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Portrait Displays G1 – Network Setup

January 9, 2024

While G1 can be configured for either WLAN, Wi-Fi, or both, it is advised that you configure the device with either Wi-Fi or WLAN interface active to prevent the unit from becoming unreachable.

Configure Wireless

  1. Attach both an HDMI and LAN cable to the G1 that connects back to your local network for communication with G1 in Calman. This is required to configure the wireless network settings via Calman
  2. Insert a USB into the computer and format it to exFAT by right-clicking on the hard drive and selecting Format
  3. Download the G1 Introduction workflow
  4. Launch Calman
  5. Double-click on the G1 Introduction workflow you just downloaded or select Open WorkFlow Template > Browse in Calman from the menu
  6. Click on the Configure Wi-Fi Button
  7. A configuration popup will open up. If you want to configure the device for Wi-Fi proceed to enter SSID and password information, and set the Wired connection to off.
    • Note: $ character for wireless network password (secret key) isn’t compatible as of version 1.00.025, 1712767441_6604
  8. When you’re done click on Save.
  9. Leave the file name as net_config and click on Save again
  10. Save the file to your exFAT formatted thumb drive from Step 2.
    • The .ini file should be the only file in your thumb drive directory.
  11. Eject and remove the drive from the computer, and plug the drive into G1’s USB 3.0 or 2.0 port
  12. Wait for G1 to start processing the file, indicated by the LED light turning red. When the light has transitioned back to blue it’s safe to remove the USB drive. Power-cycle the unit by shutting down and starting up the unit again
  13. You have now successfully configured G1 to connect using Wi-Fi 
    • IP address on the G1’s video output device

Manual Network Configuration

For a manual and more controlled set-up, you can edit the net_config.ini file directly before copying it over to the exFAT formatted thumb drive you want to insert to G1.

If you insert an exFAT formatted USB into G1 a net_config_EXAMPLE.ini file will be copied to the thumb drive with documentation for how to edit the net_config.ini you want to copy to G1.

 

# The values below are *EXAMPLES*. Please copy or rename this file to net_config.ini,
# copy it to a USB stick, edit the parameters and attach it to a Portrait
# Displays G1 unit.
#
# ========================================================================
# ===> Adjust all parameters with appropriate values for your network <====
# ========================================================================
#
# fqdn is not mandatory. The default value of 'portrait-g1' will be used if this
# parameter is not set. Changing the fqdn will reboot the device.
#
# Please choose an interface to use, set it to 'state=on' and set the other
# interface to 'state=off'. If using both interfaces please make sure they are
# connected to different subnets. Ask your IT admin.
#
# WIFI supports 2.4GHz, 802.11b/g/n protocols
# At this point only WIFI mode WPA2 is supported
#
# If using DHCP on an interface please set 'ipv4_address=dhcp'. When doing so
# all other ipv4_* and dns_servers parameters will be ignored.
#
# If using static IP please configure ipv4_address, ipv4_netmask, ipv4_gateway
# and dns_servers with the appropriate values for you network.
#
# NOTE: If a parameter is repeated throughout the file its last occurrence will
# be used.
#

[general]
fqdn=portrait-g1.my-domain.com

[wifi]
state=on
mode=WPA2
ssid=YourNetworkSSID
secret=YourNetworkultratopsecretSecret
ipv4_address=dhcp
#ipv4_address=192.168.2.250
#ipv4_netmask=255.255.255.0
#ipv4_gateway=192.168.2.1
#dns_servers=192.168.2.1

[wired]
state=off
#ipv4_address=dhcp
ipv4_address=192.168.200.90
ipv4_netmask=255.255.255.0
ipv4_gateway=192.168.200.252
dns_servers=192.168.200.252,192.168.200.250

 

Static IP Address

For both wired and wireless connections, the following items are mutually exclusive

  • #ipv4_address=dhcp
  • ipv4_address=192.168.200.90
ipv4_netmask=255.255.255.0
ipv4_gateway=192.168.200.252
dns_servers=192.168.200.252,192.168.200.250

IF DHCP is properly configured, it will assign all 4 parameters. Either use #ipv4_address=dhcp only, or manually enter your network information, but not both.

  • Notes:
    1. Disabling DNS for a static setup can render online updates non-functional.
    2. Routers with “Access Control” or MAC Address Filtering enabled may not allow the G1 to connect. If this occurs, update your router’s firmware or disable those options. 
    3. The wired or wireless network connection will not become active until the G1 is connected to a display via HDMI

See Also