I will be doing a workshop on the Photon and wonder what would be the best way to connect the boards. There will be 10 attendees, I wonder connecting them at the same time with smartphones would work? I want to avoid having to pre-conect the Photons if possible. Would connecting the boards at the same time with 10 phones result in a mayhem?
Have you got multiple computers with the required drivers, then I’d go for serial setup.
I would say the best way to connect 10 or more photons together and have access to the internet is with a 3g wireless router.
Not fully sure what your question is .
How they can get internet access if not near to a wifi router ?
My problem is ten people connecting ten Photons at the same time with their mobiles.
I'm not sure why you'd want to do that... What makes a 3G hotspot different from a 'regular' wifi connection?
Where do you get that from? (the fact that there wouldn't be wifi, that is)
@alkopop79, like @ScruffR mentioned, setting up over USB is probably the easiest solution, although you'll have to install the required drivers on the respective computers. If you've got no intention to use a USB connection for anything else (Serial output), then perhaps you could install it on a single computer in advance, and use that to set them up.
Since you need to claim the boards, you've got to figure out if people will create an account of their own, or if you'd want to be 'in control'. Their own account would probably be more convenient
That said, you'll need to be able to claim the devices. With the app, that should happen automatically. If you use the CLI, you'll have to do so manually, depending on which method you choose. If you decide to set them up in advance, mind the fact that it'll need to be claimed, and thus the Device ID should be known.
Setting 10 devices up in advance is not that much work, and can be done rather quickly when using the CLI. It'll minimize potential issues during the workshop and thus might actually save you time on debugging. Considering the above, you could have them set up their devices using the app on their phones. I would give it a try in advance to see if there aren't network incompatibilities. Keep in mind that there are different phones, with different hardware, that all attribute to an increased risk on 'issues', which you wouldn't have with USB.
1 Like
Thanks ScruffR but serial setup is problematic, these are beginners with Linux/Mac/Win laptops, using the mobile would be just so much moe convenient. I would have to explain how to fire up the terminal/command line AND explain what is it for, then have CLI installed… Again, using the phones would be more convenient.
You just answered all my questions. Thank you! I will definitely give a try to have them connect the board so they can lay with the Tinker app. Thank you again!
So I powered up two unclaimed, never used Photons and they appeared in the app with a four-digit ID. That ID can be found on the side of the box, it’s part of the barcode. So yes, I will just ask the attendees to take a note of the four digit ID, fire up the app and login with their previously created particle.io credentials, go to ‘Setup a Photon’ and find the one on the list that matches the ID. Thank you for all the help!
3 Likes