# Set up your vploq

Setup happens once, and is best done from a phone with NFC in the same room as
the device, because you will hold one against the other. The app walks you
through it end to end.

<Mermaid chart={`flowchart LR
  A["Connect<br/>ethernet + power"] --> B["Tap 1<br/>read identity"]
  B --> C["Activate<br/>Tap 2 over NFC"]
  C --> D["Name it"]
  D --> E["Firmware<br/>update"]
  E --> F["Grant access<br/>VPN + notifications"]
  F --> G["Done"]
`} />

## What you need

- The vploq device and its USB-C power supply
- An ethernet cable to your router
- A phone with NFC and the vploq app, signed in

## 1. Connect it

Plug one end of the ethernet cable into the vploq and the other into any LAN
port on your router, then connect power with the USB-C cable. It takes about ten
seconds to boot; the LED turns solid green when it is ready.

The device needs a wired connection to the router. That is deliberate: it is the
thing your whole home network is reached through, so it does not depend on Wi-Fi
being healthy.

## 2. Tap it with your phone (first tap)

The app asks you to hold your phone near the device, within a few centimetres of
the `〜` symbol on its top panel. This first tap reads the device's identity and
takes under a second. Nothing is written to the device yet.

Phones read NFC from a specific spot, usually the upper back on Android and the
very top edge on iPhone. If nothing happens, move the phone slowly over the top
of the device.

## 3. Activation (second tap)

The app and the device now prove to each other, and to vploq, that they are what
they claim to be. You will see it move through a short sequence:

| The app shows | What is happening |
| --- | --- |
| **Preparing** | Getting ready to talk to the device |
| **Verifying** | Checking the device's identity with vploq |
| **Connecting via NFC** | The **second tap**: hold the phone against the device again |
| **Activating** | Registering the device to your account |
| **Success** | Done, and the app moves on |

If the second tap does not take after a couple of tries, the app offers to
finish setup over your home Wi-Fi instead, as long as the phone and the device
are on the same network. If a step is taking a while you may see **Still working
on it**. That is not an error; the app keeps checking and continues on its own
once the device confirms.

This step is why a stolen or cloned device cannot be brought online. The
identity read in step 2 has to match a device that was actually manufactured,
and each one can be claimed by only one account.

## 4. Name it

Give the device a name so you can tell it apart later. It comes pre-filled with
its serial number, and there are suggestions like "Living Room" or "Office". You
can change it any time from [My vploq](/using/your-device).

## 5. Firmware and access

The app then brings the device up to the current firmware, and asks you to grant
the [permissions](/setup/install-the-app#permissions-the-app-asks-for) it needs
to run: VPN configuration, and notifications on a phone. After that, setup is
complete and you are ready to [connect](/using/connecting).

## If activation does not work

Most problems at this stage are safe to retry, and each attempt starts fresh
without using anything up. Hold the phone steady and flat against the device and
try again.

| What you see | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| Couldn't read the device. Hold your phone steady against it and try again. | Reposition the phone over the `〜` symbol and retry |
| Device details are missing | Tap the device again from the start |
| No internet connection | The **phone** needs internet here, not just the device |
| This device was not found in the registry | Contact support with the serial number |
| The device reported a hardware problem | Retry once; if it repeats, contact support |
| Couldn't find the device on your network | You are on the Wi-Fi fallback. A work, school or guest network may block discovery; try your home network or a phone hotspot |

Two messages mean setup cannot continue, and both send you to support rather
than a retry:

- **Reported lost or stolen.** The device has been [reported lost](/using/your-device#report-a-device-lost-or-stolen)
  and is blocked from activating until it is restored by its owner.
- **This device can't be activated.** Its factory identity is no longer valid.

If activation keeps failing at the same step, see
[troubleshooting](/support/troubleshooting).

## Next

[Connecting](/using/connecting).