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Getting started

This page aims to familiarize users with the Lan Controller v4 (HW 4.0, LK4.0) and guide through its initial configuration.

LK4 - description

LK4 is a universal IoT controller offering:

  • Support for multiple network interfaces: Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and in the version with a modem also LTE.
  • Monitoring of many environmental, current and voltage sensors and other parameters via 1-Wire, I2C, serial port, Modbus interfaces, as well as logical and analog inputs.
  • Control of various types of outputs: transistor, OC and PWM.
  • Support for communication protocols: SNMP, HTTP, MQTT.
  • Support for encrypted TLS connections for HTTP, SMTP, MQTT and SNMP v3.
  • Event and schedule functions, enabling automation of tasks depending on parameter values ​​or time.

First start-up

When starting it for the first time, you should use an Ethernet connection.

Next, you need to find the IP address of the device. Depending on the firmware version in the device, this may require different actions.

If the LK has not been started yet (is in the factory state), the information on the label on the housing and on the box will be helpful. The image below highlights the fragment specifying the date of the device test - 5 digits, where the first two are the year (24 - 2024), and the next three are the day of the year. If these digits are less than 24033, then the device was factory-installed with firmware <= 1.08, whereas if equal to or greater, it has >= 1.10. This is important because up to version 1.08, LK4 defaults to a static IP address of 192.168.1.100, whereas in later versions, it defaults to DHCP.

LK4 labels

LK with SW 1.10+

From firmware version 1.10 onwards, LK4 defaults to using DHCP to obtain an IP address. Therefore, it is best to connect LK to a router with a functioning DHCP server.

After booting LK, you can find its address on the DHCP lease list in your router or by using the Discovery feature in the LKTools program.

LKTools Discovery

No DHCP Server

Unlike LK3, LK4 will attempt to obtain an address from a DHCP server until successful. If DHCP is unavailable, LK will use Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) and assign itself an address from the range 169.254.0.1 - 169.254.255.254, with a default subnet mask of 255.255.0.0. Information about this address will be output to the console.

Therefore, connect the LK console to your computer using a Serial Port to USB converter. The console location on the LK board is marked in the image below.

LK4 schema

Use your preferred program to manage the console connection, such as PuTTY or Tera Term on Windows, minicom on Linux/OSX, or screen on OSX. Personally, I recommend using the miniterm tool included in the Python library pySerial. Set the connection speed to 115200.

Shortly after starting the device, you should see similar messages, among which we are interested in ETHIP, the IP address of our LK.

I (00:00:12.033) config: Ethernet Got IP Address
I (00:00:12.044) config: ~~~~~~~~~~~
I (00:00:12.045) config: ETHIP:169.254.252.30
I (00:00:12.046) config: ETHMASK:255.255.0.0
I (00:00:12.057) config: ETHGW:0.0.0.0
I (00:00:12.058) config: DNS Server1: 0.0.0.0
I (00:00:12.059) config: DNS Server2: 0.0.0.0
I (00:00:12.070) config: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Adjust your computer's network card settings so that its IP address is in the same address class, e.g., 169.254.252.10. Then visit the identified address in a web browser and configure the LK.

LK with SW 1.08 and earlier

Up to SW version 1.08 inclusive, LK4 defaults to using a static IP address 192.168.1.100. If your local network has the same address class, the device should already be accessible.

If your local network uses a different address class, you can change your router settings or try connecting LK directly to your computer's network card.

When connecting directly, simply set an address from the mentioned address class, e.g., 192.168.1.10. As a result, LK should now be accessible.

Login and configuration

You can now visit the device's page available at the discovered IP address. Upon visiting, you will see a login page with a login form. The default administrator credentials are:

  • Username: admin
  • Password: admin

After logging in, you can proceed with configuring your LK.

Help and more information

If you have any doubts or questions, please check the further sections of this documentation, visit our forum, or contact us at info@tinycontrol.pl.

You can also explore the LK4 demo page at https://preview.tinycontrol.pl/lk4/. The demo page provides an interactive experience to familiarize yourself with the LK4 device interface practically.