Setting Up Your Wio Tracker L1 Pro
Important first step is to fit the antenna on to the tracker.
Warning
Please be aware that when building or assembling these kits.
DO NOT TURN ON the device without the Antenna attached.
This can damage the unit, turning it on without an antenna.
Requirements
To progran your tracker L1 Pro, you will need a "
Computer" to
flash the device and a "
mobile phone" using the MeshCore App to
communicate to the tracker.
Installing the App on your Phone
Using your phone, visit the Meshcore website, on this link.
Meshcore Website
or type in your phones web browser
https://meshcore.io/
if you are reading these instructions on a computer.
Scroll down to "
Download the MeshCore App"
Depending on which phone platform you have, select and install the app
on to your phone.
You cannot connect to anything until you have set up your Tracker as per
the instructions below.
Once you have installed the app on your phone, you now need to find out
what comms port the Wio tracker L1 Pro is using.
Finding your Com Port
Using your computer, click on the "Looking Glass" (Search) on your
taskbar, and type in Device Manager.
Then open Device Manager and click on Ports (COM & LPT) make a note of
the ports you currently have. (If you don't see any Com Ports installed,
continue on to the next step.)
Plug your USB cable into your computer
and your Wio Tracker and turn the Tracker on (slide up the Big Yellow
button on the side). The button above that is the restart button.
Check the Ports again. The new port is your Wio Tracker so make a note
of the Port ID and number.
Leave the USB cable connected. This will be required to flash the
firmware. (Next Step)
Also if this is the first time it has been connected to a USB, it will
start charging the internal battery in the Tracker. Once the battery is
fully charged, the LED changes from red to blue.
Flashing the Firmware
Instructions to load the firmware are pretty simple. The first step
using your computer this time, is to go back to the
Meshcore Website
and scroll down until you find the picture of the Wio Tracker L1 Pro.
Click on "Flash Firmware". (In blue) This will take you to the page for
the Seeed Studio Wio Tracker L1 Pro. The next step is up to you.
I’d suggest flashing the device as a "Companion Bluetooth". That way you
can use the Meshcore app on your phone. It is much easier to use a big
screen to do the communicating.
First go into
"DFU mode" as that is used by the nRF52840 MCU
chipset in the Wio Tracker.
Press the
"Erase Flash" button. It will ask for the port ID. Use
the drop down to select the Wio Port, then press "Connect" and the
Meshtastic already programmed in to the device will be erased.
Once that is complete press
"Flash" and again select the correct
port.
The flashing will take a bit longer than the erase. Once the system
tells you it is complete, turn the Tracker off and unplug from the USB
cable.
Connecting to Bluetooth
Turn the Tracker back on and look at the WIO screen. It will show a
6-digit Bluetooth password.
Make sure Bluetooth is turned on in your phone, then open the Meshcore
App and click "Connect". Your Wio Tracker should show up. When you click
on it, you’ll have to enter the 6-digit password to allow the connection
to proceed.
You should only have to do that once. You can then configure your device
with a name and select the
"New Zealand (Narrow)" option for
configuring the radio.
You can name your tracker whatever you like. My Wio Tracker address is
ZL1RJS. If you intend on using more than one then add -1 or whatever
you like to identify each unit
Others that are usually non-amateurs use random names that you will
discover when you see the system in use. Just remember that to be useful
the device name needs to be easy to relate to, otherwise no-one will
know who you are.
Start Using the Tracker
It is best to fully charge the Tracker before you start using it.
See the "Tips on Using your Wio Tracker below".
Once the Tracker is connected you need to leave it on a window sill or
somewhere where it is likely to see the world. At the top of the App is
a little set of radio waves.
You need to push that every now and then (maybe every 30 minutes) for a
couple of hours. Use the "Advert - Flood Routed" option to tell the
world that you exist. This will prompt a number of activities on the
Mesh that will stimulate nodes and repeaters to get added to your
contact list.
Tips on using Your Wio Tracker L1 Pro
GPS Turned On/Off
With the GPS turned
ON the tracker needs to be charged up around
every 3 days.
To save battery power turn the GPS
OFF. The battery will last a
long time before it needs charging.
You can still put your GPS coordinates in, but use your phone to do this
and you can also set those setting close by as not to reveal the
trackers true location.
Status of Battery
You can change the status of the battery of your tracker, which is
displayed on your phones app (top left)
You can choose to display either as a voltage or as a percentage.
To change this, on your phone tap on the percentage sign it will toggle
between displaying the percentage and the voltage of the battery.
Bluetooth Disconnected
If you get an error with Bluetooth not connected and cannot reconnect.
Turn Off the Tracker and back On again, this will reset the unit and you
may need to select the device on your phone.
This can happen when you go out of range of the Tracker's Bluetooth
range.
