Wi-Fi setup
ZiggyMeter's Wi-Fi radio works in two modes. It uses one or the other, never both at once.
| Mode | Address | Transport | When it is used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access Point — the device hosts its own hotspot | http://192.168.4.1 | HTTP | Factory-fresh device, or no network credentials stored |
| Client (station) — the device joins your network | Assigned by your router | HTTPS | Once you have configured a network |
Only 2.4 GHz networks are supported. 5 GHz and 6 GHz networks will not appear in the scan.
Access Point mode
A factory-fresh device brings Wi-Fi up by itself in Access Point mode. The red LED shows a long pulse about once a second:
- Network name:
ZiggyMeter-XXXX, where XXXX comes from the device's MAC address - Password: printed on the label supplied with the device
- Address: always
http://192.168.4.1
Your phone will warn that the network has no internet access. That is expected.
INFO
Captive portal. The device runs a small DNS responder so that many phones open the setup page automatically, the way hotel Wi-Fi does. Detection is unreliable across operating systems — in particular a laptop with an Ethernet cable attached will not show it. Typing http://192.168.4.1 always works.
You can change the hotspot's network name and password on the WiFi → Access Point tab. See Web interface → WiFi.
Joining your network
- Open the web interface and go to WiFi → New connection.
- Pick your network from the list. It refreshes every few seconds and shows signal strength and security type for each entry.
- Enter the Wi-Fi password and select Connect.
WARNING
The moment the device joins your network it shuts down the hotspot, so your browser loses its connection. Reconnect your phone or laptop to your normal Wi-Fi, then open the device again.
Finding the device afterwards
The device no longer answers on 192.168.4.1. Reach it by:
- Hostname —
https://ZiggyMeter-XXXX, if your network resolves local names - IP address — look for
ZiggyMeter-XXXXin your router's client or DHCP list - Serial console — the device logs its IP address as soon as it joins, so a USB-C cable tells you the address without touching the router. See USB serial console
The WiFi → Status tab shows the hostname, IP address, netmask, gateway and whether DHCP is in use.
INFO
On your own network the device serves HTTPS with a self-signed certificate, so the browser warns that the connection is not private the first time. Choose Advanced and continue. See Security.
Static addressing
The WiFi page also accepts a fixed IP address, netmask and gateway instead of DHCP. A DHCP reservation on your router is usually the simpler option, because it keeps all address management in one place.
When Wi-Fi comes up
Wi-Fi is not necessarily on all the time — on batteries it is expensive to run.
| Situation | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Factory-fresh device | Wi-Fi starts automatically in Access Point mode |
| Configured, powered from USB-C | Wi-Fi stays up, device is always reachable |
| Configured, on batteries | Wi-Fi comes up on demand |
To bring Wi-Fi up by hand, press and hold the button for 3 seconds. The device then joins the configured network, or starts the Access Point if it has no credentials.
See Power and batteries for what this costs.
Fallback Access Point
If the device cannot join the configured network — the router is off, the password changed, the SSID was renamed — it can fall back to hosting its own hotspot again so you can reach it and fix the settings.
Enable this on WiFi → Access Point → Fallback AP. Without it, a device that cannot join its network is only recoverable with the button or a factory reset.
Forcing Access Point mode
WiFi → Access Point → Enable Access Point Mode keeps the device in hotspot mode even when valid network credentials are stored. Use it when you need direct access at the meter and your normal network is out of range.