Chapter 1 · Describes DENKO Aurora firmware v487 and later · Updated 2026-11-01

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.

1. Timings at a glance

2. Reading the display

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

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.

Three screens take over the display by themselves: the setup screen (section 3), the firmware update screen (section 4) and the remote-console screen (section 5.6).

3. Connecting to a Wi-Fi network

The setup password changes with each setup session from firmware v482. Earlier firmware shows a fixed 8-character key. Always use the key and QR code currently shown on your station.

3.1 With the QR code (easiest)

1. 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:
   K7QM4TXB9A

   no wifi set

2. 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.
3. The setup page opens by itself. If it does not, open a browser and go to http://192.168.4.1/.
4. Enter your Wi-Fi network name and password and press Save and connect.
5. 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 the wait lasts until the update's trial finishes: normally about 2 minutes, and up to about 20 minutes on a station that cannot get online. A station that cannot get online then restarts on the previous version. Both screens add do not power off: do not power it off.
6. After the restart the station joins your network and its IP address appears on the status screen. The setup network disappears.

Choosing a nearby network. The setup page lists nearby networks with their signal strength and whether they need a password. Select yours, or type its name if it is hidden. Rescan refreshes the list; scanning can wait while the station is joining a network. The page also shows why the last connection attempt failed. A network appearing in the list does not mean it is saved: finish with Save and connect.

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:

1. 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).
2. When asked for a password, type the 10 characters currently 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.
3. 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:

1. From a device on the same network, open http://<IP address>/wifi (the IP address is on the status screen).
2. 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.

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 a minute after it starts, once it is online, and then every 3 minutes. New versions roll out in stages, so your station may receive a new version later than other stations; that is normal.
• 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 v487

  keep power ON

• 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. On a station with poor internet the trial can take longer — up to about 20 minutes — while the new version proves itself online.
• 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. If an update repeatedly rolls back, contact Denko.

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 v487. Reload the page after a minute to follow the progress. If another new version appears while the station is still on its 2-minute trial after an update, the page shows v… deferred (trial not bought); that is normal, and the waiting version installs by itself once the trial is confirmed. Every status message is explained in chapter 2, section 5.

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.

This is the same firmware that connected stations receive automatically.

1. Switch the station off. Keep the USB cable disconnected for now.
2. 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.
3. Now connect the controller board's USB port to the computer. A new USB drive appears on the computer.
4. Copy the .uf2 file onto that drive. When the copy finishes, the drive disappears and the station restarts into the new firmware by itself.
5. 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.
6. Disconnect the USB cable. The station keeps running.

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 is needed, and no login unless the station's owner has turned one on (section 5.5).

A status line at the top shows the sample rate, the filter setting, the firmware version and the IP address, and next to them the attack rate, the strength of the last signal, the clock state, the temperature, the Wi-Fi signal and the uptime. If the page loses contact with the station it says so (“board unreachable since … — values below are stale”), and after a firmware update it reloads itself once. The tab bar also carries a language selector (firmware v407 and later; Hebrew from v426, Thai from v447): it lists fourteen languages and translates the page's labels, buttons and tab names; any text without a translation stays in English. The choice is remembered in the browser you make it in. There are five tabs, plus a Manual link that opens this manual:

Stored sweep results. From firmware v482, a Sweep result section at the top of the Status tab shows the stored result; Reload result reads it again. Results captured from an external test signal show a run number within the current boot and the station's uptime at the start of capture. UTC is shown only when it was available at capture. This measurement uses an external test-signal source; the clear button does not generate a test signal. Press Clear result to remove the station's stored sweep record; reloading the page will not restore it. Clearing asks for a login with a token that allows settings (section 5.5), also on a station that otherwise does not require a login. Clearing does not change channel, gain or other settings and does not start a measurement. It is refused while a measurement is running; wait for it to finish. The same operation uses POST /api/resp with clear=sweep or clear=all. Read results at /sweep.json. The old result is unavailable while a clear request awaits processing, so check the cleared state before starting another measurement. sweep running or pending means a measurement or its request is not yet finished; no sweep yet means no stored run is available; results unavailable means the page could not read the result. Use Reload result to check again.

Scope controls. V/div, run, stop on signal, antenna-referred and high-pass change how the browser displays the waveform. The display’s high-pass control removes low-frequency hum from the drawing only. antenna-referred uses the station’s configured gain to show the input level. Peak hold, Average and Reset affect the displayed spectrum. These controls do not change what the station detects or sends. The Wideband cutoff, Low-frequency mode, Lightning indicators and History’s detect ≥ controls do change the station; see chapter 3.

History confirmation labels. checking… is still waiting for an answer; ⚡ located · used means the network used this station’s observation, while ⚡ located means a stroke was located but this station’s observation was not used. not located means no match was found for the detection; not sent means it was not sent, for example because reporting was held back or rate-limited. sent · no time cannot be matched because it lacks satellite time; bad reply means the answer could not be validated. Expand a row for the explanation and, when available, its map. The separate Live lightning panel can say live strike feed not connected; its demo button draws a sample located stroke in the browser, not a received strike or a station test.

5.1 The GNSS tab: satellite reception in plain words

The GNSS tab gathers everything about the satellite receiver that the station's timing depends on. From firmware v429 it begins with a judgement card: a state word (healthy, degraded or unknown), a one-line verdict, and “What this means” and “What to do” in plain words. The possible verdicts:

While the card reads Still listening…, “What this means” says which of these it is waiting for:

The card also tells you whether the timing is locked to the satellites, whether interference was detected, and how many of the listed satellites are heard, and it draws a sky map coloured by signal strength. A “How it compares” strip shows your reception against an example of good reception, and a folded-out Details section lists every satellite with its direction, height and signal.

The receiver link (firmware v440 and later). A “Receiver link” card says whether the satellite receiver inside the base unit is sending the station anything at all. It shows one of these lines:

Below the line, the card lists what the station counted (bytes, edges, errors, and how many listening windows it has used), and when the link is not normal, a “boot probe” line and the reminder “RX wire evidence, not a hardware diagnosis”. These figures help Denko; you do not need to read them.

Freshness of the readings. No GNSS update received means the page has not received its first GNSS reply. GNSS values are stale (last update … s ago) means the displayed observation is old. Last observation; current reception and timing unknown. keeps the old evidence visible without claiming it describes the present. Check the connection and wait for a fresh update.

The antenna line. The satellite receiver watches its own antenna feed and reports one of three states: OK, open or short.

• With the station's standard passive antenna, open is the normal reading: the feed draws no power, and the receiver cannot tell it apart from an unplugged one. Only a short is a fault.
• If you use an external antenna with an amplifier (active antenna), then open means it is not getting power: check its cable and connector.

From firmware v440, with the standard setting, an open feed reads “open” on the antenna card with this note beside it: “No current drawn — normal for a passive antenna. If your antenna has an amplifier (active antenna), it is not getting power: check its cable and connector.” Which antenna the station should expect is set per station by Denko (the gnssant setting, chapter 3); the standard setting shows as “passive (default)”, and reporting is not affected. The receiver mentions the state only when it changes, so “never - the module reports only on CHANGE” beside “last report” simply means it has never seen a change — also normal.

The reception cause (firmware v437 and later). Below the verdict, a panel headed “Reception cause” gives the station's best single explanation of the reception — Interference, Frequency loss, Sector blockage, Uniform / pattern weakness or Healthy, and from firmware v440 Band missing — with a confidence, the evidence it rests on, the signal loss in each direction (“By direction”), the quality of the receiver's data (“Receiver data quality”), and “What would change this opinion”. While this panel is new it marks itself “preliminary (not yet used for the verdict)”: it is still being proven against the verdict and is not yet used for it.

• Band missing (firmware v440 and later): the receiver uses two frequency bands, and on most of the satellites it lists on both, one band is not heard while the other band of the same satellites is. The evidence begins “Band missing: … is absent on …/… satellites the receiver lists on both bands …” and explains: “A blockage removes both bands of a satellite; one missing band points to an antenna or re-radiator without this band, a detuned antenna or a band-limited RF path.” If you have added an external antenna or a re-radiator (a repeater that brings satellite signals indoors), check that it passes both bands. Otherwise contact Denko.
• “Cause not determined yet — the evidence below is not enough to tell interference, antenna detuning and blockage apart”: the evidence line starts “Cause not determined yet:” followed by the reason, and the list says what is still needed. Two reasons are about the bands. “… is missing, or heard far below the other, on some satellites listed on both bands” means a band gap has been seen, but not yet on enough satellites to call it. “no satellite on the enabled G1 band has been heard for at least 60 min, or since observation began” is often harmless (G1 is one of the receiver's satellite bands): when only one or two satellites of that band are in view, even a healthy outdoor antenna can go without them for over 40 minutes. Nothing to do for either; if a band stays missing for a day, contact Denko.
• When the panel has no opinion it says why: “No cause evidence received from the board yet.”, “Cause opinion withheld: the GNSS data stopped updating. It returns with the next update.”, or “Cause evidence arrived incomplete or inconsistent; waiting for the next update.”

Further down the tab: the fix type and position with a map, and tables of every satellite and its signal. While the judgement card is shown (firmware v482 and later), its Signal bands section lists each satellite signal with its band, frequency and strength, or “listed, not heard”, after a count “Listed … · Heard …”; the separate band comparison and sky plot cards appear only while there is no judgement card. On earlier firmware, a comparison of the two satellite frequency bands (a warning there points at the antenna) is always shown further down.

5.2 The Status tab: faults in words

The Diagnostics card of the Status tab says in words what the red light is flashing (chapter 2, section 1). Its “error lamp” line gives the number of flashes and its meaning, for example “2 blinks” and “ADC dead or capture stalled”, or “off — no board fault (the site verdict is separate)”. From firmware v440:

• For 1 flash it names which of its causes it is: “previous boot crashed in the detector”, “previous boot crashed in the main loop”, “previous boot was stopped by a deliberate test fault” (a fault caused on purpose, for testing), “stack headroom down to … B (the warning is below 256 B)” or, from firmware v441, “detector stack headroom down to … B (the warning is below 256 B)”; when none of them can be told, it reads “previous boot faulted, or stack headroom nearly gone”. The “stack headroom” line of the same card reads “… B free of 6144” (from firmware v441; before that it counted 4096), and when it is the stack it adds “TOO LOW: the firmware is close to running out of stack and may restart”. What to do is unchanged: chapter 2, section 1.
• For 7 flashes it reads “stream not band-limited: check that the input filter is really running (set the filter cut-off again), then the converter supply; still emitting”. Restart the station; if it stays, contact Denko.

The site verdict while there is a fault. In the Site survey card, a fault that makes the noise measurement meaningless (2, 3, 7 or 8 flashes, or a steady red light) replaces the verdict with “site not judged while the board reports a fault:” and the fault in words. With 1, 4, 5 or 6 flashes the site is judged as usual, and the verdict adds “board also reports:” and the fault; with 5 or 6 it may instead read “waiting for a 3D fix” or “waiting for the clock to lock — timestamps are not usable yet”. If a 1-flash fault hides one of the faults above, the verdict names both. Fix the fault first, then read the verdict again.

When almost no signal arrives. If the antenna signal is missing, the Site survey card says “MEANINGLESS: almost nothing is reaching the ADC (…): antenna disconnected or front end not amplifying — this reading cannot tell which. Nothing is being sent.”, and adds “If the antenna is connected, check the -5 V rail.” While it has no detections listed, the History tab then reads “History paused — almost no signal is reaching the ADC”, and a trace stopped in the Live Scope is labelled as noise, not a signal. Switch the station off, check the cable between the antenna unit and the base unit at both ends, and switch it on again. The −5 V supply is inside the station, not something you can check: if the message stays with the cable connected, contact Denko.

Restarts. The “last restart” line, and each run in “previous boots” (newest first, for example “v438 ran 2 h 5 m — firmware update”), give the reason for the restart:

If “previous boots” turns red, two or more of the listed runs ended within two minutes of starting: the station is not staying up. Contact Denko if it stays red.

Update checks. The “last update check” line says how the station’s last automatic update check ended, and how many checks in a row ended the same way, for example “offered version is not newer ×7” or “manifest unreachable: HTTP 503 ×2”. Until the station has finished a check since it started, the line shows the outcome it kept from before the restart and how many restarts ago that was, for example “refused: held by configuration ×4, 1 reboot ago”. “none yet” means no check has finished and none was kept. The /ota page says the same in its own words (chapter 2, section 5).

5.3 Other useful addresses

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

Firmware v487 also includes cfgsig, cfgseq and cfgbad in /status.json: the configuration-check verdict code, sequence and bad-check count. These are service diagnostics; the update and setup procedures above are unchanged. The read-only aliases /api/status, /api/scope, /api/event, /api/gnss and GET /api/resp return the same readings as their corresponding JSON addresses above. /chain.txt returns the Chain text view. Other service interfaces include /api/resp (stored measurement handling), /api/command and /api/command-state (requested operations and their state), /ota/upload/… (firmware transfer), and /dump (past waveform retrieval). Use them only with Denko’s instructions.

5.4 Changing settings

Controls that change a station setting send that setting to the station. Display-only controls stay in the browser. On a station that does not require login, 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 requests a 20 kHz filter cutoff, like the Live Scope control. Filter changes are queued: check cutoff_khz in /status.json after the change, rather than treating the acknowledgement as proof that it was applied. If the station requires login, log in and use the web controls, which send POST /set with your session; an address typed into the browser does not include it. Another available setting: /set?reboot=1 restarts the station cleanly, as if it were switched off and on.

5.5 Logging in with a token

On firmware v469 and later, after each restart, changes and token login wait until this station has received its login settings from the owner (auth_req and auth_nb, chapter 3, Station login). From firmware v482, a complete download of the station's remote configuration that holds neither setting means login is off, so the wait normally lasts only until the first download, about 30 seconds after start; it continues if the download fails, or if only one of the two settings or an invalid value arrives. Firmware v469 to v481 needs both settings, explicitly. Until then, the box at the bottom right of the page says “Waiting for station configuration” and offers no Log in button. If this continues, ask the owner to check the station’s login settings. Readings and automatic signed updates continue. An explicit owner setting can still leave login requirements off. This boot-time waiting state is separate from the dashboard console-session notices below.

The station's owner can turn on "require a login" for a station (firmware newer than v449). This setting is off unless the owner turns it on (on firmware v469 and later, once the station has received the owner’s login settings; see above).

While it is on, anyone can still open and look at every page of the station. Only changing something — settings, tests, restarts, Wi-Fi, or firmware updates — needs a login.

The login is a token: a long piece of text that starts with dk1.. The station owner creates it for you on their Denko dashboard. A token works for one station only, and it expires by itself after at most 24 hours. Nothing needs to be undone afterwards.

To log in, open the station's web page. A small box appears at the bottom right of the page when the station requires a login, or when a change was refused. Press "Log in" in that box, paste the token, and press Log in. The box then shows "Logged in until HH:MM" and a Log out button.

The login lasts until the token expires, until you press Log out, or until the station restarts. After a restart, paste the same token again. The login belongs to that browser tab only.

Local access when login is unavailable. With the station already powered, hold the display button for at least 10 seconds. This suspends the login requirement until the next restart. A short press released before that simply changes the display screen. Holding the button while switching on has a different purpose: USB update mode (section 4.3).

While the station shows its Wi-Fi setup QR code, the Wi-Fi setup page needs no login: joining the setup network already needs the code on the display. On a station that requires a login and is already on your network, the Wi-Fi page (/wifi) can show the saved networks but its buttons are refused; ask the owner to change the Wi-Fi.

Some tokens allow settings only. Changing Wi-Fi or installing firmware needs a token that the owner has also issued for those. If the station asks for one, ask the owner for a token that covers what you want to do.

If the station shows a message in the login box or after you paste a token, find it in the table below. Messages from the remote console are in section 5.6.

5.6 Opening the station console remotely

On firmware with remote-console support, the station can connect to the Denko dashboard so you can open its own web interface while away from its network. The station needs an internet connection. Firmware v455 introduces this feature. A dashboard button alone does not mean that the station is connected.

Sign in at the Denko dashboard, choose your station and expand Diagnostics. In Station console, press Open station console. From firmware v475 onward, the connection opens automatically on the station’s next contact and the station's web interface opens in a separate tab. If asked, allow pop-ups for the dashboard.

If the console is unavailable, check that the station is online and that your account has access. After a connection is lost, wait for the station to reconnect and open its console again from the dashboard. Contact Denko if it stays unavailable. Keep the station's power on during an update.

On firmware v468 and later, the console's own messages appear on the station's web page. If, while a page is open, the console session ends, the console refuses a request or (on firmware v472 and later) the console cannot confirm what happened to a request, a notice appears across the top of the page. If this happens while you are logging in with a token, the same message also appears in the login window. The notice shows one of the three messages below (the last one only on firmware v472 and later), then "Unsaved edits remain on this page. No action has been retried; check the station state before trying a change again.", then the link Open console recovery (leaves this page). The access-refusal notice also has a Dismiss button on firmware v475 and later, as described below. The notice does not log you out of the station (section 5.5). The link leaves the current page and opens the console's address again. If the console session has ended, a page with a link back to the dashboard opens instead of the station page. Edits you have not applied are lost.

6. Troubleshooting