Skip to content

Connecting to the Regulator

After Physical Installation is complete, this page covers everything between "power applied" and "dashboard on your screen." No USB-C cable required — you can do the whole thing from a phone, tablet, or laptop.

There are two things to decide: which WiFi mode the regulator runs in, and whether you use a web browser or the app. The sections below cover every common combination. Read the two short explainers first, then jump to your situation.

Background reading:

Day-to-day — find your combination and jump straight to it:

Client mode (recommended) Hotspot mode (fallback — no Cloud Features)
Web browser Browser, Client mode Browser, Hotspot mode
iOS app (recommended) ★ iOS app, Client mode — best iOS app, Hotspot mode

★ iOS app on Client mode is the recommended combination — fastest interface, full Cloud Features.

Also on this page: Override wires · Common WiFi gotchas

The two WiFi modes

The regulator can be on a network in one of two ways. This is the single most important thing to understand before connecting.

Client mode — the regulator joins your boat's WiFi. This is the recommended mode, and the one to use whenever you possibly can. Like a laptop joining your home router. The regulator gets internet access, so all Cloud Features work — history logging, leaderboards, fleet stats, weather data, and over-the-air firmware updates. It's reachable at http://alternator.local from any phone or laptop on that same network. If you have any WiFi on the boat, use Client mode.

Hotspot mode — the regulator broadcasts its own WiFi. Use this only as a fallback when you have no boat WiFi at all. The regulator creates a network called ALTERNATOR_WIFI and you connect your phone directly to it.

Hotspot mode is a limited fallback — not recommended

In hotspot mode the regulator has no internet, so all Cloud Features are lost: no history, no leaderboards, no fleet stats, no weather, and no over-the-air updates. It is the less-supported mode and we don't recommend it unless your boat genuinely has no WiFi network. If that's your situation it works fine for local monitoring and control — but get the regulator onto a real network (even a phone hotspot or a cheap marine router) whenever you can.

First-time setup is its own thing

Out of the box, before you've told it anything, the regulator starts in a temporary setup state — it broadcasts ALTERNATOR_WIFI only to show you the configuration page, and the alternator stays off until setup is done. That's covered in First-time setup.

Browser or iOS app

Web browser — works on anything (iPhone, Android, tablet, Mac, Windows, Linux), nothing to install, and is required for first-time setup. You type http://alternator.local (or the regulator's IP). Use any browser you like.

iOS app ("Xengineering Regulator") — the recommended day-to-day experience on an iPhone or iPad. The app bundles the dashboard on the phone so it feels faster, and it finds the regulator for you (no typing the address). It is not used for first-time setup — set the regulator up in a browser first, then switch to the app. Distributed via the App Store / TestFlight. An Android app is on the roadmap; Android users use a browser for now.

First-time setup

Always done in a browser — a brand-new regulator has no idea what your boat's WiFi is, so it starts in setup mode and shows a configuration page. Do this once in a browser; the app cannot do first-time setup.

1. Power up

Apply 12 / 24 / 48 V to BAT+ / BAT−. The on-board LED begins blinking. Within ~20 seconds the regulator's setup network — ALTERNATOR_WIFI — appears in the WiFi list of any nearby device.

2. Join the setup network and open the config page

Setting Default
Network ALTERNATOR_WIFI
Password alternator123
  • iPhone / iPad: Settings → Wi-Fi → ALTERNATOR_WIFI → password alternator123. iOS warns about no internet — tap Use Without Internet. A setup browser sheet pops up automatically with the WiFi Configuration page. If it doesn't, open Safari → http://192.168.4.1.
  • Android: Settings → Network & Internet → ALTERNATOR_WIFI → alternator123. Tap the "Sign in to network" notification, or open Chrome → http://192.168.4.1.
  • Mac: WiFi menu → ALTERNATOR_WIFI → alternator123. macOS opens a captive window automatically, or browse to http://192.168.4.1.
  • Windows / Linux: join ALTERNATOR_WIFI normally, then open a browser to http://192.168.4.1 (usually no auto-popup).

3. Enter your settings

The WiFi Configuration page has two blocks:

Ship's WiFi (Client mode — strongly recommended):

  • Ship's WiFi Name (SSID) — your boat network name, exactly as shown (case-sensitive).
  • Ship's WiFi Password — that network's password.

Fill these in. This is what enables Cloud Features and alternator.local access. Almost everyone should use this.

Hotspot name / password (optional):

  • New Alt. Reg. Hotspot Name — leave blank for ALTERNATOR_WIFI, or choose your own.
  • New Alt. Reg. Hotspot Password — leave blank for alternator123, or set your own (8+ characters).

Always set a custom hotspot password

The factory alternator123 is publicly documented — anyone in WiFi range could join and see your dashboard. Set a custom hotspot password even if you use Client mode normally, since the hotspot is your emergency fallback.

Tap Save Configuration. The regulator reboots (~3 s).

If you have no boat WiFi at all: you can leave the ship's-WiFi fields blank, but be aware you'll lose all Cloud Features (see the hotspot warning above). Saving with no ship WiFi just returns the regulator to this setup page on reboot — the alternator stays off for safety. To actually run without boat WiFi you must connect the hotspot wire described under Override wires and leave it connected. Set a custom hotspot password here first.

4. Where to go next

After the dashboard loads, continue to Initial Settings for the in-dashboard walkthrough.

Day-to-day connecting

Browser, Client mode

The recommended setup: regulator on your boat WiFi, you use a browser.

  1. Put your phone / laptop on the same boat WiFi the regulator joined.
  2. Open any browser → http://alternator.local.

What to expect: the full dashboard with all Cloud Features working (history, leaderboards, fleet stats, weather, over-the-air updates). Reachable from every device on that network.

Use http, not https

Type http://alternator.local. If the browser auto-prefixes https://, the page won't load.

alternator.local doesn't resolve? Some routers block mDNS / Bonjour. Open your router's device list, find the host named alternator, note its IP, and browse to http://<that-IP> (e.g. http://192.168.1.47). iPhones, iPads, and Macs resolve alternator.local natively; Windows may need Apple's Bonjour Print Services or just use the IP.

Browser, Hotspot mode

Fallback only — no boat WiFi. Cloud Features are unavailable in this mode.

  1. Make sure the hotspot wire is connected (see Override wires).
  2. Join ALTERNATOR_WIFI (your custom password, or alternator123). If your device prompts about no internet, choose Use Without Internet. If a sign-in / setup sheet appears, you can dismiss it.
  3. Open any browser → http://alternator.local (or http://192.168.4.1, which always works on the hotspot).

What to expect: the full dashboard and full alternator control, but no Cloud Features (no history, leaderboards, fleet stats, weather, or remote updates) — there's no internet on the hotspot.

iOS app, Client mode

Recommended app setup: regulator on your boat WiFi.

  1. Set the regulator up in a browser first (above) and confirm the dashboard loads at http://alternator.local.
  2. Put your phone on the boat WiFi.
  3. Open the Xengineering Regulator app. On first launch, iOS asks for Local Network permission — tap Allow (without it, the app can't find alternator.local).

What to expect: the same dashboard, but snappier, and the app finds the regulator automatically — no address to type. All Cloud Features available.

iOS app, Hotspot mode

Fallback only — no boat WiFi. Cloud Features are unavailable in this mode.

  1. Make sure the hotspot wire is connected (see Override wires).
  2. Join ALTERNATOR_WIFI on the phone (Use Without Internet if asked).
  3. Open the Xengineering Regulator app (grant Local Network permission on first launch).

What to expect: the full local dashboard over the hotspot. Cloud Features and the in-app Software Update screen are disabled in hotspot mode — there's no internet to reach them.

Override wires

Three override wires live in the RJ3 right-port cable, all active-low: touch the wire to pin 16 (brown wire / GND) at the moment of power-up, then release. A switch panel that exposes these as labeled toggles is in development; for now they are bare wires.

Pin Wire color What it does
9 Green/White Boot the factory firmware (recovery if an update bricked it)
11 Orange/White Re-show the setup page with default credentials (lost password / WiFi)
12 Blue Hotspot mode — run on the regulator's own WiFi
13 Blue/White Hardware reset

See Hardware → Connectors → Cable 4 for the full pinout.

Hotspot mode (pin 12, Blue)

Ground pin 12 (Blue) to pin 16 (GND) at boot. The regulator skips the ship-WiFi join and brings up its own hotspot (using your custom SSID/password if you set one). Full alternator operation and the full local dashboard, but — as covered above — no Cloud Features. Dashboard at http://alternator.local or http://192.168.4.1.

No boat WiFi? Leave it connected — but consider a real network.

For permanent hotspot operation, leave pin 12 grounded; twisting the two wires together is fine. (A manual toggle between pin 12 and pin 16 lets you pick ship-WiFi vs. hotspot without reaching behind the dashboard; a labeled switch panel is on the roadmap.) Remember you give up history, leaderboards, weather, and remote updates this way — even an inexpensive marine router or an occasional phone hotspot is worth it to get those back.

Re-show the setup page (pin 11, Orange/White)

Forgot the ship-WiFi password, changed marinas, or lost your custom hotspot password? Ground pin 11 (Orange/White) at boot. The setup page returns with default credentials (ALTERNATOR_WIFI / alternator123) regardless of what you customized. Enter new credentials and save.

Alternator output is disabled while pin 11 is grounded

This is a safety lockout. Remove the short after the regulator boots into setup mode, finish reconfiguring, then reboot.

Factory firmware (pin 9, Green/White)

If an update bricks the device (dashboard won't load, boot loops), ground pin 9 (Green/White) at boot to run the read-only factory firmware. Once the dashboard is back, go to Cloud → Firmware to roll back or clear the bad update, then remove the short and reboot.

Common WiFi gotchas

Reconnecting after first-time setup. When the regulator reboots onto your boat WiFi, ALTERNATOR_WIFI disappears and your phone falls back to cellular or a known network. Manually rejoin the boat WiFi before opening the dashboard — iOS won't do it for you because alternator.local isn't a saved network name.

Captive sheet (iOS) disappears before you finish typing. During setup, iOS times out the captive sheet after 60–90 s. Open Safari → http://192.168.4.1 for the same page with no time limit.

Auto-fill suggests the wrong password. iOS / Chrome keychain may auto-fill a different network's password into the Ship WiFi Password field. Tap No Thanks and type it from memory.

iPhone keeps switching back to cellular. Any time you're on a WiFi with no internet (the hotspot, or the setup network), iOS prefers cellular for data. The local connection to the regulator still works; just make sure you're joined to the right network.

Multiple regulators on one boat. alternator.local collides if two regulators are on the same network. Use each device's IP address directly until a custom-hostname feature is added.

Cross-references