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WindNerd HQ Initial Setup

Powering​

Depending on your kit, it comes with one of the two options below. Both plug into the XH2.54 connector on the board.

USB Power cable​

The 4-meter USB-A to XH2.54 cable powers the HQ from any USB charger, such as a phone charger.

  • Plug the XH2.54 end into the board and the USB-A end into a USB charger.
  • Keep the charger indoors or in a weatherproof box: only the cable should be exposed to the weather.

On the cable, the HQ stays connected to Wi-Fi all the time and does not switch to Eco mode.

Passing the cable through a wall or a cable gland

Contacts can be separated from the XH2.54 housing by pressing their spring tab with a needle while pulling the wire, so only the two wires have to pass through. Bend the spring tabs back out with a thin tool before reinserting each contact into its original slot.

Sunbank 2W​

The Sunbank 2W is a solar base with a rechargeable battery. The HQ sits on top of it and runs on solar power only, with no cable to the mast.

  • Follow the Sunbank assembly guide to build it and connect it to the board.
  • The HQ manages its own energy: it estimates how much solar energy is available and stays connected to Wi-Fi when it can afford it. When the sun is not enough, it switches to Eco mode, where Wi-Fi reconnects every 1, 2 or 5 minutes to publish the wind.
info

In Eco mode, the local dashboard and the local HTTP API are not accessible. A short press on the button brings Wi-Fi back for 3 minutes.

Sensor and Magnet Check​

  • Power the board.

  • The electronic board has 2 green LED indicators to check if the sensors and magnets are working correctly.

    • By turning the rotor by hand, the speed LED should blink with each rotation.
    • Rotate the vane slowly to find the position where the North LED lights up. It should match the arrow indicating north.

    WindNerd HQ powered

Wi-Fi Configuration​

No communication occurs through the power cable; the device needs to be connected to a Wi-Fi network to communicate with the world.

First start​

  • When out of the box or after a factory reset, it starts in Access Point mode (yellow LED on). Any computer, smartphone, or tablet should be able to see and connect to the "WindNerd-HQ-xxx" Wi-Fi network, where xxx is the device's serial number.

    WindNerd HQ in access point mode showing on Wi-Fi network list

  • After connecting, you may be automatically redirected to a setup page (depending on the device). If not, open a browser (like Chrome or Safari) and go to 10.10.0.1 to access the WindNerd HQ.

  • After scanning, a list of available Wi-Fi networks will appear. Select the network you want the WindNerd HQ to connect to and enter the password.

    WindNerd HQ scanning for Wi-Fi networks available WindNerd HQ asking for Wi-Fi password

  • Once the connection is successful, a confirmation screen shows:

    • a Log in to windnerd.net link to manage your station,
    • the device's addresses on your local network, http://windnerd-hq-xxx.local and its IP address, each with a Copy button.

    Copy what you need before leaving this screen: your phone or computer will return to its usual Wi-Fi network and the setup page will close.

    WindNerd HQ has successfuly connected to Wi-Fi

  • If the connection fails, an error message is shown.

  • When the blue LED turns solid, the WindNerd HQ has connected to windnerd.net.

To come back to Access Point mode later, for example to change the Wi-Fi network, press the board button for 3 seconds.

Next Steps​

Your HQ is measuring and publishing wind. From here:

warning

Raspberry Pi and other Linux hotspot compatibility​

Hotspots created with NetworkManager (used by many Linux systems including Raspberry Pi OS) may advertise multiple Wi-Fi security protocols at the same time.
This can cause compatibility issues with the WindNerd HQ during the Wi-Fi authentication phase.

If the device cannot connect to a hotspot managed by NetworkManager, configure the hotspot to use WPA2-PSK (RSN) only.

  1. List available connections to identify the hotspot name:
nmcli connection show
  1. Force WPA2-PSK security for the hotspot:
sudo nmcli connection modify "<HOTSPOT_NAME>" 802-11-wireless-security.key-mgmt wpa-psk
sudo nmcli connection modify "<HOTSPOT_NAME>" 802-11-wireless-security.proto rsn
  1. Restart NetworkManager or reconnect the hotspot:
sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager

After applying these settings, reconnect the device to the hotspot.