This chapter provides detailed instructions for setting up and connecting to Doodle Labs Mesh Rider Radios. While the connectivity options and design differ between radio models—such as the Wearable, Mini-OEM, Nano OEM, and OEM models—the core configuration and interface options are consistent. Once connected, you can access the radio’s Web GUI for easy configuration and monitoring.
The Wearable Mesh Rider Radio offers flexible power and connectivity options for mobile and stationary configurations. This guide outlines the options available, supported USB Power Delivery (PD) profiles, and step-by-step setup instructions.
Battery Power
External USB-C Power Delivery (PD)
The Wearable Mesh Rider Radio supports multiple PD profiles for flexible power sourcing:
Non-C Band Radio Models
C Band Radio Models
Battery Pack (for Standalone Charging)
USB-C Splitter Cable (Data + Power)
Provides both data and power through the PWR-IN USB-D port using a USB-PD splitter cable. Ensure an adequate USB-PD power supply to avoid performance issues.
Ethernet over USB-C
Uses an RJ-45 adapter (USB-W04-A) for stable Ethernet data connection via the ETH USB-H port, while power is supplied through the PWR-IN USB-D port.
Wi-Fi Hotspot (Wireless Connection)
Enables wireless access by creating a Wi-Fi access point on the radio without requiring data cables.
Remove Protective Sticker
Before the first use, remove the sticker covering the ports at the bottom of the Wearable Mesh Rider Radio to access the PWR-IN USB-D and ETH USB-H ports. This may require some force due to the adhesive.
Choose a Power Source
Connect a USB-PD compliant power source to the PWR-IN USB-D port.
Confirm the USB-PD source supports one of the recommended profiles (avoid 5V profiles)
Option 1: USB-C Splitter Cable (Data + Power):
Connect the USB-W03-A cable (or USB-W01-A if using only for data or power) to the PWR-IN USB-D port.
Plug the other end of the USB-C splitter cable into a computer to create a virtual network interface for data transfer.
Ensure the USB-PD power source is adequate to prevent performance issues.
Option 2: Ethernet over USB-C
Connect a USB-PD power source to the PWR-IN USB-D port.
Attach the USB-W04-A cable (with RJ-45 connector) to the ETH USB-H port on the radio.
Plug an Ethernet cable into the RJ-45 jack on the USB-W04-A and connect it to the Ethernet port on your host device.
Option 3: Wi-Fi Hotspot (Wireless Connection)
With a USB-PD power source connected to PWR-IN USB-D, the radio will automatically start a Wi-Fi access point upon boot-up.
Connect to the Wi-Fi network using SSID DoodleLabsWiFi-<last 6 hex digits of MAC> and password DoodleSmartRadio.
Option 4: Battery Power with USB-D Data Connection
Use the battery as the power source (see Step 1, Battery Power).
Connect a USB-C cable from the USB-D port to a computer or laptop to enable a virtual network interface for data transfer.
This option allows the radio to operate in mobile scenarios with battery power while maintaining a data connection through the computer.
Connect Antennas to the TNC ports at the top of the radio.
Skip to Connecting to the Radio
Step 1. Using the provided cables in the evaluation kit, connect the evaluation board with the Mini-OEM/Nano-OEM as shown below. The cables and ports for the Nano and Mini are the same except for the Mini having an extra antenna port.
mini-OEM
nano-OEM
|
Cable Number |
Description |
|
Cable1 |
20cm, 4-position JST-GH to JST-GH cable |
|
Cable3, Cable4 Cable5 |
10cm, 4-position JST-GH to JST-GH cable |
|
Cable2 |
20cm, 6-position JST-GH to JST-GH cable |
|
Cable6 |
10cm, 4-position JST-GH to USB-A Socket. USB-Host connector |
Step 2: Connect the antennas to the radio using the MMCX-SMA cables.
Step 3. Use a 5V barrel jack (5.5mm x 2.5mm with positive center) rated for 3A or higher to connect to the power jack of the evaluation board.
Step 4. It's normal not to see any lights activate. There are no visual indicators for the nano or mini that it is on. The LED on the evaluation board is, however, programmable.
Skip to Connecting to the Radio
Step 1: Using the provided cables in the evaluation kit, connect the evaluation board with the OEM radio as shown below.
Step 2: Connect the HID board to the OEM radio as shown below.
Step 3. Connect the antennas to their respective ports using the included MMCX-SMA cables.
|
Antennas |
Respective Ports |
|
|
CH0 and CH1 of the Mesh Rider Radio |
|
|
WiFi Hotspot |
|
|
GPS |
Step 4. Use a 5V barrel jack (5.5mm x 2.5mm with positive center) rated for 3A or higher to connect to the power jack of the evaluation board.
Step 5. As soon as power is applied to the radios, all of the LEDs will blink once. After powering the radio, hold down the Power button for 2 seconds to turn the unit on. The Power LED will blink until the unit has fully booted, at which point it will be steady.
Note about attenuators: The following photo is of the attenuators included in the mini-OEM, nano-OEM, and OEM evaluation kit. They are used to reduce the signal strength of the radio. Be careful not to have them installed when trying to optimize for range.
There are multiple ways to connect to the Mesh Rider Radios: WIFI (Wearable and OEM only), Ethernet , USB Device, USB Host. We will only cover WIFI and Ethernet as these are the most interoperable across different operating systems.
Wi-Fi Connection (only for wearable and OEM)
You can connect to the radio over its built-in Wi-Fi radio. By default, the built-in Wi-Fi radio starts up an Access Point with SSID DoodleLabsWiFi-<last 6 hex digits of MAC> and password DoodleSmartRadio. No cables are required for this connection method.
Ethernet Connection
Wearable: Connect an ethernet cable to connect from the RJ45 connector of the USB-W04-A dongle to your host machine.
mini-OEM/nano-OEM/OEM: Connect an ethernet cable from the RJ45 connector of the evaluation board to your host machine.
Please refer to the Wearable User Guide if you wish to use USB.
https://techlib.doodlelabs.com/multiband-wearable-user-guide-wearable-form-factor
Network setup
After establishing a connection through either WiFi or Ethernet, you must set a static IP address for your host machine within the 10.223.0.0/16 subnet to access the radios. The method for assigning an IP address differs between operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux, etc.).
For a Windows 10 or later system, navigate to the Network Connections folder in the Control Panel. Right-click on the Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter your host is using and select Properties. In the properties window, choose Internet Protocol Version 4 and then click Properties. Set the IP address to the 10.223.0.0/16 subnet. Since these addresses are statically assigned, make sure not to use the same IP address for another device on the network. Refer to the figure below for guidance on manually setting the IP address. The process is generally similar for macOS and Linux.
After setting a static IP address, open a web browser and navigate to the IP address printed on the label of the radio.
When first visiting the page, you may see a warning about the authentication certificate. This can be disregarded since the Mesh Rider Radio employs a self-signed certificate. You will need to acknowledge this warning and click proceed to continue. This process varies between browsers, but will likely look similar to the below screenshot.
Upon reaching the login page, you'll find that there is no default password set. You can click Login (with no password) to log in. After logging in, the Simple Configuration page will be displayed (this applies to firmware from October 2022 and later. If your firmware is older, navigate to Network -> Simple Configuration).
The default configuration of the Mesh Rider radios allows Mesh Rider radios of identical band models to automatically form a mesh on first boot-up without any configuration changes. You can immediately run IP-based connections over the Mesh Rider network.