Note: From firmware 2.2.0, OpenSprinkler 3.x supports remote access via OTC token. Please note that this is only available for OpenSprinkler hardware 3.x, it is NOT available for OpenSprinkler hardware 2.x or OpenSprinkler Pi / Beagle / Demo. Therefore this article is only relevant to OpenSprinkler 3.x.

Introduction

From firmware 2.2.0, OpenSprinkler 3.x supports remote access via OpenThings Cloud (OTC) token. This eliminates the need for port forwarding (which is difficult to set up for some routers particularly mobile routers). Before proceeding, make sure you have OpenSprinkler firmware 2.2.0 or above. If not, you can follow the instructions here to upgrade your firmware to 2.2.0. The instructions below explain how to create an OTC token, and use the OTC token for remote access.


Also note that once you set up OTC for remote access, you no longer need to use OpenSprinkler's IP address (which only works locally when you are on your WiFi or wired network). With OTC, you can access your OpenSprinkler whether you are at home or remotely. You DO need to add a new site / device using the OTC token, and once that's done, you can delete your existing site that you added using OpenSprinkler's IP address (of course if you choose to keep it that's also fine, knowing that the IP-based site can only work locally and NOT remotely).


Step A: Create an OTC Token

  1. Go to www.openthings.io and log in using your opensprinkler.com login email/username and password. If you do not yet have an opensprinkler.com account, please go to www.opensprinkler.com and click on 'My Account' at the top, then register for a new user account. The two websites share the same log in.

  2. Once you log in to openthings.io, you will see the dashboard. On the left side of the dashboard, click
    My OpenThings Devices
    See the image below for illustration.
    Do NOT click on My OpenThings Blynk Devices (which is above My OpenThings Blynk Devices) as that's for creating Blynk token, not OTC token. 
  3. Next, type in a device description, select 'OpenSprinkler' from the dropdown list, then click on Add New Device. See the image below for illustration.This will create a new OpenSprinkler device, and you will see the OTC token illustrated above. The token is 32-characters long. You will need to copy and paste this token to your OpenSprinkler settings (explained below).

Step B: Update OpenSprinkler Settings

  1. You will need to change settings on your OpenSprinkler device to enable the OTC token. To do so, open a browser and type in the IP address of your device, this should show the web UI.
  2. Click the lower-right corner icon to go to 'Edit Options', and click the 'Integration' tab. Choose Enable. Then copy/paste your entire OTC token into the Token box. The default OTC server is ws.cloud.openthings.io and the default port is 80. You can leave them as is. See the image below for illustration.
  3. Submit the changes and finally reboot your OpenSprinkler. Now you are all set.
  4. To verify if OTC cloud connection is valid, after the controller is rebooted, at the homepage, swipe left to right (or click the upper-left corner icon) to open the left-side menu, then click 'System Diagnostics'. At the bottom of the panel you will see OTC status. If it shows 'Connected' that means the connection is successful. If it shows 'Connecting...' you may want for 30 seconds and re-check. The status shows 'Not enabled' if OTC is not enabled, or 'Disconnected' if for some reason the connection has failed. See image below for illustration.


Step C: Use the OTC Token for remote access

The current version of OpenSprinkler mobile app supports adding a device by its OTC token. To add a remote control site, add a new device using its OTC token. After adding this new device / site, you can delete your old site that you added using OpenSprinkler's IP address, because OTC works both remotely and also locally when you are on your home network.



Alternatively, you can also go to https://ui.opensprinkler.com in a web browser and add a device by its OTC token.


The third options is: you can open a browser and type in:

https://cloud.openthings.io/forward/v1/token

where token is your OTC token. This will allow you to remotely access the controller as well. You can bookmark this link in your browser or on a smartphone device, add this link to the homepage.