Tutorial 1 · Start here

Network Setup

The first time your cabinet boots, it broadcasts its own WiFi network. You connect your phone (or laptop) to that network, pick your home WiFi from a list, type the password, and the cabinet does the rest. Everything happens on two screens at once — your phone for input, the cabinet TV for status.

Why your cabinet needs a network

The Pinner software itself doesn't require internet to run — the cabinet can boot, the launcher works, and games you've already installed will play offline. But you do need to put the cabinet on a network (WiFi or Ethernet) so you can manage your cabinet from your phone or laptop. Pinner Management — the interface where you enable game pages, download tables, set up the leaderboard, and configure the rest — is only reachable when your cabinet and your phone are on the same network.

The two-screen flow at a glance

  1. The cabinet boots into setup mode and broadcasts a WiFi network named PinnerSetup-XXXXXX (where XXXXXX is your cabinet's serial).
  2. You connect your phone to that network using the password pinnerpass.
  3. A setup page opens on your phone (or you visit http://192.168.4.1 manually).
  4. You tap Scan for Networks, pick your home WiFi, and enter your password.
  5. The cabinet's TV display takes over with a progress indicator. The cabinet reboots once it's connected.

Try the phone-side simulator

Below is the actual interface your phone will show, running with mocked data. Tap Scan for Networks, pick a network (try NewRouter-WPA3 to see the WPA3 warning), enter any password, and tap Connect to WiFi. Hover any control for a quick description of what it does.

Phone view · simulator
Demo:
1

Scan for Networks

Forces a fresh WiFi scan from the cabinet. Networks appear strongest-signal-first. Hidden networks won't show up — you'd need to type the SSID manually (not yet supported in v1).

2

Pick a network

Tap any row. If the network has a lock icon, a password field appears. Networks marked WPA3-only show an orange warning — the cabinet's WiFi chip can't handle WPA3-only networks (most home routers run WPA2 or mixed-mode and work fine).

3

Enter the password

Standard WiFi password. The cabinet validates it against the access point — if it's wrong, you'll see an authentication error on the cabinet display, not the phone.

4

Connect to WiFi

The phone screen flips to "WiFi Setup Started", and the cabinet immediately tears down its setup network. Your phone will lose WiFi at this point — that's expected. Watch the cabinet TV from here on.

5

Skip WiFi setup Ethernet only

Only use this if you're connecting the cabinet to your network via Ethernet instead of WiFi. The cabinet still needs internet — it's how you enable game pages, download your tables, and pull updates. Without any network connection, the launcher will be empty and the cabinet has nothing to play.

If you don't have Ethernet plugged in (or aren't sure), don't skip — go back, scan, and connect to WiFi. You can always switch to Ethernet later.

Try the cabinet-side display simulator

This is what's on your TV during setup. Click the buttons below to flip through every state your cabinet can show you — hover any phase button to see what's happening behind the scenes.

Cabinet TV · simulator
Show phase:

What each cabinet phase means

PhaseWhat's happening
WelcomeSetup network is broadcasting and waiting for your phone. Connect your phone to PinnerSetup-XXXXXX.
Tearing down APYou've submitted the form. The cabinet is shutting off its own setup network so its WiFi chip can switch to client mode.
AuthenticatingThe cabinet is presenting your password to your home router.
DHCPAuthentication succeeded. The cabinet is asking your router for an IP address.
ValidatingGot an IP. Now reaching out to the internet to confirm we're really online — not just stuck on a captive-portal hotspot.
SuccessAll green. Cabinet reboots in 5 seconds and comes up ready to play.
FailedSomething didn't work. The error code + description tells you what (most commonly: wrong password). Reconnect your phone to PinnerSetup-XXXXXX and try again.

Connecting your phone to the setup network

Most phones will automatically pop up the setup page the moment you connect to PinnerSetup-XXXXXX — that's a "captive portal" and it's the same mechanism hotels and airports use. If it doesn't pop up automatically, here's how to open it manually.

📱 iPhone

  1. Open Settings → Wi-Fi.
  2. Tap PinnerSetup-XXXXXX in the list.
  3. Enter password: pinnerpass.
  4. If the setup page doesn't appear automatically, tap the (i) info button next to the network and toggle Auto-Join off, then back on. Or just open Safari and visit http://192.168.4.1.

iOS often shows a notification "Sign in to Wi-Fi network" — tap it to open the captive portal.

🤖 Android

  1. Open Settings → Network & internet → Internet (or pull down the quick settings and long-press WiFi).
  2. Tap PinnerSetup-XXXXXX.
  3. Enter password: pinnerpass.
  4. You'll usually get a notification "Sign in to network" — tap it. If not, open Chrome and visit http://192.168.4.1.

Some Android versions throw a "no internet — stay connected?" warning. Tap Stay connected — that's expected, the setup network has no internet by design.

💻 Laptop / desktop

  1. Connect to PinnerSetup-XXXXXX in your WiFi list.
  2. Password: pinnerpass.
  3. Open any browser and visit http://192.168.4.1.

Captive-portal popups are less reliable on desktop browsers — visiting the URL directly is the most predictable path.

🌐 Manual URL

If nothing pops up and you want to skip the captive-portal handling, the setup page is always reachable directly at:

http://192.168.4.1

It must be http, not https. Some browsers will warn you the site isn't secure — that's expected on a local-only setup network.

Troubleshooting

⚠ Can't find the PinnerSetup network

The cabinet only broadcasts PinnerSetup-XXXXXX when it has no saved WiFi configuration or setup is explicitly triggered. If your cabinet was already on a different WiFi and you want to switch:

  1. From the launcher, scroll to the last tile and find the Reset Network option.
  2. The cabinet will reboot into setup mode and start broadcasting again.
⚠ "WPA3-only network" warning

The OPi5 Max's WiFi chipset cannot connect to networks running WPA3-only mode. Most home routers run WPA2 or WPA2/WPA3 mixed mode, both of which work fine. If your router is brand new and only offers WPA3, log into your router's admin page and switch the WiFi security to "WPA2/WPA3 transition" or "WPA2-PSK".

⚠ Authentication failed

Almost always a wrong password. Reconnect your phone to PinnerSetup-XXXXXX, the form is shown again automatically, and you can re-submit with the correct password.

⚠ "Validating" hangs forever

Authentication and DHCP both succeeded, but the cabinet can't reach the public internet. Either your router is blocking outbound traffic from the cabinet, or your network has a captive portal (common in apartments / hotels) that requires you to log in first. Try the WiFi from a phone and confirm normal websites load — if they require a sign-in, the cabinet won't be able to get past it.

Skipped setup by accident?

No problem. From the launcher, scroll to the last tile and trigger Network Setup again. The cabinet reboots into AP mode and you can rerun the flow.

What happens after success

Once you see the WiFi Connected screen and the 5-second countdown, the cabinet reboots normally. From here on:

Next: Configuring the cabinet via Pinner Management →