Quick Start
Quick Start
Get your ALPON X4 online and registered to Sixfab Connect in under five minutes. This guide walks through unboxing, antenna installation, first power-up, and verifying that your industrial edge AI computer is reachable over LTE or Ethernet.
To set up the ALPON X4: (1) register the device by scanning the QR code on its bottom label or adding it manually in Sixfab Connect, (2) attach the four antennas (2x LTE, 1x GNSS, 1x Wi-Fi), (3) connect power via the included USB-C PD adapter or the 9-30V DC screw terminal, (4) wait for the status LED to turn solid green, and (5) access the device from the Sixfab Connect dashboard using the browser-based remote terminal. The whole process takes about five minutes.
What's in the box
Every ALPON X4 ships with the essentials to power on and connect. Contents may vary by variant (RAM, storage, PoE, Wi-Fi).
Box contents
- ALPON X4 Micro Edge Computer
- USB Type-C Power Adapter (27W PD)
- 4x Plug Adapters (US, EU, UK, AU)
- Screw Terminal Block (3-pin)
- 4x Antennas (2x LTE, 1x GNSS, 1x Wi-Fi)
Before you begin
What you will need
- ALPON X4 device (from the box)
- All four antennas (included)
- USB-C PD power adapter (27W, included)
- A Sixfab Connect account
- A smartphone or laptop with a camera (for QR registration)
- An active internet connection (on your phone or laptop)
Create one free at connect.sixfab.com/signup. Takes 30 seconds. You will need the account to complete Step 1.
Setup in 5 steps
Link your ALPON X4 to your Sixfab Connect account. Pick one of two methods.
Scan QR code
Recommended- Find the QR code on the bottom label of the device.
- Scan it with your phone camera.
- You will be redirected to Sixfab Connect. Log in.
- The device is auto-registered to your account.
Manual registration
Alternative- Log in to Sixfab Connect.
- Go to Assets and click + Register Asset.
- Enter the serial number (S/N) printed on the bottom of the device.
- Click Register to confirm.
Each antenna is labeled with a letter. Match the letter to the corresponding SMA connector on the back of the device and hand-tighten. Do not use tools.
Always install antennas before powering on the device. Connecting or disconnecting antennas on a powered LTE radio can damage the module.
The ALPON X4 accepts three power options. For Quick Start, use the included USB-C PD adapter.
- Connect the USB-C PD adapter to the USB-C port on the side of the device.
- Attach the regional plug adapter (US, EU, UK, or AU) to the power supply.
- Plug the adapter into mains power.
- The Power LED (white) lights up within 3 seconds.
Non-PD USB-C adapters may not negotiate the required voltage and the device may fail to boot. Always use the supplied 27W PD adapter or a DC source on the screw terminal.
First boot takes about 60 seconds. Watch the front-panel LEDs to confirm power and cellular connectivity. Full provisioning over LTE can take up to 3 minutes.
The Status LED is solid green. The device now appears as Online in your Sixfab Connect dashboard.
Connect an Ethernet cable to the 1 Gbps port. The ALPON X4 will use Ethernet as the uplink until cellular returns. PoE-enabled variants can also be powered through this port.
Open Sixfab Connect and select your ALPON X4 from the asset list. From here you can:
- Activate the device with the Active/Inactive toggle in the top right of the asset detail page.
- Open a remote terminal (browser-based SSH, no client needed).
- Monitor device health (CPU, memory, temperature, network).
- Deploy containerized applications via Docker Hub or Sixfab Registry.
- Configure OTA updates and firmware rollouts.
- Manage eSIM profiles and LTE network failover.
If you connect over HDMI or local SSH, the default user is alpon with password sixfab. Change this password before deploying to production. See ALPON X4 Operating System for details.
Troubleshooting common first-boot issues
The power LED does not turn on
Check that the USB-C adapter is a PD-capable 27W unit. Standard USB-C phone chargers may not negotiate the required voltage. As an alternative, wire a 9-30V DC supply to the screw terminal using the included terminal block.
The status LED stays red or does not turn green
The device cannot reach Sixfab Connect. Verify the LTE antennas are hand-tight, move the device for better cellular reception, or plug in an Ethernet cable to an internet-connected router. First-time provisioning can take up to 3 minutes.
The QR code does not scan
Use the Manual registration method in Step 1. Enter the serial number (S/N) printed on the bottom label of the device.
The device appears Offline in Sixfab Connect after a few minutes
First, confirm the cellular LED is not red. If cellular is weak, connect an Ethernet cable to the 1 Gbps port. The ALPON X4 fails over to any available network path automatically. If both networks are unavailable, the device reports offline until connectivity is restored.
Ethernet is plugged in but the device still reports no network
The ALPON X4 has two Ethernet ports. Use the 1 Gbps port for WAN uplink, not the 100 Mbps port (intended for downstream LAN devices). Confirm the RJ45 connector clicks into place. Do not plug Ethernet into the GPIO add-on port: the GPIO port is an RJ45-shaped connector but carries GPIO signals, not Ethernet.
Next steps
Now that your ALPON X4 is online, pick where to go next based on what you want to build on your edge AI gateway.
Updated about 4 hours ago