Cambrionix Connect Application User Manual
- June 16, 2024
- Cambrionix
Table of Contents
Cambrionix Connect
User Manual
Introduction
Cambrionix Connect is an application designed to manage your Cambrionix hubs.
It can be accessed across mobile devices, tablets, and computers running
macOS, iOS, Windows, and some Linux distributions. The application can be
accessed via any browser by navigating to the web address below.
https://connect.cambrionix.com
Within this application you can see all locally connected hubs and devices.
From this application, you can;
- Monitor hub temperatures, power consumption, port status and error flags.
- Manage firmware updates.
- Manage the ports on the hub and switch between modes.
- Write and execute Cambrionix CLI scripts, Python or send JSON packets to control your hub
An added feature with Cambrionix Connect is that you can create a Cambrionix Connect account which will allow you to connect to hubs remotely, meaning you can view and manage all products on your network. Each host system can be added to your organisation, and then each user from the organisation can access and manage these hubs. By using this function, your organisation will be able to:
- Remote Control of your products from across the room, or across the world, 24/7.
- Remotely Manage firmware updates across your whole fleet of products.
- Monitor and control your Cambrionix products using phone/tablet/computer.
2.1. Prerequisites
For Cambrionix Connect to connect to your hubs, the host system the hub is
connected to must have the Cambrionix API installed, with a minimum of
V3.12.1. The Cambrionix API is a service that runs on your host system, which
is what enables communication with your Cambrionix hubs.
You can find more information on the Cambrionix API from the user manual. This
can be downloaded from our website at the below link. along with the
Cambrionix API installation files.
www.cambrionix.com/products/api
Once the host system has the API installed, you need a browser to open the
Cambrionix Connect website. Known compatible browsers, for example, will be:
- Google Chrome
- Safari*
- Microsoft Edge
*You cannot connect to local APIs on Safari due to security reasons.
Your hub will need to be connected to your host system and visible to the API.
As long as the hub is visible in the device manager or system info, then the
API will be able to see the hub and interact with it. If you use any other 3rd
party software that controls the port, then the API will not be able to
connect to the hub, and as such, the hub will not be visible in Cambrionix
Connect.
Operating System
We have tested the Cambrionix Connect and can confirm that the following
operating systems work with the Cambrionix Connect. There may be other OS that
will work but may not have been tested:
- Windows 10
- Windows 11
- macOS 11 (Big Sur)
- macOS 12 (Monterey)
- macOS 13 (Ventura)
- Linux Ubuntu
- Linux Debian
With Linux, we only perform testing using the OS mentioned above. An ARM hard float (armhf) version has also been tested on oDroid and Raspberry Pi.
Using Cambrionix Connect
Cambrionix Connect has many great features that will improve our products use. This section is designed to explain the features in more detail.
3.1. Managing ports
You can manage the ports on your hub(s) easily using Cambrionix Connect. You
can switch ports between the following modes*.
Charge| Turn specific ports or the whole hub to charge only mode (no data
connection, hub emulates an OEM charger)
---|---
Sync| Turn specific ports or the whole hub to sync mode
Biased| Detect the presence of a device but it will not sync or charge it
Off| Turn the selected ports on or off (no power and no data channels open,
mimics unplugging the device)
*some products do not have all above modes, please see individual product manuals for more information
There is more information on managing your ports in the Ports overview
section.
3.2. Device Information
You can obtain information on connected devices by using Cambrionix Connect.
To obtain the information you can either go through the hub to look at the
Ports overview or go direct to the Devices viewer section.
From these pages you can obtain charging information of the device, the
history of the devices location and additional information about the device.
3.3. Managing your hub(s)
You can manage hub settings and change the Internal hub settings through
Cambrionix Connect. This can be done by adjusting the settings in the Internal
hub settings or by loading and editing pre-loaded templates from the Hub
Templates page
Managing your hub(s) is useful as certain settings will need to be changed to
alter the behaviour of the hub, for example you can turn ‘charging downstream
ports’ (CDP) off which will reduce the amount of charge being delivered to a
device whilst syncing data.
3.4. Managing Firmware
Using Cambrionix Connect you can manage and change the firmware version
currently running on your hub(s). All you need is for the hub(s) to be
connected to a host API which is then in turn connected account or connected
locally. Once that is connected you can go to the firmware section and update
multiple hubs at a time.
Cambrionix releases new firmware to ensure the hubs are kept up to date with
new devices and add functionaility. Keeping your hubs firmware up to date will
ensure that you have the latest features along with the resolutions to any
known bugs.
For more information please see the Firmware section.
3.5. Using your account
With Cambrionix Connect, there is the function of being able to sign into an
account. You can sign into your account from the top right-hand side of the
page. Having an account will allow you to access the API’s and settings
associated with your account from any device.
see the Accounts section for more information
3.6. Adding an API
When you open Cambrionix Connect you will see a section called “Host API
Connections” this is the section which will show you the available API
connections to Cambrionix Connect. On initial launch without logging in this
section will be empty and it will give you two options.
Option one is to “Get the API” this option will link you to the Cambrionix
website where you can download the API if it has not already been downloaded.
Option two is “Refresh”. When you select this Cambrionix Connect will access
the local system and obtain the API information that is currently running.
Once it has obtained this information Cambrionix Connect will automatically
connect and you will be able to view and manage the hubs that are connected.
If you have logged into your Cambrionix Connect Account then you will be given
an option to add the API onto your Cambrionix Connect Account, which will then
save this API to your Cambrionix Connect Account. When you log into your
Cambrionix Connect Account on a different host machine this API will then be
available to view, for more information please see the section Accounts
You will not be able to add an API to your account through Safari due to
security reasons. On macOS you must add the API through the LiveViewer Desktop
application.
3.7. Remote access
A great feature of using Cambrionix Connect is the ability to remotely access
and manage your hubs.
In order to remotely access a hub you will need to ensure the host API the hub
is connected to has a digital certificate linked (see Digital Certificates
section). You will also require a license if you wish to connect to remotely,
you can obtain information on licenses from Cambrionix by contacting
sales@cambrionix.com
Note
In order to access a remote API the device used to communicate with the hub
must be able to access the remote API. This can be either with the API and
device being on the same local network, the API to be provided with a public
IP address or to set up port forwarding using your public facing router. For
more information please see the Networking section of this manual.
Accounts
With Cambrionix Connect there is the ability to manage settings and hub(s) and
save the preferences to an account. Your account is assigned to an email
address which will need to be verified. Once set up to access your account
settings and information you will need to sign in. To view more information on
the settings please see the Account Settings section.
You can access your Cambrionix Connect account by going onto the Cambrionix
Connect website and clicking the ‘SIGN IN’ icon in the top right corner of the
page.
Once selected, you can either sign in to an existing Cambrionix Connect
account or create a new one. 4.1. Creating an Account
If you require a new Cambrionix Connect account, click on ‘SIGN IN’, and you
will need to fill in some basic information such as email address and name.
You will need to verify your email address; this is done by selecting the
“send verification code” button, which will send a code to the email address
that has been entered. Once you have added this code, you will be given the
option to verify the code.
Once the code is verified, and the rest of the information has been input, a
Cambrionix Connect account will be created for you.
Organisations
Your Cambrionix Connect account will be linked to an Organisation which will
hold the API connections. You can have multiple Cambrionix Connect accounts
connected to an Organisation, and each API can be connected to multiple
Organisations. If you navigate to the account settings page ( Settings /
Account) you can access and view the Organisation’s information.
From this page view your default organisation, and change the name of
organisation’s, view users’ Cambrionix Connect accounts which are linked to
the Organisation, generate a code to invite other users to join the
Organisation or input a code which has been shared with you.
When a user has an organisation selected, any API they add will be visible to
all other users within the same Organisation. These can then be accessed and
managed from all logins simultaneously.
5.1. Organisation name
When you first set up your Cambrionix Connect account, your Organisation will
be set as “unknown Organisation”. You can change this to be any name including
upper and lower case characters and symbols. We do not recommend a name longer
than 64 characters.
5.2. Organisation Id
Each organisation will have a unique id number as the organisation name is not
unique. This is the way to identify an organisation which will be required for
licensing and support purposes. The Id cannot be changed, the Id can be viewed
from the account settings section. This will follow the format xxxxxxxx-xxxx-
xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx
5.3. Organisation selection
A Cambrionix Connect account can be linked to multiple organisations. You can
only access one organisation and the hubs associated with that organisation at
a time. From the Account Settings page you will have a drop-down at the top of
the page which will include the organisation name of every organisation your
account has access to.
5.4. Organisation users
You can have multiple users associated with an organisation. From the Account
Settings page you can view all user accounts currently in your organisation.
5.5. Organisation invite codes
In order to add more user accounts to your organisation they will need to
input an invite code. You can generate a code from the Account Settings page.
Once you have given a user a code to add to their account they will find an
input box at the bottom of the page to enter the code and join the
organisation.
Pages
Cambrionix Connect has several pages that can be accessed via the menu on the left-hand side of the application. Each page will give you access to different information and functions using the API and your hub. A brief description of each section can be seen below.
Section | Description |
---|---|
Home | An overview of connected hubs, API’s and quick actions |
Hubs | An overview of connected hubs |
Devices | An overview of connected devices |
Computers | A list of host computers associated with your organisation. |
Firmware | Firmware management for connected hubs |
Script | A terminal to send scripts to connected hubs |
Testing | Facility to test connected hubs |
Settings | Settings for API, connected hubs and Accounts |
About | Information on running versions of the API, Cambrionix Connect |
Help | information on Cambrionix and a link to Cambrionix Support centre |
These pages can be accessed by selecting the icon on the menu or by opening the menu at the top left and selecting the page name.
6.1. Home
From the home section, you can view all connected hubs and see the status of
each hub. You can access this page from the menu in (Home).
You can access this page directly by going to the URL
https://connect.cambrionix.com/.
Hubs
From a glance, you can see which hubs have devices connected by the port
indicator being coloured or left blank. A coloured indicator will show that a
device is connected, and a blank indicator will show that no device is
connected to that port. You can see the hub names and serial numbers from the
overview.
Host API Connections
You can see Host API Clients connected to your Cambrionix Connect Account from
this page. You can select each API to navigate to the API settings for that
specific API. You can also get an overview of each connected API. The
information available and settings are explained more in the API Settings
page.
Quick Actions
From the home screen you also have a ‘Quick Actions’ section. This has some of
the more common actions and sections for user’s to be able to navigate around
the application quickly from the ‘Home’ section.
6.2. Hubs
You can select a connected hub from the available list on the home page or by
selecting ‘Hubs’ from the menu bar.
Alternatively you can navigate straight to the URL
https://connect.cambrionix.com/hubs
To obtain more information on the hubs, select a specific hub from this page
and navigate to the hubs page. Once you have navigated to a particular hubs
page, on the top right side of the application, basic information about the
hub, such as temperatures, voltages and some options to look at hub
information in more detail. The choices you can select from are:
- Ports overview
- Charts
- Hub details and properties
- Internal hub settings
6.2.1 Ports overview
If you click on the home page on the menu and select a hub, you will be taken
to the Ports overview page. ( Hub name / Port / List)
Alternatively you can enter the URL using the serial number of your hub for
example like the below.
https://connect.cambrionix.com/hub/0000008B6F54129C/ports
When you first select a hub will default to the ports overview section. From
this page you will have more detail on the hub and connected devices such as:
- Number of ports
- The name of the device
- The devices serial number or UDID
- Charging rates in mA
From this page, you can change the port mode on all ports individually or multiple simultaneously.
Port Modes
The different port modes can be seen below. The port modes available vary
between products; for more information, please see individual product user
manuals at the below link.
www.cambrionix.com/product-user-manuals
Charge| Turn specific ports or the whole hub to charge only mode (no data
connection, hub emulates an OEM charger)
---|---
Sync| Turn specific ports or the whole hub to sync mode
Biased| Detect the presence of a device but it will not sync or charge it
Off
| Turn the selected ports on or off (no power and no data channels open,
mimics unplugging the device)
---|---
Device information
When looking at a specifically connected hub, you can see the devices
connected to that hub. If you select a port, you will be given further
information on the device connected to that specific port.
You will be able to obtain more information on a device if the host system has
been has been trusted on initial connection. This can be done When you first
connect the device to the host computer, a prompt will appear on the page,
asking you to trust the device. Please see individual device documentation for
information on trusting and pairing a device with a host system.
Without pairing, the following information will be supplied if available:
- VID/PID
- USB Serial (UDID)
- USB location
- Host computer
If you pair the device, this additional information will be supplied if available:
- Device internal name
- Device OS version
- Device Serial number
- Devices Wifi Mac address
Battery health information (this will require iTunes or ADB to obtain this
information) From the port information page, if you have the Cambrionix
Recorder service installed, you will also be able to obtain information on the
device charging levels over time, along with the device presence history.
Please see API User manual for more information on the Recorder service
Icons may be visible agaisnt your device if you have the neccesary battery
service running and the information can be extracted from your device, you can
find more information on battery services in the API Settings section.
Battery Icon | Description |
---|---|
Battery service is running and device is paired | |
Battery service running but device is not paired | |
No Image | Battery service is not running |
6.2.2 Charts
If you click on the home section on the menu and select a hub, you will be
taken to the Ports overview page. Select the chart symbol from this page in
the top right corner to enter this section. ( Hub name / Chart)
Alternatively, you can enter the URL using the serial number of your hub, for
example, like the one below.
https://connect.cambrionix.com/hub/0000008B6F54129C/charts.
If you installed the Cambrionix Recorder service and the API, you could access
charts and information on the hub charging performance and health.
You can adjust the time scale on each chart by using the drop-down on the top
right-hand side. This can be changed from 30 minutes up to 1 year. You can use
this to view historic charging information.
You can also zoom on the charts; this can be done by clicking on the Zoom
button on the bottom left of a chart and then dragging on the graph to select
a specific period to zoom in on. Once you have finished and want to return to
a standard view, not zoomed in anymore, you can press the zoom reset button
underneath the zoom button.
At the bottom of this page is also the option to reboot the hub, clear the
rebooted flag and clear any error flags.
Hub charging performance
This chart will show the hubs charging information. On the chart, the Y axis
will show the charging current in mA, and the X axis will show the time.
Using this chart, you can see the different devices that are connected and
their charging rates over time. A different coloured line will represent each
device.
Hub health history
This chart will display the hub health history. There are two different Y axis
on this chart, the left side will show voltage in V, and the right-hand side
will show the temperature in Celsius. The X-axis shows the time.
Using this chart, you will be able to see the temperature of the hub, the 12V
internal voltage and the 5V internal voltage. If the temperature or voltage
goes above or below specific parameters a flag will be raised, and the hub may
switch off. More information on the exact values can be found in individual
product user manuals, which can be found in the link below. This information
can also be viewed live on the dials at the bottom of the page.
www.cambrionix.com/product-user-manuals
6.2.3 Hub details and properties
If you click on the home section on the menu and select a hub, you will be
taken to the Ports overview page. To enter this section, you can select the
square laptop and device symbol from this page in the top right corner. ( Hub
Name / Details) Alternatively you can enter the URL using the serial number of
your hub for example like the below.
https://connect.cambrionix.com/hub/0000008B6F54129C/details.
From this page, you can view information on the hub. You can view the serial
port connection and the actual hardware information.
Serial port information
Variable | Description |
---|---|
Computer | The name of the computer as set by Cam- brionix Connect |
Port | The port the hub is connected to e.g. COM17 |
Status | Whether the hub is active |
Uptime | Time since the hub was rebooted |
Hardware information
Variable | Description |
---|---|
Firmware type | The type of firmware used by the hub |
Manufacturer name | The Manufacturer of the hub |
Firmware version | The Version of firmware installed on the hub |
Bootloader version | The Bootloader version installed on the hub |
Group | The Group associated with the firmware |
You can also control the LEDs by turning them on, flashing, or resetting them to the default behaviour.
6.2.4 Internal hub settings
If you click on the home section on the menu and select a hub, you will be
taken to the Ports overview page. You can select the cog symbol in the top
right corner from this page to enter this section. ( Hub Name / Settings)
Alternatively you can enter the URL using the serial number of your hub for
example like the below.
https://connect.cambrionix.com/hub/0000008B6F54129C/settings.
The hub’s internal settings can be accessed and changed from this page. Not
every hub has access to each of the different settings as it may not be
relevant for that hub; for a list of settings applicable to each product,
please see individual product user manuals.
www.cambrionix.com/product-user-manuals
You can save settings templates locally and load them from the internal
settings. You can also export the configuration string to the clipboard and
import a configuration strong from the clipboard as well if you wish to copy
settings between different hubs and host machines. The Settings that can be
adjusted can be seen in the table below.
Setting name | Description | Default value |
---|---|---|
Friendly Name | Define the friendly name for this device. Limit of 31 | |
characters. This name will appear in the device’s system information if set. |
Empty
Attach Threshold (mA)| The attach threshold is the device current (mA) level
at which the hub can determine that a device (iPhone etc.) has been attached
to a port. The attach threshold may need to be increased if the device (iPhone
etc.) is connected to a Cambrionix port with a cable which includes an LED or
other electronics. It may also need to be increased if you are using a device
(iPhone etc.) with a 3rd party sled/holder/case (such as a barcode scanner or
battery pack) which contains electronics or charging pass-through| 10
Charged Threshold (mA)| The charged threshold is used to determine if the
device is probably charged. If the drawn power goes below this mark for 2
minutes, then we set a charged flag| 100
Temperature Max (°C)| Sets Maximum temperature before the shut-down of ports|
70
Remap Ports| Change the ordering of the ports from the default| Sequential
order
Default Profiles| Change the default profile for specific ports. Use 0 for
default operation| 0
Ports On| Configure which ports to be always powered regardless of attach
status. This must only be used in conjunction with a default profile| Off
Sync Charge| Enable CDP on a per port basis| On
Setting name| Description| Default value
---|---|---
Alt Sync Charge| Enable alternative method CDP to support some hardware. This
has no effect if Sync Charge for that port is disabled.| On
Display Mode| Change display mode for hubs that have extended LEDs| Current
(mA)
Flags
| Change various flags, these are hardware specific so please see individual
product user manuals for more information.| None selected
Stagger (ms)| Introduce a delay between ports turning on when either host is
detected or mode is switched to Sync. 0-9999ms| 3000
Stagger_offset (ms)| An additional delay to add before starting the staggered
process. 0- 9999ms| 0
*Charging Downstream Port (CDP) Being enabled means that a port is capable of transferring data and charging the device at the same time with a higher current than just data syncing alone. With CDP enabled the hub can supply up to 1.5A
If you disable CDP you will receive the notification “This Hub has the Charge
Downstream Port UCS mode disabled. This could limit the maximum current seen
on some ports.” This notification is there to ensure you havent turned this
off by accident and can still have the highest charge available.
6.3. Devices
From this page, you can view and search for specific devices connected to a
hub that Cambrionix Connect has access to. You can access this page by
selecting ‘Devices’ on the menu.
There are two different ways of viewing the devices.
List
This page can be accessed by selecting the ‘device’ section on the menu and
then selecting the ‘list’ page ( Device / List) or by navigating to
https://connect.cambrionix.com/device/list.
You can see every device connected to Cambrionix Connect from the device list.
You can select specific devices and change the port mode, so if you want to
turn all the ports off that are currently connected to a particular device,
you can do so. You can also use filters to look at specific devices, so if you
want only to view iPhones connected to Cambrionix Connect, you can enter the
name into the filter on the top right-hand side of the page.
You can save any filter and then load it and apply to this page.
Map
This page can be accessed by selecting ‘device’ on the menu and then selecting
the ‘Map’ page ( Device / Map) or by navigating to
https://connect.cambrionix.com/device/map.
The device map will show all connected devices through a structured map. You
can see connected computers when opening this page. You can then expand the
computer names to see all connected hubs to that computer. You can then expand
that to see all connected devices to that hub. You can select a specific
device, which will navigate you to the device information page.
6.4. Computers
This section lets you view and manage the computers connected to your
organisation. You can access this section by selecting the computers section
on the menu. ( Computer / List)
Alternatively you can use the URL
https://connect.cambrionix.com/computer/list
You will see a list of computers that can be managed; if you select a
computer, you can connect a
Host API Connection and a Recorder API Connection. You can also manage the
APIs linked with your organisation from this page by selecting the computer
and either adding the local API to your organisation, or if already added then
you can select to remove instead.
Cambrionix Recorder service
If you wish to use charts and log information on the Host API connection, you
will require the Recorder API connection to be connected. To install the
Recorder API onto your host computer, you must select this optional service
when installing the Cambrionix API.
6.5. Firmware
From this page, you can view and manage firmware versions and updates. You can
access this page from the menu in Cambrionix Connect. ( Firmware)
Alternatively you can use the URL https://connect.cambrionix.com/firmware
On the left half of the page, you can see all available Cambrionix Hardware.
The available Cambrionix hardware is all the hubs connected to Cambrionix
Connect via the API. You can filter the hardware in the following ways.
Filter | Description |
---|---|
Type | Firmware type* |
Endpoint | Computer name |
Description | Hub Name |
*products and their firmware type below
Firmware | Part Number | Product Name |
---|---|---|
Universal | PP15S | PowerPad15S |
Universal | PP15C | PowerPad15C |
Universal | PP8S | PowerPad8S |
Universal | SS15 | SuperSync15 |
Universal | TS3-16 | ThunderSync3-16 |
TS3-C10 | TS3-C10 | ThunderSync3-C10 |
Universal | U16S Spade | U16S Spade |
Universal | U8S | U8S |
PowerDelivery | PDS-C4 | PDSync-C4 |
Universal | ModIT-Max | ModIT-Max |
MotorControl | Motor control board | ModIT-Max |
Selecting hubs
From the left side of the page, you can select the hubs you wish to update.
Any hubs that do not have the latest version of the firmware will have the
firmware version number in red. The firmware version will be blue if the hub
is up to date.
You can select multiple hubs at once; you will know it is selected as the box
will be highlighted, and the right-hand side of the page will show a device to
be updated along with the available firmware versions.
Updating the Firmware
Once you have chosen the hubs you wish to update, the right side of the page
will show that the hubs are to be updated from one version of firmware to
another. Cambrionix Connect will automatically choose the latest version of
the firmware to update to; this can be changed by using the drop-down and
selecting the firmware you wish to install on the hub. We recommend always
using the latest firmware version unless there is a specific reason not to
update.
Once you have selected the hubs you wish to update and the firmware version to
update, press the update firmware button, which will then run the process.
Once updated, a tick will appear next to the update preview on the right-hand
side to show the update has been successful.
Errors
It is important that once you have started a firmware update that you do not
disconnect the hub from the host system. If you disconnect then the hub will
be in an unusbale state. This state is called bootloader mode, which is a
different piece of firmware which is used to launch the hub firmware. If you
get the hub stuck in bootloader mode then you will need to recover the hub
using the Cambrionix Command line updater which can be downloaded from the
below link along with the user manual.
https://www.cambrionix.com/firmware
6.6. Script
You can use the script page to send commands through the API to the selected
hub(s). You can access this page from the menu. ( Script)
Alternatively you can use the URL https://connect.cambrionix.com/script
The two languages supported from the script page are JSON and the Cambrionix
CLI.
If you wish to have detailed information on scripting and the commands/
methods that can be sent with the API and the Cambrionix CLI, please see the
specific software user manuals, which can be found through the below links.
www.cambrionix.com/cli
https://www.cambrionix.com/products/api
On the top right-hand side of the page, there are two drop-downs. One is to
select which hub you wish to send commands to, and the other is to choose
between JSON and the Cambrionix CLI.
Once you have chosen a hub and a language, you can write your script or use
one of the pre-made examples in the drop-down. Once you have written or
selected a pre-made script, press the ‘RUN’ button or use ‘CTRL+E’. You will
then receive the response to the script below your initial script.
If you wish to send commands to a computer then you will need to select a hub
that is connected to that computer. Any commands then sent will be sent to
that computer, for example if you wish to find details on the USB tree for a
specific computer.
6.7. Testing
Cambrionix Connect has a built-in testing facility to test your hubs. You can
access this page from the menu. ( Testing)
Alternatively you can use the URL https://connect.cambrionix.com/testing
This is designed to ensure your hubs perform correctly and have no issues. The
tests that are run using this facility are listed below:
Test | Description |
---|---|
Test Hub’s id response | Validate that the hub returns sensible information in |
response to its ‘id’ command. This includes checking that the firmware version
is at least 1.79 and that it is in the correct mode.
ModIT Gate Configuration| If the connected hub is a ModIT Pro with lockable
gates, this test will validate that the configuration is correct.
ModIT Gate Exerciser| If the connected hub is a ModIT Pro with lockable gates,
this test will validate that they open and close within the expected time and
that their current draw is within reasonable limits.
Validate Hub Health|
Validate that there are no hub error flags set
Hub Settings| Validate the hub returns sensible information in response to
it’s ‘settings_display’ command.
Validate Port Health| Validate that there are no port error flags set on
individual ports
Validate USB| Validate the hub’s USB functionality
API Validation| Validate that the API is functioning and is of a suitable
version for other tests
There are three different pages to the Testing section:
- Selective
- Automatic
- Configuration
Selective
Using the selective page, you will be given a list of all connected hubs and
can choose which hubs you wish to test; once you have selected all the hubs
you want to test, press the go button, and the tests will begin.
If you click on the down arrow on the menu, you will be shown each test that
has been performed and the status of the test. A progress bar will run from
left to right and turn green if all the tests are completed and passed. If any
test fails, the bar will turn red.
Automatic
Using the Automatic page will run all tests on all connected hubs as soon as
you navigate to it. The view will be the same as selected but without the
option to choose specific hubs to test with.
Configuration
In the Configuration section, you can select which tests are to be run in
Automatic and Selected mode and also configure the values in which a test will
have deemed to pass. You can amend the values on three of the tests.
- Test Hub’s id response
- Minimum Firmware version
- Minimum Bootloader version
- ModIT Gate Configuration
- Stall setting
- Minimum Motor Control Firmware Version
- ModIT Gate Exerciser
- Fail Limit
- Iterations
- Maximum Current
- Maximum Transition Time
6.8. Settings
Several different settings can be managed using Cambrionix Connect. You can
access this page from the menu in Cambrionix Connect. They are separated into
other pages:
- General Settings
- Account Settings
- API Settings
- Dynamic Hub Settings
- RFID Settings
- Hub Templates
6.8.1 General Settings
You can manage and view the general settings from this page, these settings
will be saved to your account if signed in, if not signed in these settings
will be saved locally. You can navigate to this page by selecting the settings
in the menu and then selecting ‘General’ ( Settings / General)
You can also navigate to this page directly by using the URL
https://connect.cambrionix.com/settings/general
Notifications
The notifications managed are:
- API Disconnection
- RFID events
- Available Software Updates
- Available Firmware Updates
Theme selection
From this page, you can also select the theme of Cambrionix Connect, which
will visually change how the application looks.
Theme | Description |
---|---|
Default | This will match the OS theme |
Light | This is a white background for typical use |
Dark | This is a black background for less eye strain in lower light |
6.8.2 Account Settings
From the Cambrionix Connect Account settings page, view and manage your
Organisation’s information. For more information on organisations please see
Organisations section. You can navigate to this page by selecting settings in
the menu and then account. ( Settings / Account)
Your organisation
From this section you can;
- View the current organisation selected
- Change to a different organisation
- Create a new organisation
- View your organisation Id
- Change the name of your current organisation
- View your license status
- Organisation users
From this section you can view organisation users information such as;
- Given name (first name)
- Surname (last name)
- email adress
You can also remove Users from your organisation or leave the organisation.
Invite users to your organisation
To be able to invite users to join you organisation you will need to generate
a code for them to use.
You can do that from this section, when you click ‘GENERATE CODE’ a window
will pop up with the code (this will be hidden by default). You can then view
the code and copy it to be able to send it across to another user.
A Code will be valid for 24 hours or until it has been used. Once a code is
generated you can also revoke it if you no longer wish the code to be used.
Join another organisation
If you are joining another organisation you will need a user from that
organisation to generate a code for you, once generated and received you will
need to input that code and click ‘JOIN’. Once done you will be added into the
organisation.
6.8.3 API Settings
When you navigate to this page, you will see a list of all available APIs. You
will need to select an API from the list to manage an API. You can navigate to
this page by selecting settings in the menu and then clicking API. ( Settings
/ API)
Or you can navigate directly by using the URL
https://connect.cambrionix.com/settings/api
Overview of API’s
When you first navigate to the API settings page you will have an overview of
each API that is connected to your organisation. From the overview you can see
the following information
- Status Colour
The Status colour will be green if the API is connected to the application and will be red if the API is not connected
- Computer name
The Computer name will be the name assigned by the user in the individual API settings
- Status
The status of the API these can be one of the following status’
Status | Description |
---|---|
Local | The API is visible and is connected to the application using a local |
con- nection
Activated| The API is visible and is connected to the application using an SSL
(Secure Sockets Layer) connection
Deactivated| The host computer has been deac- tivated meaning an API can only
be connected to a local host machine.
- Version
The version information of the API
- Certificate information
This will show a symbol if there is no certificate or the API is unable to get the certificate information
Individual API settings
Once an API is selected, the settings page for that API will be displayed. You
can alter the following information.
Name | Description |
---|---|
Computer Name | This is the name you will see as a description for the host |
computer on your Cambrionix Connect Account. Defaults to the hostname.
Address| This is the URL of the API; the URL will be read from the local
computer when the API is added to your account. A custom URL can be entered if
required.
Port| This is the port the API will connect through. As default this is 43427
it should not normally be changed. This is for advanced use and complex
networks with restrictions on which ports can be used. The port number used
must match that of the connected API.
Once you have changed the above values, you must press the save button for these changes to take effect. You can press the revert button to return to the previous settings. You can press the remove API button to remove an API from your organisation. You can also deactivate the host computer associated with an API, meaning an API can only be connected to a local host machine.
Battery Services
If you have iTunes installed or an adb server running on your host, you will
be able to obtain battery information on connected devices. You can adjust the
settings of the battery update information by changing how often then battery
information is obtained in intervals message in seconds. You can also alter
the number of battery updates that can be run simultaneously.
API Logging
The API can generate logging information for all USB events and store
information on what has happened and specific hardware information. This is
useful for seeing what is happening with the API and capturing any faults or
issues. You should use full logging when obtaining logs for support unless
otherwise instructed, once you have enabled logging and the event has taken
place zip the logs to send through to Cambrionix for investigation. The zip
logs button is currently only available in the desktop version.
Once you have obtained some logs you will need to send them to Cambrionix,
ensure they are zipped so that if the files are large, they can still be sent
over. If the files are still too large, then please use an online drive that
Cambrionix support can have access to or send via a file transfer service.
Certificate
From the API settings page you can view information on the certificate
assigned to the API. For more information on ceritificates and how to assign
them to an API please see the Digital Certificates section.
6.8.4 Dynamic Hub Settings
From this page, you can create and manage your Dynamic hubs. A Dynamic hub is
a collection of hubs that Cambrionix Connect will treat as a collection of
ports. You can navigate to this page by selecting settings in the menu and
then account. ( Settings / Dynamic Hubs)
You can navigate directly to the page using the following
URL https://connect.cambrionix.com/settings/dynamic%20hubs
Creating a Dynamic hub
To create a Dynamic hub, you must select the hubs you wish to combine on the
right-hand side of the page and drag them into a Dynamic hub on the left-hand
side. Once you have grouped up the hubs in a Dynamic hub, you can rename it
and then must press save to store this as a Dynamic hub to the API.
6.8.5 RFID Settings
RFID (radio frequency identification) is a form of wireless communication. The
Cambrionix API is capable of managing RFID detection events and can be used to
store information about RFID cards.
You can access the RFID settings by selecting settings and then selecting RFID
( Settings / RFID)
Alternatively you can navigate directly by using the
URL https://connect.cambrionix.com/settings/rfid
Currently, the API only deals with the RFID reader in the ModIT Boss module.
This is an RFIDeas model: RDR-80581AK0. This page in Cambrionix Connect
manages information obtained from the RFID reader and the API.
The first time you use an RFID card, you must check the ‘Enable RFID detection
in the API’ box so that Cambrionix Connect and the API can see the initial
RFID event. When you scan an RFID card, it will appear in a list, and you can
select a name for the card and the behaviour you wish to occur when the card
is scanned going forward.
Once you have scanned the cards and set them up, you can export the settings
so other versions of Cambrionix Connect can maintain the same settings.
6.8.6 Hub Templates
From this page, you can mange the templates for the Internal hub settings. The
templates are saved locally on Cambrionix Connect. You can access this page by
selecting settings in the menu and then selecting templates. ( Settings / Hub
Templates)
Alternatively you can navigate directly to this page by using the URL
https://connect.cambrionix.com/settings/hub%20templates
Editing Templates
The first template you create will need to be done through the Internal hub
settings. Once the template is created navigate to this page and you can edit
the information. You can change the name of each template by selecting the
name and typing in a new name. You can and edit the settings by selecting the
pencil icon next to the delete icon.
Once you have the editing window open you can view all the Internal hub
settings and amend each settings, once you have finished making any changes
you will need to press ‘OK’ which will close the editing window. You must
press save after closing the editing window or the changes will be lost.
Copying Templates
From this page you can select a template and copy it. By selecting the tick
box next to the name the ‘COPY’ button below will become active, by clicking
it a copy of the template will appear underneath.
You must press save once you have created copies or navigating away will
delete the copy.
Deleting Templates
You can delete any stored templates by pressing the delete icon, once you have
pressed the delete icon you must save or the template will not be deleted.
6.9. About
From this page, you can see various pieces of information about the API and
Cambrionix Connect. You can navigate to this page by selecting ‘about’ on the
menu ( About)
You can also navigate to this page using the URL
https://connect.cambrionix.com/about
You can see the version of the local API that is running alongside the version
of Cambrionix Connect.
There is a link to be able to download and view the Cambrionix API User
manual.
https://downloads.cambrionix.com/documentation/en/API-User-Manual.pdf
There is a link to be able to download and view the Cambrionix Connect User
manual.
https://downloads.cambrionix.com/documentation/en/Cambrionix-Connect-User-
Manual.pdf
There is a link to go to the supports desk, and also a link to send an email
to support.
Cookies
Cambrionix uses cookies necessary for features including optimisation and
performance. You can find information on the cookies included on this page,
they are also listed below.
Cookie Name | Function | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|---|
msal | Authentication | Session | Used by the Single Sign-on service (SSO) to |
generate a user session cookie
From this page you can also view company information for Cambrionix;
- Contact address
- Contact phone number
- Social media links
- Company number
- VAT number
6.10. Help
By selecting the help page on the menu you will be taken to Cambrionix Support
centre. From the support centre you can;
- Get technical support for Cambrionix hardware and software
- Suggest a new product
- Suggest a new feature for Cambrionix hardware and software
- Suggest an improvement to existing Cambrionix hardware and software
When contacting support, please supply the product information for the hub in
question. This can be found on the Device Information Plate which is either on
the underside or back of the unit. Providing serial and Purchase order
numbers, can help identify your specific product and speed up the process.
With any hardware support we recommend checking the troubleshooting section in
the products user manual.
www.cambrionix.com/product-user-manuals
Digital Certificates
You will require a secure connection to access APIs connected to your network.
To have a secure connection, digital certificates will be required. A digital
certificate is a file or electronic password that proves the authenticity of a
device, server, or user. This helps Organisations ensure that only trusted
devices and users can connect to their networks.
You must supply a certificate and private key to the API to create a secure
connection which is called an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) connection. An SSL
protocol establishes authenticated and encrypted links between networked
computers. Once you have an SSL connection, you can connect outside of
localhost (the machine the API runs on). Without this certificate, the API
will only listen for connections from the local host. External connections
will only be allowed if they are secure (HTTPS or Secure WebSockets).
The identity the API is running as will need access to the files to use them,
so the certificates must be stored in an accessible folder or library.
It is up to the user to supply a suitable certificate for their usage. Some
providers are
If a certificate authority used is not recognized by the browser, then this
will have to be handled dependant on the browser that is being used. You will
need to sign your certificate with your own ertificate authority and adding
that to your application or browser.
With Google Chrome, you can use this
guide.
With Firefox, you can use this guide.
With Safari, you can use this guide.
If you wish to use different browsers you will need to find their guides to be
able to setup.
Only a single certificate configuration is supported. If a password is
supplied, it is obfuscated for security. The API does not make a copy of the
certificate or private key as this could violate security if they are in
limited access folders.
7.1. Managing Certificates
You can manage the API’s certificates using the following commands. To send
these commands to the API, you will need to open a terminal to open a
connection and send commands to the API; a simple way of doing this is to use
the inbuilt script section within Cambrionix Connect. More information on
using the API can be found in the API user manual at the below link.
www.cambrionix.com/products/api
7.1.1 Setting a Certificate
Supply a certificate and private key to the API.
Parameter | Description |
---|---|
key-filename | The filename including the path of the private key |
certificate-filename | The filename including the path of the certificate |
password | optional password if required by private key |
If there is any issue with the code, you will receive an error ; if this sets
correctly, a response of “true” will be returned. One thing to keep in mind is
that the location will need to be in a local library and not locked within a
user’s files, and using double slashes (//) will remove any issue of escape
characters being input into the file name.
Example
7.1.2 Removing a Certificate
If you wish to remove the certificate and private key from the API, then the
following method will need to be followed.On successful removal, a response of
true will be returned.
Networking
Suppose your network has restrictive firewall or proxy server settings. In that case, you or your network administrator will need to allow-list certain domains, and IP address ranges to ensure that Cambrionix Connect and its related services work as expected.
8.1. Domain Names
Cambrionix Connect uses domains with differing levels of subdomains. For
Cambrionix Connect to operate, allow these first-party Cambrionix domains and
their levels of subdomains. These domains are directly operated and managed by
Cambrionix.
Domain | Purpose |
---|---|
*.connect.cambrionix.com | Cambrionix Connect web application and required functional services |
*.downloads.cambrionix.com | Cambrionix Connect retrieves firmware from this location. |
When allowing a domain, make sure the action permits the top-level domain and
multiple levels of subdomains, not just immediate subdomains.
For example, a permit entry for
.connect.cambrionix.com should allow both
server1.connect.cambrionix.com AND
server2.connect.cambrionix.com.
Additionally, ensure that top-level domains themselves are also permitted, not
just their subdomains.
For example, .connect.cambrionix.com should
permit both
server.connect.cambrionix.com AND
connect.cambrionix.com.
8.2. IP address ranges
Cambrionix Connect doesn’t have a fixed IP address. Instead, it uses a defined
range of IP addresses.
You should allow-list the IP ranges described below to maintain access to
Cambrionix Connect.
We currently use a mix of IP addresses provided by third parties (namely
Microsoft Azure). You should review your network restrictions and update them
to ensure Cambrionix Connect works as intended.
The IP ranges are used for both receiving and responding to requests from
clients (e.g. browsers) and for making connections to the internet on your
behalf (e.g. webhooks and application functions).
The list of IP ranges to be allow-listed are the ranges with the tag
‘AzureFrontDoor’ from the Azure IP Ranges from Official Microsoft Download Center.
8.3. Connecting from outside your network
You may wish to connect to hosts outside of your local network. One way to do
this would be to enable port forwarding. You or your network administrator
will need to set this up on your public facing router.
Port Forwarding
Port forwarding allows remote computers to connect to a specific computer or
service within a private network. This will need to be set up on the router
that the host system is connected to.
You will need to access the router settings to set up port forwarding. To
access your router settings, you will need to find the default address for
your router and enter it in a web browser. You will then need to log in to the
router’s user interface using the admin username and password. If you have not
changed the username and password, you will need to use the default username
and password, which will be listed in your router’s user manual or online
documentation.
Once you are in the router settings you will need to access the Port
forwarding section which is usually found in the advanced settings section,
this is different for all routers but you should be able to find information
on accessing this section through your router’s user manual or online
documentation.
Once you are in this section, you will need to set up a custom port forwarding
rule using the following information:
- Name – This is the custom name you can enter to easily identify the rule
- Type – We recommend using “Both” or “TCP/UDP” dependant on your router
- Inbound – This is the port number, you should check this port number is not currently being used before defining it
- Private or End – Enter the same port number as Inbound
- IP Address – This will be the IP address of the host computer with the API running, this should be made a static IP address to avoid any conflicts in the future
The Default port the API runs on when a digital certificate is assigned will
be 43424.
There are lots of guides online for each router and also guides on setting up
port forwarding. If you are unsure how to perform this function, we recommend
reading some literature. For example, more information can be found
here.
Licensing
The use of Cambrionix Connect is subject to the Cambrionix Connect SaaS
conditions, the document can be downloaded and viewed using the following
link.
https://downloads.cambrionix.com/documentation/en/Cambrionix-Connect-SaaS-
Conditions.pdf
Use of Trademarks, Registered Trademarks, and other Protected Names and
Symbols
This manual may make reference to trademarks, registered trademarks, and other
protected names and or symbols of third-party companies not related in any way
to Cambrionix. Where they occur these references are for illustrative purposes
only and do not represent an endorsement of a product or service by
Cambrionix, or an endorsement of the product(s) to which this manual applies
by the third-party company in question.
Cambrionix hereby acknowledges that all trademarks, registered trademarks,
service marks, and other protected names and /or symbols contained in this
manual and related documents are the property of their respective holders
“Mac® and macOS® are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and
other countries and regions.”
“Intel® and the Intel logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its
subsidiaries.”
“Thunderbolt™ and the Thunderbolt logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation or
its subsidiaries.”
“Android™ is a trademark of Google LLC”
“Chromebook™ is a trademark of Google LLC.”
“iOS™ is a trademark or registered trademark of Apple Inc,in the US and other
countries and is used under license.”
“Linux® is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other
countries”
“ Microsoft™ and Microsoft Windows™ are trademarks of the Microsoft group of
companies.”
“Cambrionix® and the logo are trademarks of Cambrionix Limited.”
Cambrionix Limited
The Maurice Wilkes Building
Cowley Road
Cambridge CB4 0DS
United Kingdom
+44 (0) 1223 755520
enquiries@cambrionix.com
www.cambrionix.com
Cambrionix Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales
with the company number 06210854
Documents / Resources
|
Cambrionix Connect
Application
[pdf] User Manual
Connect Application, Connect, Application
---|---
References
- Cambrionix Connect
- Cambrionix: USB Hub Experts - Smart Managed USB Hubs
- Command Line Instructions
- Product User Manuals - Cambrionix
- Cambrionix API - Cambrionix
- Cambrionix Connect
- Cambrionix Connect
- Port forwarding - Wikipedia
- ComodoCA Official Site | Comodo SSL Certificates Official Site
- Create your own certificate authority in Keychain Access on Mac – Apple Support (UK)
- Firmware & Updates - Cambrionix
- Cambrionix API - Cambrionix
- SSL Digital Certificate Authority | Encryption & Authentication | DigiCert.com
- Digital Certificates - PKI - SSL/TLS ? GlobalSign GMO
- IdenTrust – Part of HID Global
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