What You Will Need?

1. A device with a web browser such as a laptop, tablet or smart phone, capable of connecting to a 2.4GHz WiFi access point

2. A SIM card removal tool, large paper clip or pin to push the configuration mode button

3. A powered MobiusFlow® connector

4. The connector's Serial Number

Enabling Configuration Mode

The connector's configuration mode can be enabled in two ways:

Using the Configuration button

Using a pin hold in the configuration mode button (inside the small hole to the right of the USB connector) on the front panel for 2 seconds

Release the button and the green LED will flash rapidly

Using your laptop / tablet / smartphone look for a WiFi network with the same name as the connectors serial number

Connect to this network and enter the connector's Config Mode Password. The default is mobiusflow

Open a web browser on your laptop / tablet / smartphone and enter http://192.168.4.1 into the browsers address bar and hit enter

The web browser will show the connector's configuration Home page

Using a Web Browser

Make sure that the connector and your laptop / tablet / smart phone are connected to the same Ethernet network

Open a web browser and browse to <your connector IP address>:8080 e.g. 192.168.1.20:8080

You will need to enter a user name and password. The user name is admin and the password is the same as the connector's Config Mode Password. The default is mobiusflow

After a short delay the web browser will redirect to the connector's configuration Home page

The Connector collects data from sensors and sends data to actuators via standard wireless sensor protocols such as EnOcean and Workplace Occupancy, and sends this data securely to a MobiusFlow® Gateway or MobiusFlow® Virtual Cloud Gateway using the MQTT based MobiusFlow® Sensor Protocol.

Once the data has been received by a MobiusFlow® Gateway it is decoded and the associated MobiusFlow® object is updated with the latest sensor readings which can then be processed by the gateway.

Part Numbers

It is possible to have up to two radios for wireless sensors in a single connector. This is useful when you have combination of sensors using different protocols.

The current options are EnOcean and Workplace Occupancy using either 868MHz for the EMEA region of 915MHz for the USA and Canada.

Download Connector Firmware

v3.1.1

v3.2.0

What You Will Need?

1. Your connector's serial number (see label on bottom of connector)

2. A running instance of MobiusFlow®

3. A configured MQTT broker (this is usually an MQTT broker running in your MobiusFlow® instance

Configuring MobiusFlow®

The configuration screenshots in the guide assume you are using an MQTT broker running in the same instance of MobiusFlow®. You should adjust the configuration to suit your setup. An example of the broker configuration is shown below

Login in to your MobiusFlow® instance and navigate to the Configuration tab

Drag a mobius connectors service from the palatte on the left into the centre configuration tree

Ensure that Enabled and Run At Start or ticked and optionally add a service description

In the MQTT Broker field enter the IP address or fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of your MQTT broker. If you are using a broker configured in the same MobiusFlow® instance enter localhost

Enter the port that the broker is listening on into the MQTT Port field

If your MQTT broker requires a username and password for authentication enter these into the MQTT Username and MQTT Password fields. You can leave these two fields blank if your MQTT broker does not require them

Click Save Changes

Search for a mobiusFlowConnector object in the left hand palatte and drag one onto the mobius connectors service you have just configured

Optionally change the Name, and add a Description and Location. Leave the default Instance and Parent field values

In the Serial Number field enter the serial number of the connector you are adding. This can be found on the label on the bottom of the connector and usually starts MF_00

The connection between the connector and the MobiusFlow® instance is authorised and encoded with a pre-shared key (PSK) or password. You can freely define this PSK but the same key must be entered into the MobiusFlow® configuration and the corresponding connector.

Click Save Changes

Starting the mobius connectors Service

Navigate to the Diagnostics page

Click on the mobius connectors service start button ▶️

The service will start and show that it has connected to the MQTT broker

The Home page has the following buttons

Configure Network

Configure the wired or wireless Ethernet network settings

Manage Certificates

Manage all certificates for TLS connections. The default certificates are for MobiusFlow® cloud hosted instances but you can add your own if required

Configure MQTT

Configure the connection to the MQTT broker you chose when configuring MobiusFlow® for connectors

Set Config Mode Password

Change the configuration mode password

About

See information about the connector such as the software version, serial number, andwhich modules are installed

You can also update the firmware on this page

Reboot Device

Reboot the device to exit configuration mode and use the new settings

Accessing Configuration Page

Via Balena Fleet

If the Connector is hosted via BalenaCloud and has an internet connection, the configuration can be accessed anywhere via the BalenaCloud Public Device URL.

MobiusFlow Hosted

If the connector is hosted by MobiusFlow, please contact support to receive the Public Device URL.

Self Hosted

The BalenaCloud Public Device URL can be found by Navigating to the connector device on the BalenaCloud fleet.

Via Raspberry Pi Access Point

By default, the MobiusFlow connector will broadcast a WiFi access point, the name of which matches the connector's serial number (in the form of MF_XXXXX). Connect to this access point on a computer or mobile device. Then the configuration window is accessible by browsing to 10.42.0.1.

Via Local Network

If the connector is connected to a local network via Ethernet or WiFi (with a known IP address) and you're able to also connect to this network using a computer or mobile device, then simple browse to the local IP of the connector.

Login & Home

Login

When browsed to the configuration window of the connector, a login screen is presented.

The default password of all new MobiusFlow connectors is:

mobiusflow

Note that, if the connector is not new, this login password may have been changed.

Home Page

When on the the home page, the current status of the connector is shown. This includes:

The main menu also allows navigation to the connectors configuration pages. These includes those for Network Configuration, MQTT Configuration, Certification Configuration, and the Change Password page (allows the connector configuration password to be changed).

Configure Network

It is critical that the MobiusFlow connector's network situation is such that it can access the target MobiusFlow instance over the network. This may be over the internet or simply over a local network.

In either situation, the connector must be connected to the network and the configure network page allows for this.

Connection Type

The connection type allows choosing between a Wired or WiFi connection.

If using a Wired connection, ensure the Raspberry Pi is plugged in via Ethernet.

If using WiFi mode, the WiFi SSID and corresponding password must be populated.

TCP/IP Settings

The TCP/IP settings allow switching between DHCP and Static IP allocation. Unless there are specific reasons to set the connector on a static IP address, using DHCP is recommended.

If using the connector in Static mode, the Subnet Mask, Default Gateway and DNS 1 can be set. If it is not clear what to use here, use the default settings as shown below.

Note that, the default gateway is not required however if the connector required access to the internet, the local IP address of the internet providing gateway (Network router / modem) must be populated here. This is often in the form XXX.XXX.XXX.1 or XXX.XXX.XXX.0 .

WiFi Access Point

Setting the connector up to be a WiFi access point is useful for two reasons.

Firstly, it allows you to connect to it, allowing for easy wireless access to its configuration page. Secondly, if this connector has internet access via ethernet, it can act as an internet enabled hotspot to connect WiFi device to, in-turn giving them internet access.

If the WiFi access point is enabled, a WiFi SSID and Password must be set. It is recommended the default SSID is used (This matches the the connectors Serial Number)

Saving Changes

To save the changes click the save button. If there are an issues with the configuration, such as an invalid input in one of the fields, the form will show this and the changes will not be saved. If the settings were saved correctly, a pop up will show this after the save button has been clicked.

Configure MQTT

Overview

Connectors use MQTT to communicate with MobiusFlow. As such, the Configure MQTT page allows the connector to be pointed at a specific MQTT broker. In almost all cases, the broker will be running the MobiusFlow instance itself.

Before setting up the connector's MQTT configuration, ensure you first set up the MobiusFlow instance ready for this connection. A guide on how to do this can be found here.

Configuration Window

The configuration window shows the key 6 properties which must configured to allow an authorised connection to the MQTT broker.

Explanation of Properties

Saving Changes

To save the changes click the save button. If there are an issue with the configuration, such as an invalid input in one of the fields, the form will show this and the changes will not be saved. If the settings were saved correctly, a pop up will show this after the save button has been clicked.

Realising Changes

Once the changes have been made locally, to implement the changes within the connector, click the Reconfigure and Reboot button.

This will cause the connector to reboot. As such, the configuration window's connection to the connector will be lost. This may automatically be restored once the connector reboots, but this may not be the case if the connector's configuration has changed such that it is no longer accessible over the network.

Setting CA / Server Certificates

When using TLS you will need to set the correct CA / Server certificates. You can have up to three certificates set. If the connector fails to connect using one of the certificates it will cycle through all three, trying each one until it connects

The default certificates are ISRG Root X1 certificates which are used when connecting to MobiusFlow® hosted instances of MobiusFlow®

You can set the certificate by pasting the certificate text into the selected certificate slot

Setting Client Certificate and Keys

If your setup requires the use of Client certificates you can set up to four different certificates and keys. Paset these into the selected certificate and key slots

Select Network Type

You can choose to use a wired or wireless (2.4GHz WiFi) connection to connect a connector to your MobiusFlow® instance

Select your network type using the Connect Via dropdown. The page layout will change depending on the option selected

When using a wireless connection you need to enter the WiFi network's SSID (name) and password. You can click on the Scan WiFi Networks button to get a list of available WiFi networks

You can set a connection timeout in minutes. If the connector fails to connect to a network within this time it will reboot and try again

Select TCP/IP Mode

You can choose to use a DHCP server to allocate the connector an IP Address or set a static IP Address. If you choose to use a static IP Address a few more options will be shown. Set these according to your network

Save Settings

Once you have configured all network settings click the Save button

Click the Home button on the settings saved confirmation page to return to the Home page

The about page shows you information about the connector. You can also update the connector's firmware by clicking on the Update Firmware button

Updating Firmware

Click on the Update Firmware button on the About page

Click on Choose File and select the firmware file you want to upload

Click on the Update button

After a few minutes the connector will reboot and start running the new firmware

If you forget your connector's Config Mode Password or want to fully reset all settings to the factory default follow the procedure below

What You Will Need?

1. A SIM card removal tool, large paper clip or pin to push the configuration mode button

Factory Reset

Using a pin hold in the configuration mode button (inside the small hole to the right of the USB connector) on the front panel for 10 seconds

While you are holding the button in the green LED will start to flash rapidly and after 10 seconds the connector will reboot. Once you see the power on LED sequence release the configuration mode button

Hardware Requirements

Raspberry Pi

A Raspberry Pi is required. Currently support Raspberry Pi models include:

• Raspberry Pi 4

• Raspberry Pi 5

An SD card for each Raspberry Pi is also required to store the connector image. We recommend a minimum storage of 16GB.

Transceivers / Interfacing Hardware

Most protocol types require specific hardware to translate that protocol to the Raspberry Pi.

EnOcean

The following transceivers are supported. Only 1 is required per Pi:

Etching SD Image

MobiusFlow Raspberry Pi connectors can offer remote access functionality via BalenaCloud, however this is not required. As such, the hosting options of the connector must be considered.

Hosting Options

MobiusFlow Hosted

The following images can be downloaded for etching:

Self Hosted

The following is an overview of the steps involved:

• Create BalenaCloud Account

• Create BalenaCloud Fleet

• Attach BalenaCloud Fleet to the corresponding MobiusFlow Connector Balena Application

• Add a new device to the fleet and download the subsequent Balena image

• Etch the image

We have a full guide on how to use the BalenaCloud with MobiusFlow itself here. Please note this differs in the context of MobiusFlow Connectors because the BalenaCloud Fleets should be linked to the MobiusFlow Connector BalenaCloud applications instead of the standard MobiusFlow BalenaCloud applications.

Not Hosted

Etching

We recommend using the Balena Etcher tool to etch the images onto an SD Card. The tool is self-explanatory, but full full documentation of how to use the tool can be found here.

The Config Mode Password is used to login to the configuration pages of the connector. The default password is mobiusflow

You can change the password on this page

Save Settings

Click the Save button

Click the Home button on the settings saved confirmation page to return to the Home page

Power Options

You have three options to power the connector

Network Options

You can connect to your network via wired Ethernet or 2.4GHz WiFi

Front Panel

The image and table below describe the connections and LED indicators on the front panel of the connector.

Product Label

MobiusFlow® connectors send and receive data via MQTT. You need to configure the MQTT settings to match the configuration you set in the Configuring MobiusFlow® section of this guide.

MQTT Broker Settings

You can choose any MQTT client ID but this must be unique for your MQTT broker. The default is the connector's serial number

Enter the IP Address or URL of the MQTT broker. You do not need to specify MQTT:// or MQTTS:// before the URL

Enter the MQTT Port number. This is normally 1883 or 8883 for TLS enabled connections

If required enter the MQTT broker authorisation Username and Password. These can be left blank if no authentication is required

Enter the same pre-shared key (PSK) as you entered in the Configuring MobiusFlow® section of this guide

Security

If you are using TLS make sure you check the TLS using CA Certificate option. You must also set the correct CA Server Certificate on the Manage Certificates page

You may also choose to use a Client Certificate and Key. Check this option if required and ensure that you have setup your client certificate and key on the Manage Certificates page

Save Settings

Once you have configured all MQTT settings click the Save button

Click the Home button on the settings saved confirmation page to return to the Home page