Improve efficiency with Stack Light Commander

This guide walks you through setting up Stack Light Commander from unboxing to viewing your first live Andon status on screen. The process is straightforward: connect the hardware, power up, log in, and discover your lights.

Unboxing the Penguin

The Penguin computer communicates with your wireless andon system and hosts the Stack Light Commander application. When you open the box, you will find the Penguin computer, power cable, and radio antennas for communicating with your wireless stack lights.

Start by attaching the antennas to the Penguin. They screw onto the antenna connectors on the back of the unit. Make sure they are snug. The antennas are how the Penguin talks to your wireless Andon devices over the mesh network.

Connecting a Display

If you want to use Commander in Offline mode, connect a monitor to the Penguin via the HDMI port. This gives you a dedicated display that works completely offline with no network needed. For LAN or Cloud access, a direct display is optional since you will access Commander through a browser on other devices.

Powering On and Network Connection

Plug the Penguin into power using the included cable. For LAN and Cloud access, connect an Ethernet cable or use Wi-Fi. Stack Light Commander will start automatically. Give it about a minute to finish starting up.

The Penguin Manager App

The Penguin Manager is a desktop application that runs on the Penguin itself. It lets you start and stop the Commander application, run software updates, and manage basic system settings. If you connect the Penguin to a monitor, you will see the Penguin Manager icon on the Desktop

The Penguin Manager app lets you start, stop, and update Commander.

Your First Login

• Single Screen/Offline mode: Once you have connected a display to the Penguin, click the Open Commander icon on the desktop. This will launch the Commander application on the connected display.
• LAN Access mode: Open a web browser on any device on the same network and enter the Penguin's IP address into the address bar. The IP address is displayed in the status section of the Penguin Manager app.
• Cloud Access mode: Open a web browser on any device with internet access and enter your dedicated URL printed on the Penguin's packaging.

After logging in, you will see the Commander dashboard. From here, you can access the Bingo Board, Map View, Data and Analytics, Devices page, and system settings.

Discovering Your Lights

Navigate to the Devices page in Commander. This is where you manage your wireless Andon devices. Click "Actions" then "Discover Lights" to scan for wireless devices on the mesh network. Any tower lights, controllers, and stations within range will appear in the device list.

The Devices page lets you discover, rename, and organize your wireless Andon lights.

From the Devices page you can rename and update the firmware configuration of each device.

Group your Lights into Teams

As devices get discovered, they are assigned to a default team. The Teams page lets you create new teams, name them, and drag-and-drop devices onto them to apply their team assignment.

Next Steps

Once your lights are discovered and organized into teams, you are ready to set up your monitoring views. Start with the Bingo Board for an at-a-glance status grid, or the Map View to overlay your lights on a floor plan.

Learn More

Continue setting up Commander with these guides:

• What Is Stack Light Commander?
• How to Set Up the Bingo Board
• How to Set Up Map Views
• Creating Roles and Permissions
• Reducing Bottlenecks and Downtime with Commander Data