How to Configure Wi-Fi on a Garo GLB

This document desribes how to configure Wi-Fi on a Garo GLB wallbox.

Table of contents

1. Introduction
2. Connecting to the wallbox
3. Finding the wallbox on the local network at home
4. Tips

Probably this document applies to models

For details, have a look at Garo’s product page.

Introduction

The Garo GLB wallbox is expected to be delivered with a network/Wi-Fi option. The network card of the wallbox is implemented in a Raspberry Pie computer, most likely a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B.

The wallbox consists of a Wi-Fi server or access point (like a local router) and a Wi-Fi client.

The network card is operating as expected if a red LED is lit with a steady light and a yellow LED is blinking, following the network card’s “disk” access. The disk is an SD (microSDHC) memory card attached under the network card’s printed circuit board.

The following workflow is recommended.

1. On a piece of paper, write the SSID and the password of the wallbox. The information is to be found behind the black cover.
2. Using a phone, tablet or PC, connect to the wallbox using the Wi-Fi access point provided by the server.
3. Using the web interface of the wallbox, connect to the owner’s home network router.

Connecting to the wallbox

Here’s what is about to happen:

1. The wallbox broadcasts its SSID, here GLB1234567.
2. A tablet or phone sets up a new Wi-Fi connection to GLB1234567 using the remembered password. (The encryption algorithm used is WPA/WPA2-Personal.)
3. The tablet or phone gets access to the web interface of the box

if the tablet is set up properly, it will connect to the wallbox web server on IP address 172.24.1.1:

Now click on Settings in the lower right corner.

The following dialog appears:

Now complete the following:

1. Network name (SSID): MYHOME in this example; should be the SSID of the owner’s Wi-Fi SSID.
2. Password: The owner’s Wi-Fi password.

Click Save.

Hopefully the wallbox is now configured to successfully connect to the house Wi-Fi and gets an IP address by the home router. (192.168.1.nnn in the picture below)

The wallbox Wi-Fi access point is shutdown and becomes unavailable.

Note

The SSID published by the wallbox is “GLB” followed by the serial number of the wallbox, like GLBnnnnnnn.

The password is an eight-character code, consisting of letters in upper case, like ABCDEFGH.

Finding the wallbox on the local network at home

1. In a web browser, go to http://chargebox.webel.se/ (green arrow below)
2. Enter the serial number, 1234567 in this example.
3. Enter the password that was written to a piece of paper.
4. Click on Go to wallbox.

Now the remote web server, chargebox.webel.se, looks up its registered wallboxes. The server at chargebox.webel.se reports that local URL to visit is http://192.168.1.nnn:8080/serialweb/index.jsp (still green arrow).

The web browser on the home PC connects to the wallbox (yellow arrow).

Tips

If still using a phone and if using Chrome as the web browser, turn off Lite Mode.

Immediately after the installation, the wallbox should publish its SSID. If this does not happen, press the reset button on the network card (a Raspberry Pie).

Don’t press the network reset button when a connection has been established with the owner’s local network, to avoid that the configuration has to be carried out again.

The wallbox’ local IP address may change. Go to chargebox.webel.se to find the new address.

If the local router provides a name service and the local domain name is set to **example.home*, the address may be found using the following command (“nslookup”) in a terminal window:

    $ nslookup 192.168.1.129  (nnn=129)
    Server:  router
    Address:  192.168.1.1

    Name:    Garo-GLB.example.home
    Address:  192.168.1.129
    $