Getting started
Merkora is in development. The software runs against a simulator today and the first labels are being designed. This page describes the setup we are building towards.
What you need
| Part | How many | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Labels | One per box, magazine or bin | Tile (4.2") for kitting boxes, strip (2.9") for magazines and bins |
| Access points | About one per 400–500 m² | Ceiling mount, power over Ethernet. Three or four cover 1,500 m² with overlap |
| Bridge | One per site | A Docker container on any small server or VM in the same network as the access points |
| Control center | One per company | Our cloud, your cloud, or on premises. See Architecture |
Setting up a site
- Run the bridge. Start the bridge container on a machine in the factory network. Access points find it on the local network.
- Connect it to the control center. In the control center, add a site and a bridge. You get a bridge token for the container and a signing secret. If the control center runs outside your network, publish the bridge with a tunnel (for example Cloudflare Tunnel).
- Mount and adopt the access points. Plug each access point into a PoE switch port. It shows up in the control center as waiting; adopt it and give it a name.
- Add labels. Tap a label with a phone (NFC) or scan its QR code. The control center registers it, and the bridge pairs it through the access point with the best signal.
- Bind labels to things. Bind each label to what it represents, for example a kitting box in your ERP, and choose a template. From then on the label follows that record.
Trying it without hardware
The bridge has a simulator driver. It accepts the same commands as real labels and writes each rendered image to a PNG file, so you can design templates and test your ERP integration before any label exists.
Next steps
- Architecture: how the parts fit together and where data lives.
- API: finding a box, setting content and receiving events.
- ERPNext: the ready-made app.
- Hardware: what the labels and access points are made of.