Legacy RNLI board: setup mode and resetting WiFi

This is for the legacy RNLI board (the one with an Interstate 75 W controller). Use it if you have changed your WiFi router or password, moved house, or the board says it cannot connect. Other Dottie Boards: see Dottie Board buttons, setup mode and updates.

How to get into setup mode (also called "offline mode")

1. Unplug the board.
2. Find the controller: the small black circuit board at the top of the back of the display, marked Interstate 75 W. On the framed version, remove the back panel of the frame first. Press and hold both the A and B buttons. They are on the right-hand edge of the controller, next to the green WiFi/Bluetooth chip: A on top, B directly below it.
3. Keep holding them while you plug the power back in. Hold until the screen says A+B Pressed and then Offline Mode.
4. Release the buttons.

Careful: do not press RST or BOOT. Those are on the opposite (left) side of the controller. BOOT is only used for firmware updates (see Updating your Dottie Board), and RST just restarts the board.

Warning: The screen is delicate. Do not press on it while you reach the buttons.

The buttons are read once, a few seconds after the logos appear, so they must be held from power-on, not tapped.

The board also goes into setup mode by itself if it cannot connect to any of its saved WiFi networks, or has none yet.

What you will see

The board shows the network it has created (it starts with DottieBoard-) and a QR code. Set up your WiFi using any one of:

• The board's own WiFi: join that network (password dottie123), open http://192.168.4.1, choose your WiFi and enter its password. Works on iPhone and iPad. See Set up with the board's own WiFi.
• Bluetooth: scan the QR code on the board, or use Connect new board at dottieboards.com. Chrome or Edge on a computer or Android phone. See Set up with Bluetooth.
• USB: plug into your computer and use Connect new board. Chrome or Edge. The board appears as "Board in FS mode". See Set up with USB.

After you save, the board restarts. Unplug it and plug it back in once for a clean start, then enter the code it shows at dottieboards.com under Connect with a code.

Good to know

• Time limit: if nobody connects within 10 minutes, the board restarts on its own. Just start again.
• It adds networks, it does not erase them. The board remembers several WiFi networks. Entering a network adds it (or updates the password if the name matches). Old networks stay saved, which is fine: the board uses whichever it can reach.
• Your data and settings live on your account at dottieboards.com, not on the board, so nothing is lost by going through setup mode.
• If the screen says POWER CYCLE, unplug the board for a few seconds and plug it back in. Holding A+B on that screen also opens setup mode.
• Updating the firmware resets the board's saved WiFi, so you will come back to this page afterwards. See Updating your Dottie Board.