Onboard your first router

If you've just received your first Weird Network router kit, this page walks you through plugging it in, locating the device ID printed on the hardware, and binding the router to one of your venues in the provider dashboard. End-to-end this should take about five minutes — no operator support needed.

Before you start — what you'll need

Have these three things at hand before you begin:

  • The router from the kit — sealed in its anti-static bag, with the printed label visible on the case.
  • An ethernet drop with power at the venue — a live WAN/ISP jack (or an upstream switch port) and a free power outlet near where the router will live. The router is powered by a standard barrel-jack adapter (included).
  • Provider-dashboard login — the email and password you used at signup. If you don't have an account yet, create one at /provider/signup.

Step 1 — Unbox and power up

Open the kit and remove the router from its anti-static bag.

  • Plug the included ethernet cable into the router's WAN port and the other end into your venue's ISP modem or upstream switch.
  • Plug the included power adapter into the router and a free power outlet.
  • Wait about 60 seconds for the device to boot. The status LED will light up and the WAN port link light should go solid when the upstream link is up.

The router is shipped pre-flashed with Weird Network firmware, so there's nothing to install or update by hand. Once it has power and an active upstream link, it will reach out to our config endpoint on its own.

Step 2 — Find the Device ID on the hardware

Flip the router over and look at the bottom sticker. The Device ID is the 12-character hex serial printed beneath the barcode, alongside the corresponding QR code:

a1b2c3d4e5f6

The Device ID is distinct from the MAC address — the MAC is for the network interface, the Device ID is the identity we use to bind the router to your account. The format is twelve hex characters (digits and letters a–f), which matches the validateDeviceId shape our backend accepts when you paste it into the dashboard.

The sticker lives on the bottom of most units, and on the side panel of vertically-mounted units. If your sticker is damaged, contact us at weird-network@polsia.app with a photo and we'll look it up by MAC.

Step 3 — Sign in to the provider dashboard

Open /provider/login and sign in with the email and password from signup. If your account isn't verified yet, finish the email-verification step first — the link is in your inbox.

If you don't have an account yet, head to /provider/signup and create one. Once signup is done you'll be dropped straight onto the dashboard.

Step 4 — Link the router to a venue

In the dashboard's left sidebar, open Routers. At the top of the page you'll see a card labelled "Link Router by Device ID" with three inputs:

  • A text field for the Device ID — paste the 12-character hex serial from Step 2 here.
  • A location dropdown — pick the venue (or location) this router should bind to. The dropdown only lists active venues on your account.
  • A Link Router button — click it to bind the device.

A status message appears inline below the button (id="link-msg"):

  • On success you'll see "Linked! Check Paired Routers below." in green.
  • If the Device ID is not in our inventory you'll see a 404-style error — re-read the sticker and try again.
  • If the Device ID is already claimed by another account you'll see a 409-style error — contact support.

Step 5 — Wait for confirmation

With the dashboard showing the router as Pending, all that's left is for the firmware on the device to complete its first boot handshake. The router calls GET /api/router/config/<deviceId> once it has upstream connectivity, and our backend flips the row from Pending to Yes and sets the status to online.

  • Allow up to 2 minutes for the device to dial home after it boots.
  • The "Last Seen" timestamp in the Paired Routers table will refresh to the moment of the handshake.
  • The router is now serving your venue's captive portal. Open the dashboard's Connections section to watch sessions appear as guests sign in.

Troubleshooting

"No router with that device_id in inventory" (404)

The Device ID you pasted isn't in our inventory — the most common cause is a typo. Re-read the sticker and try again. Hex characters only (digits and a–f), twelve characters long.

"Device already claimed by another provider" (409)

Each Device ID is single-bind. If you got this error, the router was previously claimed by a different account and has not been released. Email us at weird-network@polsia.app with the Device ID and your venue name and we'll resolve it.

The router doesn't come online after 2 minutes

  • Check the WAN port link light — if it's off, the upstream ISP link is the problem, not the router.
  • Power-cycle the router (unplug, wait 10 seconds, plug back in) and give it another 60 seconds.
  • If the venue ISP blocks outbound HTTPS to our config endpoint, the handshake won't complete — ask the ISP whether port 443 outbound is open.
  • Still stuck? Email weird-network@polsia.app with the Device ID and a copy of the dashboard's Last Seen timestamp.