07. mda-connections-en

You can connect your MDA directly to a PC using the USB-B port at the back of the MDA.

This way you can directly sketch images made in the TactileView software onto the MDA (File menu, Sketch with MDA, Sketch button).

Note that this option bypasses the MDA interface completely and should not be used in parallel with the MDA interface. When the MDA interface is used in parallel with TactileView, and a sketch command is send from the interface while the MDA is busy with a sketch command from TactileView, the MDA will run into trouble trying to complete the TactileView sketch.

The MDA interface is equipped with WIFI hotspot functionality.

The default WIFI functionality for the MDA is as a WIFI hotspot. By default the WIFI hotspot is broadcasting under the default WIFI network name (network SSID) mda-hotspot. This name might have been changed to something different. If so, look for the new WIFI hotspot name when trying to connect to the hotspot.

With a PC, Mac, tablet or smartphone, you can search for this WIFI network and connect to it, using the default WIFI password 12345678. (Note for WIFI hotspot use, that if your device is connected to a different WIFI network, you will lose this connection, as your device is only able to connect to one WIFI-network at the time, meaning you’ll lose your internet connection as well unless the MDA has access to the internet).

Through the MDA interface, it is possible to change the name of the WIFI hotspot network and/or the WIFI password. For more information, see chapter 6.07.

With the MDA interface, it is possible to connect the MDA to your own WIFI network (Setup menu, Network setup). When you have established a WIFI connection to your own WIFI network, the MDA wifi-hotspot will automatically stop functioning. The MDA’s hotspot will automatically start again as soon as you terminate the connection between the MDA and your own WIFI network. This can be when you manually disconnect by using the disconnect option on the network setup page, or when the MDA loses connection to the WIFI network; for example when the WIFI network stops broadcasting.

The MDA has built in capabilities for LAN connections through wired ethernet or WIFI Ethernet.

Wired Ethernet connections can be created by plugging in an Ethernet cable that is connected to your network to the MDA’s Ethernet port. Upon switching on the MDA, the MDA will configure itself for your network, assuming that your router acts as a DHCP server (which is the default).

WIFI connections can be established trough the MDA interface. Navigate to the menu Setup option, login and select Network Setup. This page shows the various network connections with their associated IP-addresses.

If you have not setup a WIFI connection earlier, the page shows all the available WIFI networks in the vicinity of the MDA. Select the appropriate network and you will be prompted for the WIFI password for the selected WIFI network. Enter the password and the MDA will connect to this WIFI network. This might take a few seconds.

If you have setup a WIFI connection earlier, the MDA will try to connect to this network automatically. If successful this connection will be displayed, and you have the possibility to disconnect from this WIFI network.

The MDA automatically switches over from broadcasting the WIFI hotspot (when you need to connect your device directly to the “mda-hotspot” network to access the interface) to connecting to the WIFI network configured under “Setup – Network setup”  (when you connect your device to your own network to access the interface). When the MDA establishes a WIFI connection between the MDA and your own network, the hotspot is automatically disabled. When the MDA is no longer connected to a WIFI network, the hotspot automatically becomes active again.

Note that you can change the name and password of the WIFI hotspot of the MDA. The default name is mda-hotspot, with the default password being 12345678. On the lower part of the “Network Setup” page, you have the possibility to change the name and/or password.

Here you can also change the name under which the MDA shows up on your network from the default name mda.

An additional setup requirement on this page is the setup of the WIFI country code, which should be the official two-digit code of your country in capitals. More precise, it is the two-digit country code of the country your WIFI router is registered for, but this will in most cases be your country itself. This is an absolute requirement for newer WIFI routers. Failing to set the proper code might give failures in the WIFI setup or WIFI connection.

The MDA has the possibility to mount two different MDA directories directly to a PC, Mac or tablet.

The first directory is the MDA-upload directory. Any SVG image that you copy into this directory will appear on the upload page in the MDA interface. The second directory is the MDA-autosketch directory. Any SVG image or GPX formatted file derived from an SVG image will be sketched automatically on the MDA.

In order to mount a directory, both the MDA and the device you want to mount the drive on need to be connected to the same network. You can also connect your device to the MDA’s hotspot. Mounting a drive requires a one-time setup, afterwards the MDA directories are directly and always available on PC, Mac or tablet.

In order to mount the MDA on your device, the following setup actions are required:

• On a PC: open “File Explorer”, select “Home”, go to “Easy Access” in the “New” section and select “Map as Drive”. Select a drive letter (like U: for upload, or S: for autosketch). Don’t use the browse option for “Folder” but enter the following in the “Folder” input field: \\mda\MDA-upload (if you changed the name of the MDA from mda to a different name, use the new name instead of mda in this command). Make sure that the box “Reconnect at sign-in” is selected and press “Finish” (if prompted for a login and/or password, type guest for both). Now the MDA-Upload directory is permanently mounted on your PC, accessible under the drive letter that you selected during the setup. When you copy or save a file to this drive, it appears on the upload page of the MDA. Mounting the autosketch directory requires the same procedure as mentioned above, with the exception that you need to enter \\mda\MDA-autosketch in the “Folder” input field. Again, if you changed the default name of the MDA you have to change mda to the new name.
• On a Mac, the name of the MDA appears automatically in the “Shared” section of the “Finder”. Click on the name of the MDA (default mda) and click on “Connect as”, continue with “Connect” and enter guest in the name field and  password field. Make sure to tick (ü) the box “Remember this password in my keychain” and press “Select”. The MDA-upload directory will from now on be accessible from the Finder. In case you want to connect to the autosketch directory, first you will have to select “disconnect” and then repeat the above procedure, but this time with the loginname autosketch and password autosketch. You will be connected as autosketch instead of guest, although the directory will still called MDA-upload. If you regularly need to switch between upload (guest) and autosketch, do not save your login credentials to “keychain”, but instead enter them every time to access the proper directory.
• On an iPad, you can make a connection to the MDA through the “FileBrowser” app, a free app available in the app-store. In FileBrowser, select “Location” in the bottom bar and then “+” in the top bar. Select “Computer/Network Drive” and then “Mac”. The app will start scanning, but you do not need wait for the scan to finish. Instead select “Manual setup”. On the next screen, select “Mac” and enter mda in the “Address” field (or the new name in case you have changed the default name mda). Click “Edit…” in the “User name” field and enter guest, click “Edit…” in the “Password” field and enter guest again. Enter mda in the “Display name” field.  By selecting mda from the “locations” tab, you will now have a connection from the iPad to both the MDA-upload directory and the MDA-autosketch directory.
• On Android, an connection can be established trough the  free “AndSMB” app, which can be downloaded from the Play Store. In AndSMB select the + button in the top bar. On the next screen, enter mda in the “Hostname” field (or the new name in case you have changed the default name mda). In the “Username” and “Password” field enter guest. In the “Remote dir” field enter /MDA-upload. Leave the rest of the fields empty. Click save, and in the pop up window enter mda, or whatever other name you want the drive to have in AndSMB. By selecting AndSMB when selecting “Share” and then selecting the name you gave to the drive in AndSMB files will automatically be uploaded to the upload map.