First steps with COM4LAB

Installing COM4LAB Configure

COM4LAB Configure is a piece of software dedicated to several aspects of working with the COM4LAB system. Depending on your lab infrastructure configuration (for further details, please see below) you might need only a part of its functionality.

  1. Download and install COM4LAB Configure on a PC.

    Download COM4LAB Configure for Windows Download COM4LAB Configure for Mac OS

Among others you can use COM4LAB Configure to update the firmware of the COM4LAB Master Unit. Connect the COM4LAB Master Unit via USB. If you see the symbol in the Master Unit tab there is a firmware update available. Go to the Software versions section of that tab and click on the Update now button.

Accessing a COM4LAB course

After you have activated your licence(s) for a given COM4LAB course, there are several ways of accessing and sharing it, depending on your lab network infrastructure. For further details, please read the relevant instructions below.

If you have unlimited internet access on all devices involved, the following scenario is the most favourable, as you are guaranteed to always have access to the latest COM4LAB course content.

Setup

Apart from licence activation, no prior setup is required to access the COM4LAB course content.

Usage

You can find all COM4LAB courses in LeyLab under LD Experiments in the section Technology. All licenced courses are also listed on the Licences page.

On the page of each course you find the interactive students' and teacher's version in the Documents tab.

  1. Give your students access to the course using the Share button.

If you do not have permanent internet access in your lab, but have an intranet network with a local router, you can still use all the features of COM4LAB, including BYOD and up to four student devices connecting to a COM4LAB Master Unit.

Setup

Internet access on a teacher PC is required for a short time during the setup process. Slow internet connection is sufficient.

Course download
  1. Install COM4LAB Configure on a teacher PC that is to assume the role of the local server.

    For further installation details, please see above.

  2. Open COM4LAB Configure.
  3. Login from COM4LAB Configure to your LeyLab account by clicking on the Login button.
  4. Go to the Management tab and download your selection of COM4LAB courses to the PC.

    By clicking on the Download all button you will download all previously activated COM4LAB courses in all available languages.

Licence transfer

COM4LAB Configure is still open, you remain logged in to your LeyLab account and are on the Management tab.

  1. Connect the COM4LAB Master Unit to the PC via USB.
  2. Switch on the COM4LAB Master Unit.
  3. Move a licence from your LeyLab account to the COM4LAB Master Unit.

    This licence is now no longer available on LeyLab, but you can return it at any time through a reverse process.
    You can transfer up to four licences for the same COM4LAB course to a COM4LAB Master Unit and as many different licences as you have different activated COM4LAB courses.

Usage

Internet access is not required to share COM4LAB courses. However, all participating devices must be connected to the same local network as the teacher PC.

  1. Open COM4LAB Configure.
  2. Go to the Management tab and give your students access to the course using the Display QR code button.

If you do not have permanent internet access and no network facilites in your lab, you can still use COM4LAB in a ‘one user - one PC - one Master Unit’ configuration.

Setup

Internet access on all participating PCs is required for a short time during the setup process. Slow internet connection is sufficient.

The following instructions refer to all PCs in a lab that will be used with COM4LAB.

Course download
  1. Install COM4LAB Configure.

    For further installation details, please see above.

  2. Open COM4LAB Configure.
  3. Login from COM4LAB Configure to your LeyLab account by clicking on the Login button.
  4. Go to the Management tab and download your selection of COM4LAB courses to the PC.

    By clicking on the Download all button you will download all previously activated COM4LAB courses in all available languages.

Licence transfer

COM4LAB Configure is still open, you remain logged in to your LeyLab account and are on the Management tab.

  1. Connect the COM4LAB Master Unit to the PC via USB.
  2. Switch on the COM4LAB Master Unit.
  3. Move a licence from your LeyLab account to the COM4LAB Master Unit.

    This licence is now no longer available on LeyLab, but you can return it at any time through a reverse process.
    You can transfer up to four licences for the same COM4LAB course to a COM4LAB Master Unit and as many different licences as you have different activated COM4LAB courses.

Restricted access

COM4LAB Configure is still open and you remain logged in to your LeyLab account.

  1. To enforce restricted access for students in COM4LAB Configure, tick the Restricted access checkbox under the Settings.

Usage

Internet access is not required to use COM4LAB courses. All participating PCs must be connected with the corresponding COM4LAB Master Unit via USB.

  1. Open COM4LAB Configure.
  2. Go to the Experimenting tab.
  3. Click on the Student link button next to the selected course.

    The selected course will be opened in a web browser of your choice on the same PC.

Connecting to a COM4LAB Master Unit

Depending on whether you want to connect your COM4LAB Master Unit(s) to your network wirelessly or via network cable(s), or whether you want to connect each COM4LAB Master Unit individually to a PC, please read the relevant instructions below.

Setup

Before the first use, you must connect the COM4LAB Master Unit to your WiFi network:

  1. Connect the COM4LAB Master Unit to the PC via USB.
  2. Switch on the COM4LAB Master Unit.
  3. Open COM4LAB Configure.
  4. Go to the WiFi functionality section of the WiFi tab:
    • Select the WiFi mode Client in the drop-down list at the top of the section.
    • Enter the details of your WiFi network (authentication, SSID and password).
    • Click on the Save in Master Unit button.
  5. Wait until the WiFi symbol in the status bar becomes black.

    The COM4LAB Master Unit is now connected with your WiFi network.

  6. Remove the USB cable.

Usage

In a COM4LAB course that is open on any device in the same network, you can now establish the connection to the COM4LAB Master Unit:

  1. Make sure the COM4LAB board inserted into the COM4LAB Master Unit corresponds to the selected COM4LAB course.
  2. Switch on the COM4LAB Master Unit.
  3. Click on the WiFi symbol in the title bar of the course.
  4. Enter the four digit PIN of the COM4LAB Master Unit and confirm with Enter.

    The PIN is written on a sticker on the left side of the COM4LAB Master Unit.
    If the sticker is missing, you can look up the PIN in COM4LAB Configure: The PIN is displayed on the left side of the status bar.

  5. Wait until the WiFi symbol in the title bar of the course becomes green.

    The COM4LAB Master Unit is now connected with the course.

Setup

No prior setup is required for a connection via the network cable.

Usage

In a COM4LAB course that is open on any device in the same network, you can now establish the connection to the COM4LAB Master Unit:

  1. Connect the COM4LAB Master Unit via network cable with your network.
  2. Make sure the COM4LAB board inserted into the COM4LAB Master Unit corresponds to the selected COM4LAB course.
  3. Switch on the COM4LAB Master Unit.
  4. Click on the WiFi symbol in the title bar of the course.
  5. Enter the four digit PIN of the COM4LAB Master Unit and confirm with Enter.

    The PIN is written on a sticker on the left side of the COM4LAB Master Unit.
    If the sticker is missing, you can look up the PIN in COM4LAB Configure: The PIN is displayed on the left side of the status bar.

  6. Wait until the WiFi symbol in the title bar of the course becomes green.

    The COM4LAB Master Unit is now connected with the course.

Setup

No prior setup is required for a connection via USB.

If you want to avoid opening COM4LAB Configure manually each time you need to use the COM4LAB system, you can set up the following:

  1. Open COM4LAB Configure.
  2. Tick the Autostart activation checkbox under the Settings.

    During each boot of the operating system COM4LAB Configure will open in the background automatically.

Usage

In a COM4LAB course that is open on the PC, you can now establish the connection to the COM4LAB Master Unit:

  1. Connect the COM4LAB Master Unit to the PC via USB.
  2. Make sure the COM4LAB board inserted into the COM4LAB Master Unit corresponds to the selected COM4LAB course.
  3. Switch on the COM4LAB Master Unit.
  4. If you have not checked Autostart activation checkbox, open COM4LAB Configure.

    A network connection of the COM4LAB Master Unit is now simulated and it is ready to connect to any COM4LAB course.

  5. Click on the WiFi symbol in the title bar of the course.
  6. Wait until the WiFi symbol in the title bar of the course becomes green.

    The COM4LAB Master Unit is now connected with the course.