The ticker's name and identity

CT and three digits

The ticker’s name is CT followed by three digits, for example CT504. The digits are worked out from the serial number of its Wi-Fi chip, so they stay the same for the life of the ticker, and two tickers usually differ. With only a thousand possible names, two tickers can share one, which is rare.

That one name turns up in three places:

• The setup network. During first-time setup the ticker makes its own Wi-Fi network under this name, with no password, for your phone to join.
• Your router’s list of devices. The ticker gives your router the same name when it joins your Wi-Fi, so it appears there as CT504 or similar. Some routers show only a maker’s name or the address; the MAC below settles it.
• The settings page. The System Info panel lists it as My Hostname:.

When the ticker lists networks for you to join, it leaves out any network named CT and three digits, and any named CryptoTicr- and a number, so a neighbor’s ticker in setup never appears as a choice.

The MAC address

Every ticker has a hardware address, its MAC, which never changes. Your router uses it to recognize the ticker, and an address reservation is tied to it; see Give the ticker a fixed address.

Where to read it:

• On the settings page, in the footer, as MAC:. This is the address your router sees.
• In System Info, which opens when you tap the read-out in the settings page’s footer, as MAC: among the network details.

9:41192.168.1.107

During setup, the setup page’s header also shows a MAC:. That one belongs to the ticker’s own setup network, and it differs from the address your router will see once the ticker joins your Wi-Fi. Use the one on the settings page.

The glass itself never shows the MAC. If you need it before the ticker can join your network, for example to register it with a building’s Wi-Fi, see Router issues and how to fix them.