TECH TIP – WIRELESS INTERFACE FOR FARO VANTAGE TRACKERS

To connect the Faro Vantage Tracker wirelessly, you must first configure the Tracker while connected to the controller using a crossover network cable (usually provided with the system).

1. In the Local Area Network Settings for your Network Card, do the following:
   

1. Set the TCP/IPv4 address as follows (including Subnet Mask):
   

2. Turn Off the Windows Defender Firewall.
   

3. Select Faro Laser Tracker in the Device Manager – Device Setup dialog, set the IP address to 128.128.128.100, and then select Start Device.
   

4. Once connected to the Tracker, the Faro Laser Tracker app is active; run Tracker Pad and Turn Wireless On.
   

5. Follow the prompt and REBOOT the Tracker:
   

6. Once you have restarted the tracker controller, you then connect to it with your wireless network.
   

7. Set the Wireless Network Connection to Obtain an IP address automatically. If already configured, continue to step 8; if not, edit your Wireless Network connection to Obtain an IP address automatically (shown below):
   

8. Open the Device Setup and select the Edit button, set the tracker IP address to 168.254.3.3, then select Start Device; the Tracker should be ready for operation. If the Tracker does not start, Verify the Tracker IP Address:
   

When the Tracker fails to start, verify the IP Address of the Tracker.

Go to Tracker Utilities - Find Trackers (shown below) if the IP Address is different from 168.254.3.3, edit the Device IP Address in Device Setup, and select Start.

Description – MCU Lights when using Wireless vs. Wired Ethernet Connection

To determine if the Tracker is in Wired Mode or Wireless Mode, watch the two lights on the lower left front of the MCU, just above the multi-sync port, combined with the lights in the Ethernet port on the side of the MCU.

When the Tracker is in Wired Mode:

The left light illuminates when first turning on the MCU.  When an Ethernet cable connects to both the MCU and a computer, the Ethernet Link light or the lower light on the Ethernet port activates. If there is no Ethernet cable connected between the MCU or computer, the Ethernet Link light is off.

When the Tracker is in Wireless Mode:

Both lights slowly blink for approximately two minutes upon  MCU activation. After two minutes, the left light stays on, the same as in wired mode. The Ethernet Link light stays on, even though there is no Ethernet cable connected to the MCU.

A recovery button is inside the MCU that allows you to temporarily override a wireless-enabled system and connect to the Tracker using the wired Ethernet connection. 

3. Use this in situations where the wireless for the Tracker is not working. 
   
4. The computer’s wireless network card is not functioning correctly
   

or 

4. The operator has enabled WEP encryption but has forgotten the security key to enter into the computer configuration.
   

The Recovery button is not visible from the MCU’s outside but is accessible through one of the cooling vents. See the picture below “Recovery Button Location” for this location. A very thin but sturdy object is needed to access this recovery button to insert into the vent. The picture below shows accessing the Recovery Button button with the flat end of an x-acto knife blade.

With the Tracker on in wireless mode, pressing the recovery button for 2-3 seconds causes both lights on the left side of the MCU to start to blink alternately. Once these lights start to alternate, stop pressing the recovery button. You must stop pressing the button once these lights start to alternate back and forth. Continuing to press the button eventually causes the lights to blink on and off simultaneously. If this happens, the MCU has been completely reset and needs reconfiguring using the initial factory setup process.

After you have pressed the recovery button for 2-3 seconds, the light on the Ethernet connection is off without an Ethernet cable connection.

You can now connect to the Tracker using the Ethernet cable; however, the IP address is the wireless IP address, not the standard 128.128.128.100 address. Therefore, change your wired network card settings to a compatible IP address. Setting the network card's IP address to 169.254.3.3 with a subnet of 255.255.0.0 works almost 100% of the time. The only issue is using an MCU with an IP address set to 169.254.3.3. If you are, changing either one of the 3’s to a different number corrects any conflicts.

After changing the wired network card settings, you can connect to the Tracker either from Utilities or Verisurf, open up Tracker Pad and press the button that reads Turn Wireless Off. After pressing it, the button reads Turn Wireless On. Close the Tracker Pad, disconnect from the Tracker, and then power cycle the Tracker.

After you have power cycled the Tracker, the lights on the MCU front confirm the Tracker is in wired mode. The IP address is set to its wired IP address, so you must reconfigure your hardwired network card back to 128.128.128.10 before connecting.