Intel® IoT Getting Started with Access Point (AP Mode)

What to expect from this guide:

• Understand the basics of the Intel® Galileo* board in AP Mode. 
• Connect to the Intel Galileo board through a web browser.
• Upgrade Edison via a web browser. 

AP Mode Overview:

AP Mode is a new feature available on firmware releases available as of January 2015.  The initial release provides means to perform initial setup of Edison as well as upgrade firmware as it becomes available. 

Required Hardware and Software:

• Intel Edison and adjoining packaging
• Power supply of 7-12v
• One Micro B to Type A USB cable
• Laptop/desktop with Wi-Fi capabilities
• Available Wi-Fi network, with network name, encryption type and passcode.
• Bonjour print services for Windows* (For Windows users to enable mDNS capabilities)

Initializing the Connection:

1. Power up your Edison with the power supply.  Give the board at least 1 minute to fully boot up.
2. Hold down the button labeled PWR for more than 2 seconds but no longer than 7 seconds.  4 seconds is sufficient.
3. The LED at JS2 near the center of the board should now be blinking. It will remain blinking for the duration that Edison is in AP mode. If this light is already blinking, your board is currently in AP Mode.
4. In a few moments a Wi-Fi network hotspot will appear available. It will be in the form of: Edison-xx-xx where x= the last two places of your Edison Wi-Fi mac address. The Wi-Fi mac address is on a label within the plastic chip holder that contained the Edison chipset within the packaging.
5. When you find your Edison Wi-Fi hotspot, attempt to connect.  The passcode necessary to connect is the chipset serial number which is also on the label in the plastic chip holder beneath the mac address.  Additionally a small white label, on the Edison chipset itself, also states the serial number. The passcode is case sensitive.
6. Once a connection is complete to the Edison Wi-Fi hotspot, open a browser (preferably Firefox or Chrome) and enter Edison.local
7. If done properly you will reach the following screen:

Figure 1. Edison Setup screen when in AP Mode.

1. It is recommended that you complete all three portions of the setup screen at this time.
2. Set a host/device name that is unique for your purposes.
3. Provide a password (this password replaces the present AP Mode Wi-Fi password)
4. Connect to a Wi-Fi network.
5. If you provide a Device name, it will create a mDNS host address of devicename.local
6. Once you click submit, the board will exit AP mode.  You can re-enter the mode by holding the PWR button down for around 4 seconds.  This allows access to the update link.

Updating Edison:

1. Download an update image from Intel, or supply your own in the form of a .zip file.
2. After entering AP mode with the instructions above, choose the update link beneath the Intel logo.
3. Click the Choose File button, navigate to the .zip file location, and then hit OK.
4. It will first upload the .zip file, then perform the update locally within the Edison. Generally, after an update, the Device Name and Network info must be re-entered.

Connecting outside of AP Mode:

1. Once AP mode setup has been completed, you can connect to the board using devicename.local where device name is the name you gave your Edison during setup.  Edison turns this into the hostname for the board and web purposes.
2. If you are having difficulties connecting from within Windows* in this scenario, you may not have Bonjour services setup.  Download Bonjour, and reboot your machine.  Once complete you should be able to connect.

Congratulations! You have successfully used AP Mode to configure or update your Edison.

Troubleshooting

• If you are running a VPN it can interfere with connection to Edison via hostname.
• It may be necessary to shut off a local machine firewall when connecting to Edison via hostname.