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Power Manifold

Network settings

All of these are in the web interface’s Settings. The defaults work on most home networks, so you only need this page if you want something different.

IP address

Section titled “IP address”

By default the controller gets its address from your router (DHCP). To give it a fixed address, set Addressing to static and fill in the IP address, netmask and gateway. The fixed address applies after a reboot.

With the Ethernet port in use, the fixed address goes on Ethernet and Wi-Fi stays on DHCP. Without Ethernet it goes on Wi-Fi.

DNS server overrides the one your router hands out. Leave it blank to use your router’s, or the gateway’s when the address is fixed.

Time server

Section titled “Time server”

The controller needs the time for the lights’ night window, timestamps in the fault log and a verified MQTT connection. By default it uses the time server your router announces, and time.cloudflare.com if there isn’t one or it doesn’t answer.

Set Time server if your network blocks outgoing NTP (UDP port 123) and you have a local server.

MQTT security

Section titled “MQTT security”

The MQTT connection is unencrypted (plain) by default. To encrypt it, set MQTT connection to TLS and set the MQTT port to your broker’s TLS port, usually 8883.

With TLS, the controller checks that it is talking to your real broker:

  • A broker with a Let’s Encrypt certificate needs no further setup if you enter the broker by name, not by IP address.
  • Any other broker, such as one with a self-signed certificate or your own certificate authority, needs its certificate. Paste the certificate authority that issued the broker’s certificate, or the broker’s own self-signed certificate, into Broker certificate, in PEM format, up to 2 KB.
  • A broker entered by IP address always needs its certificate pasted in.

TLS, unverified encrypts the connection without verifying the broker’s identity. It prevents eavesdropping but not impersonation of the broker.

A verified connection waits until the controller has the time from the time server, because certificate checks depend on the current date.

Syslog

Section titled “Syslog”

Set Syslog host to copy the controller’s messages to a syslog server over UDP, port 514 by default. This includes the messages from before the network came up.

Update source

Section titled “Update source”

The controller asks http://fw.powermanifold.io once a day whether there is new firmware. Clear Update source to stop it asking, or point it at your own server that hosts the same files. See Firmware updates.