FlowTracker Setup & User Guide
Everything you need to set up, configure, edit settings, and get the most out of your FlowTracker river monitor.
Your FlowTracker comes ready to run right out of the box with no assembly required. Plug your device into any standard 5V USB-C power source (such as a phone charger or powered USB outlet).
- Boot Display: Upon receiving power, the high-contrast display lights up with BOOTING... followed by CONNECTING....
- First Boot Behavior: Since no Wi-Fi credentials are saved yet, the device automatically starts its built-in configuration access point so you can set it up in under two minutes.
Placement Tip: Mount or place your FlowTracker where you routinely check your water conditions — by your gear locker, garage exit, or living room wall.
Setting up Wi-Fi requires no apps or software downloads. You can configure it from any smartphone, tablet, or computer with a web browser.
- Join Setup Network: Open Wi-Fi settings on your phone or computer and connect to the network named FlowTracker-Setup.
- Setup Portal: A configuration portal will pop up automatically. If it doesn't open within a few seconds, open your browser and go to http://192.168.4.1.
- Select Network: Select your 2.4GHz home or shop Wi-Fi network from the list and enter your Wi-Fi password.
Note: FlowTracker connects to standard 2.4GHz Wi-Fi networks for maximum range and wall penetration. Make sure your router broadcasts a 2.4GHz band.
Monitor up to 12 USGS river stations on a single FlowTracker device. You can customize river names so you know exactly which section is running.
- Find Your Gauge: Search by state and county, or enter official 8-digit USGS Site IDs directly (e.g. 03185400 for the Gauley River near Summersville, WV).
- Custom Nicknames: Name your river anything you like (e.g., Upper Gauley, Green Narrows, Local Creek).
- Measurement Types: Track flow rate in discharge (CFS) or gauge height / stage in feet (ft).
FlowTracker uses intuitive color coding so you can check river conditions at a glance without reading raw numbers across the room.
- Baseline / Neutral (White) — Flow or stage is below your desired minimum level.
- Desired Level (Green) — Water level is at or above your minimum target for a good run.
- Warning Level (Red) — Flow has reached your high-water or flood caution level.
After entering your gauges and levels, tap Save & Restart. Your FlowTracker will reboot, connect to your Wi-Fi network, and begin fetching live USGS data.
Interact with your FlowTracker using the physical side buttons or the touch screen.
- NEXT and PREV — Manually cycle forward and backward through your list of configured rivers.
- Auto-Cycle: The display automatically rotates through your active gauges every few seconds so every river is visible over time.
- INFO Short Press: Opens an instant status overlay showing your device's local IP address, Wi-Fi signal strength (RSSI), current firmware version, and last USGS update time.
Every FlowTracker hosts its own local web console accessible from any device connected to your home Wi-Fi network.
- Accessing the Web Console: Short press INFO on your device to see its IP address, then type http://<device-ip> or http://flowtracker.local into your web browser.
- Full Control: Add or remove rivers, reorder your gauge sequence, update desired and warning levels, adjust display auto-cycle speeds, and view hardware diagnostics.
FlowTracker is designed to be intelligent, efficient, and zero-maintenance.
- Smart Polling: FlowTracker learns each individual USGS gauge's telemetry release schedule and checks the moment new data is available. You always see fresh data without unnecessary network traffic.
- Automatic OTA Updates: FlowTracker receives automatic software updates over Wi-Fi when new features or optimizations are released. Updates install silently in the background when the device boots or reconnects, preserving all your saved gauges and settings.
- Cannot find FlowTracker-Setup Wi-Fi network?
Hold NEXT and PREV together for 5 seconds to force the device into setup mode and clear temporary cache.
- Gauge displays NO DATA or OFFLINE?
Occasionally individual USGS physical sensors undergo maintenance or experience transmission pauses. Check the official USGS water service site or verify that the 8-digit Site ID is correct.
- Changed home Wi-Fi router or password?
Use the on-device touch menu under Settings → Wi-Fi to type your new password, or hold INFO during boot to open the setup portal.
- Touch screen unaligned?
Open the on-device menu, select Calibrate Touch, and tap the target crosshairs at the corners of the display.