The Hivebox is your dedicated on-premise hardware appliance for managing Meshmerize devices in a local network.
It comes with the Hive NMS software pre-installed, pre-configured, and pre-licensed. The core services are set to start automatically on boot, requiring minimal initial setup. This guide will walk you through the steps to get your Hivebox online and accessible.
Before powering on the Hivebox, please ensure the following network requirements are met. This is crucial for your firewall and network configuration.
| Service |
Protocol / Port |
Direction |
Purpose |
| Hive Web UI |
TCP/80 |
Inbound |
For users to access the Hive NMS. |
| MQTT Broker |
TCP/1883 |
Inbound |
For Meshmerize devices to connect and report. |
- Meshmerize devices require network access to the Hivebox on ports
TCP/80 and TCP/1883.
- Administrators (engineers using the web interface) require network access to the Hivebox on port
TCP/80.
¶ 3. Initial Setup and Configuration
Follow these steps to connect and configure the Hivebox on your network.
- Place the Hivebox in a suitable, well-ventilated location.
- Connect the provided power adapter to the Hivebox and a power source.
- Connect an Ethernet cable from one of the Hivebox's Ethernet ports to your local area network (LAN) switch. This is the network your Meshmerize devices will use to reach the Hivebox.
- Power on the device. The Hive service will start automatically.
The Hivebox is configured by default to obtain an IP address via DHCP. You can find its assigned IP using one of the following methods:
- DHCP Server Logs: Check the lease table on your network's DHCP server for a new device, often identified by its MAC address (which may be printed on the Hivebox label).
- mDNS Discovery: From a computer on the same LAN, use the multicast DNS name. Open a command prompt or terminal and run:
ping hivebox.local
The IP address will be shown in the ping response.
- Direct Access: Connect a monitor (e.g., HDMI), keyboard, and mouse to the Hivebox. Log in to the desktop environment to find the IP address through the network settings GUI.
Warning: This is a critical step. Your Meshmerize devices will be configured to connect to a specific IP address. If the Hivebox IP changes, your devices will lose connection. You must ensure the IP address remains static.
Choose one of the following methods:
-
DHCP Reservation (Recommended):
- Log in to your network's DHCP server.
- Create an IP address reservation for the Hivebox's MAC address.
- This method is preferred as it centralizes IP management without requiring manual configuration on the Hivebox itself.
-
Manual Static IP Configuration:
- Log in to the Hivebox directly (via SSH or the desktop environment).
- Manually configure a static IP address on the network interface. The Hivebox runs a standard Debian OS. Network configuration can be done via the GUI or command-line tools like
nmcli.
- Open a web browser on a computer connected to the same network.
- Navigate to the IP address of the Hivebox:
http://<your-hivebox-ip>
- You should see the Hive NMS login page. This confirms the service is running and accessible.
You will need two sets of credentials. These will be provided to you separately in a secure manner.
Your Hivebox is now operational. The next logical steps are:
- Log in to the Hive Web UI with the
admin credentials.
- Add other users to Hive who may need access to it.
- Begin configuring your Meshmerize devices to point to the Hivebox's static IP address for management.