DSC-BRAIN USER GUIDE · SETUP

Fleet Wi-Fi join (hub hotspot portal)

Using the hub's DSC-Setup-XXXX portal to put the hub, panel and probes on a network; local-only vs home Wi-Fi.

●  verified for 9.0.0 · corrected for 9.8.0 on 2026-09-30

●  first mirrored 2026-09-15

On this page
  1. Unboxing order
  2. Sonoff plugs
  3. Adding a device later
  4. Factory reset of the fleet config
  5. Notes

Read this first. This page describes the hub's factory setup portal, which is parked. On a Pi kit the setup route is the dashboard: open dsc-brain-XXXX.local:8787 over Ethernet (or join the Pi's own Wi-Fi network, DSC-Brain-XXXX, and open 10.42.0.1; XXXX is unique to your card and setup shows the full name, and cards made before 9.9.0 use DSC-Brain and dsc-brain.local), then go to #/setup. A hub built for the Pi kit joins the Pi's DSC-Brain-XXXX network by itself; if it cannot, it opens DSC-HUB Fallback Hotspot with a captive portal at 192.168.4.1, which is for recovery, not setup. Only follow the steps below if your hub opened a DSC-Setup-XXXX network.

The hub is the network anchor for the panel and probes. You configure it once through its own captive portal. Before you start: the hub, the panel (if you have one) and the probes are flashed (Flashing devices over USB), you have the kit card (it carries the hub hotspot password), and, if you want the fleet on your home network, you know your 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi name and password.

Unboxing order

  1. Power the hub. It opens a hotspot named DSC-Setup-XXXX (XXXX is the last four characters of the hub's MAC address).
  2. On a phone, join that network. The password is on the kit card.
  3. Open the setup portal: browse to 192.168.4.1. The hub answers the phone's connectivity checks, but an automatic pop-up is not guaranteed, so open the address yourself if nothing appears.
  4. Choose a mode:
Mode Network Internet Notes
Home Wi-Fi Your 2.4 GHz router Optional (time sync, updates) Pick or type the SSID and password. Prefer a fixed channel.
Local only The hub's own hotspot Not required The Pi answers time requests for the fleet. Without a valid clock the hub leaves the lamp exactly as it is (see Photoperiod, holds and catch-up).
  1. Tap Save & continue. Keep the phone on the setup network.
  2. Power the DSC-Control panel, if you have one (it is optional). It finds the hub hotspot, registers, pulls the credentials and reboots onto the target network. It has no portal of its own.
  3. Power each probe. Same automatic join, register, reboot.
  4. Back on the portal, confirm the panel and probes appear under Devices, then tap Finish setup.
  5. Leave the setup Wi-Fi and rejoin your normal network (or the Pi hotspot), then continue the wizard at #/setup with Next: Zigbee. The hub's firmware runs the room; if you have the optional panel, its Soil tab shows probe data.

Sonoff plugs

The plugs are flashed separately and join the Pi's own DSC-Brain-XXXX Wi-Fi network, using the network name and password compiled into their firmware. They do not use your home Wi-Fi, so the mode you chose above does not change how they connect. The brain drives them directly over the ESPHome native API. A plug that cannot join opens its own DSC-<name> Fallback Hotspot with a captive portal.

Adding a device later

On the hub portal (re-join the setup hotspot, or use Add device window if still in range), tap Add device window and power the new unit.

Factory reset of the fleet config

Portal → Factory reset fleet config clears the hub's stored Wi-Fi and pairing. It touches the hub only; re-run the mode choice and pair the satellites again.

Notes

  • Lock Wi-Fi AP (Settings › Network) pins the hub to one access point BSSID. Use it on mesh networks that roam.

Next: the hub, panel and probes are on the network? Go to Zigbee, pairing and binding roles (wizard step 4).

Guide contents  ·  Setup  ·  Troubleshooting  ·  Digital Stealth Care

DSC-Brain user guide · Fleet Wi-Fi join (hub hotspot portal) · this page is edited on the site; the Notion original was retired after the mirror