Your first Remote

In this tutorial, you'll set up a Remote - the controller for your Agent.

What you'll learn

• Starting a Remote for the first time
• Understanding the Remote interface
• Discovering Agents on your network
• Preparing for pairing

Prerequisites

• OctoMY™ installed (see Installation)
• A device to run the Remote (phone, tablet, or computer)
• An Agent running (see Your first Agent)

Step 1: Start the Remote

Open a terminal and run:

./remote --personality MyController

Like Agent, the --personality flag creates a separate identity, allowing multiple Remotes on the same device.

Pro Tip

Run both Remote and Agent on the same computer during learning - just use different terminal windows. Once you're comfortable, move to separate devices.

Step 2: The birth process

First-time startup triggers the Remote birth process:

The Remote gets its own unique identity, separate from any Agents.

Did You Know?

Even though Agent and Remote are different node types, the birth process is similar. Both generate RSA key pairs and derive their personality from the public key.

Step 3: Explore the interface

After birth, you'll see the main Remote window:

The main area shows available Agents. Since we haven't discovered any yet, it's empty.

Menu options

Tap the menu icon (☰) to access:

Step 4: Start discovery

Automatic discovery

Click Start Discovery or:

1. Go to ☰ Menu → Settings
2. Enable Auto Discovery

The Remote will search for Agents on the local network:

Finding your Agent

When your Agent is discovered, it appears in the list:

Each Agent entry shows:

Step 5: Understanding trust levels

Before pairing, understand the trust levels:

When you first discover an Agent, it starts at Ignore level. You can see each other but not control.

Security Consideration

OctoMY™ never grants trust automatically. You must explicitly set trust level after verifying the node's identity using its identicon.

Step 6: Prepare for pairing

Before pairing in the next tutorial, verify:

On the Remote

1. Discovery active - You can see the Agent
2. Network connected - Same network as Agent
3. Ready to pair - "Pair" button visible

On the Agent

1. Discovery active - Broadcasting presence
2. Waiting for connections - Ready status

Visual confirmation

Verify the identicons match what you expect:

The identicon is derived from the Agent's cryptographic key. If it doesn't match, you might be talking to a different Agent.

Pro Tip

Take a screenshot of your Agent's identicon when you first set it up. This makes visual verification much easier when pairing from a different device.

Troubleshooting

No Agents found

Check that Agent is running:

# On the Agent device
ps aux | grep agent

Check network connectivity:

# Can you ping the Agent?
ping 192.168.1.105

Check firewall:

# Allow UDP on port 8124
sudo ufw allow 8124/udp

Discovery takes too long

Discovery uses UDP broadcast which can be slow on some networks. Try:

1. Manual pairing - Use QR code instead
2. Direct connection - Enter Agent's IP directly
3. Check network - Some networks block broadcast

Wrong Agents appearing

If you see unfamiliar Agents:

1. Check they're on your network (they should be)
2. Ignore them - don't pair with unknown Agents
3. The identicon helps identify the correct one

What you've accomplished

You now have:

• A running Remote with its own identity
• Discovery enabled to find Agents
• An Agent visible in your list
• Understanding of trust levels

Next steps

First connection - Pair your Remote and Agent, then send your first command