First Connection

For when a prop controller is new, reset, or not yet on the network.

Powering the controller

Use one of the following options to power your Nexus Ultimate Prop Controller

1. The DC Barrel Connection. This will accept 6-24V DC with negative on the shell. Most 12V power supplies are perfect for this.
2. USB-C directly to the microcontroller.
3. PoE with wired network connection or using a stand-alone PoE Injector.
4. The 5V and GND screw terminals can be connected to a clean 5V DC source.

WARNING

The I/O pins on the device are 3.3V logic and 5V tolerant. They are designed to work with other 5V/3.3V devices and are not safe to directly conenct to any 12V outputs of stand-alone props/controllers. If your connected devices don’t have “dry contacts” and are providing voltage on outputs you should use an optocoupler to protect the I/O pins. Contact us directly if you have any questions about connecting something to avoid damaging your controller.

Connection path with hardwired Ethernet

1. Power the controller via one of the above methods.
2. Wait for the controller to finish booting (~20-60 seconds).
3. Use the Nexus Controller Manager app to discover the controller and open its UI.

Connection path with WiFi or no network

1. Power the controller via one of the above methods.
2. Wait for the controller to finish booting (~20-60 seconds).
3. Join the controller’s internal Wi-Fi network from your computer or device. By default it will be called nexusprop-XXXX where the last 4 are unique to its device.
4. The setup portal should automatically open in a browser window, if it doesn’t open a web browser and navigate to 192.168.4.1 to open the initial setup page.

Initial setup

Set a meaningful Device name before building the prop. The name appears in discovery, browser tabs, logs, MQTT topics, and support exports. If you have multiple prop controllers going through initial setup and aren’t positive which one you are connected to you can use the Identify feature here which will make a pink light flash on the controller you have open.

Use names like entryDoor, radioPuzzle, or cabinetController. Avoid temporary names once the controller is installed.

After naming you will be given options to set an admin password that will be required to access the configuration pages. This is a good idea to set in situations where many people will access the controller operator page but don’t need the ability to make changes to its setup. It can also be set later if you want to leave it blank while doing your prop setup and avoid needing to enter it repeatedly during that setup.

If you are not hardwired to a network it will ask you to configure WiFi credentials. If you skip this it will continue to provide it’s internal network for access but if available it’s advantageous to put it onto your network for easier management down the line.

After those it will provide you with 3 paths to get started configuring your prop itself…

First setup choices

Choice	Use it when
Prop Wizard	You want a guided setup that generates common inputs, outputs, behavior, and operator controls
Presets	You want to load up one of the ready made examples as is
Manual configuration	You already know the hardware map and want to configure sections directly

Network setup

Field	What to enter
SSID	Room Wi-Fi network name
Password	Wi-Fi password
DHCP	Enabled unless the room network requires static IPs
Static IP fields	IP, gateway, subnet, and DNS when DHCP is disabled
Ethernet	Use for permanent installs when available

After saving network settings, the controller may leave setup mode. Connect your computer to the same network the prop is on and find the controller again. The Nexus Controller Manager app is the easiest way to find your controllers on a network but you can also open a browser and navigate to devicename.local where you use the device name you set during setup. The device name is more network dependent and some networks don’t allow it to work correctly so that is where Nexus Controller Manager shines.