top line of the display.
Disconnect the USB cable. The station keeps running.

Why this order: the station should always start on its normal power supply, never on the USB cable alone. With its normal power already on, the USB cable carries only the file.

Your saved Wi-Fi networks are kept. If the power is cut during the first 3 minutes, the station returns to its previous firmware, and you can simply repeat the steps.

5. The web interface

Every station has a built-in web page. Open http://<IP address>/ in a browser on a phone or computer connected to the same network as the station. The IP address is on the status screen. No app or login is needed.

A status line at the top shows the sample rate, the filter setting, the firmware version and the IP address. The tab bar also carries a language selector (firmware v407 and later): it lists twelve languages and translates the page's labels, buttons and tab names; any text without a translation stays in English. There are four tabs:

Tab	What it shows	What you can change
Live Scope	The live signal from the antenna.	Display scale; stop the display on a signal; the filter (preset buttons, or type a cutoff frequency in kHz and press set); the mode switch between normal lightning mode and the 100 Hz low-frequency mode. Leave the mode on lightning unless Denko asks you to change it.
History	Recent detections. Click one to see its waveform and details.	Test sends a built-in test signal through the detection chain. It checks the processing, not the antenna, and the test event is never reported as lightning. Clear empties the list in your browser only. ⚠ The detect ≥ selector (called min mag before v390) is not a list filter: it sets how strong a signal must be before the station detects and reports it at all. Leave it at 0 (the default); a higher value makes the station ignore weaker lightning until its next restart.
GNSS	Satellites in view, signal levels and the station's position.	—
Status	Health of the station and its current readings.	Start a new survey (in the Site survey card) restarts the background-noise survey. Use it after moving the antenna.

5.1 Other useful addresses

Address	Purpose
`/wifi`	Save a new Wi-Fi network (section 3.3).
`/wifi/forget`	Forget all saved networks (asks for confirmation).
`/ota`	Check for a firmware update now (section 4.2).
`/status.json`	All current readings in machine-readable form, for your own scripts or monitoring. Includes `net_enabled` and `net_active` (firmware v407 and later): how your detections are configured to be sent to each network, and whether there is actually a reachable destination right now.

Put the station's IP address in front of each one, for example http://192.168.1.57/status.json.

5.2 Changing settings

Every button in the web interface works by sending a setting to the station. You can send the same settings yourself by opening an address of this form:

http://<IP address>/set?<name>=<value>

For example, http://192.168.1.57/set?fc=20 sets the filter cutoff to 20 kHz, which is the same as typing 20 in the Live Scope tab. A change applies immediately.

Every setting, what it does, and what the station tunes by itself: chapter 3.

Settings changed this way are temporary. Most of them go back to the station's normal values at the next restart, which happens at least once a day, and after every firmware update. Denko also looks after the settings of stations remotely, and can set them back. If you want a change to stay, ask Denko.

Change settings only if you know what they do. The station works best on its normal settings.

6. Troubleshooting

You see	What to do
`0.0.0.0` or `-` as the IP	The station is not connected. Wait for the setup screen (within seconds with no Wi-Fi saved, about 5 minutes with a saved network) and follow section 3.1. If no setup screen appears and the version is below v388, update it with USB (section 4.3).
Setup screen says `wrong pass`	Set it up again and check the password, including upper and lower case.
Setup screen says `no network`	The network name is wrong, the router is out of range, or the router uses 5 GHz only. Check the name, move the router or the station closer, or enable 2.4 GHz on the router.
Setup screen says `join failed`	The router did not accept the station. Check that the network offers WPA2 (a WPA3-only network cannot be joined) and that the router does not block new devices, then restart the router and try again.
The setup page does not open on the phone	Stay joined to the `Aurora-…` network and open `http://192.168.4.1/` by hand. If the phone switches back to your home Wi-Fi by itself, turn off mobile data or “auto-join” for a moment.
The QR code does not scan	Join the network by typing the name and key from the screen (section 3.2).
`FIRMWARE UPDATE` / `keep power ON`	An update is being installed. Wait, and do not switch the station off.
The version went back to the old one after an update	The new firmware did not finish its trial, for example because the power was cut. The station is safe on its previous version. If it happens again, contact Denko.
The red light is flashing	Count the flashes and see chapter 2.
The setup screen disappeared by itself	The station found one of its known networks again and joined it. Look for its IP address on the status screen.