1. Buy a supported router. The list of supported routers is here- Supported hardware
2. Download the latest firmware for your router from sourceforge.net here- https://sourceforge.net/projects/radiusdesk/files/MESHdesk/
3. Start-up Your router in fail-safe mode.
4. Flash the latest MESHdesk firmware onto your router.
5. Download the latest Meshdesk Node Config Utility from here- https://sourceforge.net/projects/radiusdesk/files/MESHdesk/
6. Configure the router with the MESHdesk Node Config Utility.

• Each type of hardware has a unique way to get the firmware installed onto the device.

To start-up the ZBT we2026 in fail-safe mode:

• Hold in the reset button.

• While holding in the reset button, plug in the power cable.

• While the power cable is plugged in, release the reset button.

• The LED's will flash quickly to indicate that the device is in fail-safe mode.

To be able to connect to your router:

• Plug in the Yellow Ethernet cable from your pc to the router.

• Right-click on the Wifi icon (this works on Windows 8).

• Open your computer's Network and Sharing Center.

• Click on Change adapter settings.

• Click on the Ethernet port.

• Right-click and select Properties.

• Scroll down to Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IP4) and click on Properties.

• In the Properties window type in 192.168.1.11 to change the IP to this address.

• Click OK and Close all the windows before continuing to the next step.

• Open your web browser and type 192.168.1.1 into the url window.

• The router front end opens.

• Click Choose file and get the Meshdesk-ZBT firmware sysupgrade.bin file you downloaded from sourceforge.net. In this case we use the file openwrt-ramips-mt7620-zbt-wr8305rt-squashfs-sysupgrade.bin

• Click Submit and wait 100 seconds.

• Wait until the router LED's stop flashing, then you are done with flashing your router.

To be able to connect to the MESHdesk Config Utiility:

• Plug in the Yellow Ethernet cable from your pc to the router.

• Right-click on the Wifi icon (this works on Windows 8).

• Open your computer's Network and Sharing Center.

• Click on Change adapter settings.

• Click on the Ethernet port.

• Right-click and select Properties.

• Scroll down to Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IP4) and click on Properties.

• In the Properties window type in 192.168.255.20 to change the IP to this address.

• Click OK and Close all the windows before continuing to the next step.

• Open Command Prompt in Windows.

• Next to the arrow, type the word “ping” followed by your RADIUSdesk server URL. We used www.radiusdesk.com as a sample.

• The server replies with it's IP address, in this case 196.46.186.135.

• Use this four-part IP address in the * New node setting- Server IP in the Meshdesk Node Config Utility.

(Please note, the Mesh Node Config Utility has been upgraded and the following info will also be updated soon.)

• Plug the yellow ethernet cable into your pc and the router. Leave the router power cable unplugged at first.

• Run the Meshdesk Node Config Utility by clicking on the application file you downloaded from sourceforge.net.

• This opens the Mesh Node Config Utility.

• Under New Node Settings, Select the Mode (Mesh or AP.. in this case Mesh) for the router.

• Select the Hardware type (In this case ZBT WE2026) from the drop-down list.

• Fill in the IP Address of the server you want the router to point to into the Server IP field.

• Now plug in the router power cable to restart the router.

• Wait about 30 seconds and watch as the Node Info is automatically filled in and the bottom bar flashes green once.

• You can unplug and plug in the router power cable once again to check that the node took the latest settings from the New Node Settings fields.

You are ready to plug in your routers on site and see them come up in MESHdesk.

• As of October 2016 we have released a fresh version of the MESHdesk Node Config Utility to include new features not supported yet in the industry.
• This page will discuss the new MESHdesk Node Config Utility. We will divide the discussion into segments similar to the tabs of the MESHdesk Node Config Utility.
• Before we go into the various tabs let us first discover how to use the MESHdesk Node Config Utility (here after simply called the utility) in the correct manner.

• The utility is used to configure the hardware which runs the MESHdesk firmware.
• Since the RADIUSdesk project is Open Source and available to tweak and install you can install your own cloud controller (RADIUSdesk and MESHdesk + APdesk).
• For the hardware to be controlled by controller you have to point them to the controller.
• This is where we use the utility.
• Another purpose for the utility is to 'prime' the hardware for an Internet connection.
• We took the lead and added extra functionality to our firmware which does not enforce an Ethernet (LAN) connection for Internet connectivity.
• We now support the following types of Internet connections.
  • Ethernet (LAN) which require a DHCP server and Internet connection on the LAN the hardware connects to. This is the same as other cloud based controlled hardware like OpenMesh, Meraki, or IgniteNet.
  • 3G/4G dongle support. For this you simply need hardware with a USB port. You then use the utility to preset the hardware with settings to obtain an Internet connection through the dongle. This is a first when compared to what is available today and will probably be first for a while since not many commercial cloud controlled hardware includes a USB port.
  • WiFi Client support. No need for extra hardware, we can simply use one of the existing radios to connect as a client to a WiFi network and distribute the connection from there. Again a first especially on meshes, since this is done in the firmware the commercial guys might have more success also implementing this.

• The utility is a windows .exe file which you simply double click to start up.
• Download the MESHdesk_Node_config_utility.<version>.zip from this URL: http://sourceforge.net/projects/radiusdesk/files/MESHdesk/NodeConfigUtility/
• Unzip it.
• Double click MESHdesk_Node_config_utility.exe to launch the program.
• The node expects the utility to be listening on 192.168.255.20 / TCP port 3000
• The node will set it's own address to 192.168.255.200 before trying to contact the machine running the utility.
• Be sure to allow this through on the Windows Firewall.

• Configure the Windows machine to have IP Address 192.168.255.20 in the Ethernet port.
• Ensure the Windows Firewall allow incoming connections on TCP port 3000 or disable it for the duration that you will be using the program.
• Connect the Ethernet port of your node to the same network where Windows machine's Ethernet port is connected and power it up.
• When the node contacts the utility, the status bar will turn green, the node's detail will be filled in the text fields and after that the node will disconnect resulting in the status bar to turn from green to grey.

• Next we'll go through the various tabs of the utility and explain the function of each.

• The current settings tab will reflect the settings of the device when it was powered up.
• The following table lists the various fields with comments where necessary.

• To apply new settings you have to check the Apply New Setting checkbox.
• The settings are automatically applied as the hardware contacts the utility.
• Empty values will be ignored.
• The hardware type selection is important to ensure the LEDs are correctly assigned.
• You will typically leave WPA2 Key and Change secret empty.

• The 3G Option offers an alternative way to configure the device for obtaining an Internet connection.
• Be sure the device has either an on-board 3G/4G module or an USB port with the required packages included with the firmware for 3G/4G dongle support.
• The default value of Action is not to change any existing setup.
• If you select Enable the other fields becomes available to configure.
• Normally there are two things that require setting up. They are the APN and PIN.
• The value of the APN depends on the mobile provider and may also include an optional Username.
• The PIN is specific to the SIM card which you use for connecting to the mobile network and may be disabled. Simply leave the field blank if the PIN is disabled.
• If you wish to disable an existing 3G setup, simply change the Action to Disable and ensure the device re-contacts the utility (power cycle the device) to commit those changes.

• The WiFi Client offers an alternative way to configure the device for obtaining an Internet connection.
• For this option we do not need any additional hardware and make use of the radio in client (station) mode to provide also Internet connectivity. Be sure though that the firmware includes the relayd package for this option to work.
• The default value of Action is not to change any existing setup.
• If you select Enable the other fields becomes available to configure.
• Normally there are three things that require setting up. They are the SSID, Encryption and Key.
• If you have a dual radio device, you can also opt for selection one of the two radios. For single radio devices, leave the default of Radio 0.
• If you wish to disable an existing WiFi Client setup, simply change the Action to Disable and ensure the device re-contacts the utility (power cycle the device) to commit those changes.

• This is an advanced setting. Leave it untouched unless you know what you're doing.