Quick Start

This section goes through the steps to create a ParaDrop account, activate a ParaDrop node, and install a hello-world chute on the router.

If you have received a device with ParaDrop already installed, you can start here. If you do not have a ParaDrop-enabled device, please visit the Hardware Support section to learn about supported hardware or download a virtual machine image.

Create a ParaDrop Account

With a free account on the ParaDrop cloud controller, users can manage one or more ParaDrop nodes through a simple web interface.

  1. Signup at https://paradrop.org/signup. You will receive a confirmation email from paradrop.org after you finish the signup.
  2. Confirm your registration in the email.

Boot the ParaDrop Node

Note: some of these steps are specific to the PC Engines APU/APU2 hardware.

  1. Using an Ethernet cable, connect the WAN port of the ParaDrop router to a modem, switch, or other device with access to the Internet.
  2. Connect the power supply. To avoid malfunctioning due to arcing, it is recommended to connect the barrel connector to DC jack on the back of the router first and connect the adapter to a power outlet second.
  3. Allow the router 1-2 minutes to start up, especially on the first boot.
  4. Connect a device (laptop, phone, etc.) either to one of the LAN ports on the back of the router or to its WiFi network. Typically, the router will be preconfigured with an open ESSID called “ParaDrop”. If the WiFi network has a password, that information will be provided separately.

Activate a ParaDrop Node

Activation associates the router with your account on paradrop.org so that you can manage the router and chutes through the cloud controller. Starting with version 0.13, ParaDrop nodes in most cases will automatically configure themselves to connect to the cloud controller.

  1. Open the node administration panel at http://<node_ip_address>. Alternatively, you can open `http://paradrop.io`_ if your device is connected to the LAN port of the node or its WiFi network. You may be prompted for a username and password. The default username is “paradrop” with an empty password. If a password was configured by default, you will have received information about the password with the device.
  2. Starting with version 0.13, ParaDrop nodes will in most cases automatically configure themselves to communicate with the cloud controller. In that case, you will see checkmarks appear on the “WAMP Router” and “ParaDrop Server” lines of the landing page. Click the “View the router on paradrop.org” button to transfer ownership of the node to your account on paradrop.org. You may be prompted to log in with your ParaDrop account. If checkmarks did not appear on the landing page, or you were not able to claim the node, proceed to steps 3-6. Otherwise, your node is activated.
  3. Navigate to the Routers List page. If your router came with a Claim Token, enter that here and skip steps 3-5. Otherwise if you do not have a Claim Token, click Create Router. Give your router a unique name and an optional location and description to help you remember it and click Submit.
  4. On the router page, find the “Router ID” and “Password” fields. You will need to copy this information to the router so that it can connect to the controller.
  5. On the router admin panel (http://<router_ip_address> or `http://paradrop.io`_), click the button “Activate the router with a ParaDrop Router ID” or “Activate the router with another ParaDrop Router ID” and enter the information from the paradrop.org router page. If the activation was successful, you should see checkmarks appear on the “WAMP Router” and “ParaDrop Server” lines. You may need to refresh the page to see the change.
  6. After you activate your router, you will see the router status is online at https://paradrop.org/routers.

Install a hello-world Chute

  1. Make sure you have an activated, online router.
  2. Go to the Chute Store page on paradrop.org. There you will find some public chutes such as the hello-world chute. You can also create your own chutes here.
  3. Click on the hello-world chute, click Install, click your router’s name to select it, and finally, click Install.
  4. That will take you to the router page again where you can click the update item to monitor its progress. When the installation is complete, an entry will appear under the Chutes list.
  5. The hello-world chute starts a webserver, which is accessible at http://<router-ip-address>/chutes/hello-world. Once the installation is complete, test it in a web browser.