Allevi Connection Troubleshooting Guide


Many Allevi bioprinting platforms utilize an internet-connected printer and browser based software to give you maximum flexibility and ease of use. From easy bioprinter access by multiple users to simple sterile hood operation, you’ll love your Bioprint Online experience! Below we discuss troubleshooting steps to help you get your bioprinter connected.

Connection Basics

WiFi Connection

When making a Wi-Fi connection for the first time, you’ll use the Allevi Printer Configuration Manager to add your Wi-Fi credentials. This screen becomes available when you connect to a local hotspot network produced by your bioprinter. The name of the local hotspot network from your bioprinter will be ‘Allevi Printer 1234567’ where the last seven digits will match the printer’s serial number. Begin by connecting to this network. The network password will be ‘allevi_1234567’ where the last seven digits again match the serial number of the bioprinter. Please note that to type in a password, you may need to click “connect using security key instead”).

Once you are connected, open a browser tab. Navigate to http://10.42.0.1
This URL opens the Printer Configuration Manager screen.

Press ‘Configure’ beneath the Wi-Fi Settings header. Select your network from the drop down menu of available networks. If you don’t see your preferred network in the list, try reloading the Configuration page. You should chose a network without any intermediate pages that ask you to ‘click to continue’. Enter the login credentials you usually use for the selected network, and click ‘Add Network’.

Once the network has been successfully added, a green message will pop up at the bottom of the page. You can close this page.

Successful network connection notification

Soon, your bioprinter should attempt to join your selected network using the login credentials you just entered and should stop producing the ‘Allevi Printer 1234567’ network. Reconnect your laptop to your institution’s wireless internet and navigate to Login | Allevi Bioprint Online (allevi3d.com). You can reference this guide to the Bioprint Online user interface.

Some Wi-Fi networks might require a MAC Address registration to access the internet. Typically, if this is the case, there is an IT portal where you can complete the registration on your own. You can find the Wi-Fi MAC address in the Network Configuration Screen > Wi-Fi Settings.

If your printer loses connection it should begin broadcasting the ‘Allevi Printer 1234567’ network again. When you see this network become available, you can simply repeat the above process.

Ethernet Connection

You can use the Ethernet port in the back of the bioprinter or on the side of your online adapter to connect to the internet as well. Making an Ethernet connection is as easy as plugging the Ethernet cable (connected to an Ethernet port rather than a computer) into the port on your device and then power cycling.

However, some institutions require the registration of an Ethernet port. You can find the Ethernet MAC address in the Printer Configuration Screen > Ethernet Settings. For instructions on reaching the Printer Configuration screen, see the previous section of this guide.

If you need to set a static IP address in order to access your institution’s Ethernet, you can do so from the Ethernet settings as well. You should get the following information from your institution’s IT Team:

  • Static IP address(es)
  • Subnet mask
  • Default gateway
  • DNS IP address

You can then enter these details by selecting ‘Static Networks’ from the drop down menu.

Adapter Mode

The Allevi Wireless Adapter is a USB antenna which allows a computer running Windows OS to open a second Wi-Fi channel. This allows you to connect to your institution’s wireless internet on one channel and to connect directly with your Allevi bioprinter on the second. You can then use the Bioprint Online UI without giving your printer a distinct internet connection. This can be a good back-up option for users having network difficulties.

If you do not currently have an Allevi Wireless Adapter, you can request one via email from the Allevi Support Team. Please make the subject of your email “Allevi Wireless Adapter Request” and make sure to include your institution, the serial number of your bioprinter, and the best shipping address for us to use.

The first step toward using the Allevi Wireless Adapter is to download the driver for the adapter here. Next, you will need the Allevi Client, which you can download here. Install the Allevi Client and run the application. By default this Allevi client executable application is installed in C:\Program Files (x86)\3dsystems\AlleviClient.

While it is running, we recommend you pin the application to the taskbar by right-clicking the Allevi icon as well.

Once you have the driver and client downloaded, connect the Allevi Wireless Adapter to your computer. Also, if you have the Allevi Network Configuration screen open from an earlier step, use the Adapter Settings menu to set the configuration to adapter mode (as opposed to cloud mode). If you need to switch modes, it may take approximately 3-5 minutes to change modes.

On your computer, when you open the Wi-Fi settings, you should now see a drop down menu. This represents the two Wi-Fi channels the computer can now use. Set them up as follows:

  • Select the lower numbered Wi-Fi:
    • Use this channel to connect to your institution wireless internet.
    • This channel may already be in use for this network, but if not you should use your typical login credentials.
  • Select the higher numbered Wi-Fi:
    • Use this channel to connect to the local network from the bioprinter.
    • The name of the local network should be ‘Allevi Printer 1234567’ where the last seven digits are your bioprinter’s serial number.
    • To connect to this network, you will need to enter a security key. This will be ‘allevi_1234567’ where the last seven digits are your bioprinter’s serial number.

Now, open the Printer List by logging into https://bioprint.allevi3d.com. With the web page open and your Wi-Fi channels selected, your client app should have two green check marks: one for the adapter and one for the server.

Also, in the printer list you have open, the printer should have the status ‘Online’ with a LAN symbol next to it. In this case, you can click the connect button and begin using the UI.

While working in adapter mode, the logs used for troubleshooting are kept locally rather than in the cloud. If you need to give Allevi Support access your logs, simply navigate to the advanced section of the software and use the upload logs button.

Network Requirements Document

Allevi-Networking-Requirements_Updated-2022

This document describes the default networking requirements of production Allevi Bioprinters. If you or your IT team have any questions about these you can contact the Allevi Support Team for help.

Troubleshooting

I entered Wi-Fi credentials for my network, but my bioprinter’s status is Offline and I still see the local ‘Allevi Printer 1234567’ network.

  • Repeat the setup process to double check that your credentials are entered correctly.
  • If your credentials are entered correctly, and you can still see the local network that indicates the credentials are not being accepted. You may need to do some additional registration as described in the Initial Wi-fi Connection Section above. Alternatively, you can try using the Allevi Wireless Adapter as described in the Adapter section above.

I want to change my WiFi login credentials.

You have two options:

  • Wait for the current credentials to become invalid. Once your bioprinter is no longer able to reach the cloud, it will begin producing the local network named ‘Allevi Printer 1234567’. You can then go about deleting the previous credentials and adding new ones as described in the wi-fi section above.
  • If you already have the Allevi Wireless Adapter, switch to adapter mode. While in adapter mode, you will have easy access to the Printer Configuration screen and you can edit your wi-fi settings there. Once you are ready, you can switch back to cloud mode.

My printer’s status is still Offline and I don’t see the Allevi Printer 1234567 network anymore.

If the Allevi Printer Network isn’t available, it’s likely that the printer has stopped producing it because of partial access to a Wi-Fi network. Some common examples of this case include:

  • Accidentally accessing a network with an intermediate page which asks you to ‘click here to continue’ or something similar
  • Accessing a network which has specific blocks for one or more of the Allevi Cloud infrastructure pieces (see networking requirements document above)
  • Accessing a network which needs further registration to proceed as an IOT device

Follow these steps:

  • Try power cycling the bioprinter (and also the online adapter on Allevi 2’s) to give the hardware a chance to try producing the network again. If that fails, proceed to the next step.
  • You will likely need to reset the login attempt to the partially open network. You can do that through the following methods:
    • If convenient, remove the printer from the Wi-Fi network it began partially accessing. This can often be done with the help of the network’s administrator. Alternatively, you could temporarily relocate the bioprinter out of range, or turn off the specific network’s router.
    • Form an Ethernet Connection following the Ethernet recommendations above and in your printer’s Quickstart Guide. Once connected to Ethernet you can either
      • Login to Bioprint Online > Connect to the printer > Navigate to the Advanced Section > Open the gcode console > enter C502
        This will fully remove all stored credentials allowing you to start fresh on a new network
      • Login to Bioprint Online > Use the LAN icon in the printer list entry to switch the printer to adapter mode > use the Printer Configuration screen to delete the partial connection and enter a new one

I don’t know if I should use a Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or the Adapter to connect to my printer.

This depends mostly on your work space.

  • If you have an available Ethernet port and a cable that can reach between it and your printer, this is probably the optimal connection.
  • Those getting ready for some work under a hood, it might be easier to ditch the extra cable and use W-iFi.
  • Windows users with a computer that can reach the internet, but have trouble setting up a separate connection for the printer should try the Allevi Wireless Adapter.

I want to switch from Wi-Fi to Ethernet.

You can simply connect an Ethernet cable as described above in the Ethernet section. The Ethernet connection should be recognized before any other connection so there is no need to remove the previous Wi-Fi Credentials.

I want to switch from Ethernet to Wi-Fi.

You can simply remove the Ethernet cable and follow the Wi-Fi connection steps above.

I have plugged in an Ethernet cable and my printer’s status is still Offline.

When an Ethernet connection doesn’t work, it tends to be a registration issue or a bad cable. Follow these steps to get it working:

  • Check to see if the small lights in the hubs of the Ethernet cable are flickering to indicate communication. If not, try finding another Ethernet cable.
  • If changing the Ethernet cable doesn’t help, it’s likely that there is a permissions discrepancy between the printer and the network.
    • First, check to see if the IT Department has an Ethernet port registration portal. You can use the Ethernet MAC Address from the Printer Configuration screen for any MAC address fields.
    • Some networks require additional security for large devices like bioprinters (2D and 3D). Ask your IT department if a static IP address is required. If so, follow the static network instructions from the Ethernet connection section above. Otherwise, reach out to the Allevi Support Team.

I want to switch between adapter and cloud mode.

You can switch between these modes via two options:

  • Click the cloud or LAN icon in the printer list beneath the remove device and printer token icons.
  • Use the Turn Adapter Mode Off and Reboot Switch in the Printer Configuration page.

Going from cloud to adapter requires that the bioprinter is currently online (it needs to receive the instructions to switch via the cloud). Similarly, going from adapter to cloud mode requires that the computer and bioprinter be connected via the Allevi Adapter. In either case, please note that switching modes takes approximately 3-5 minutes to complete.

My printer is having trouble connecting over adapter mode.

Check the following:

  • The Allevi Client is open and check if both of the check icons are green.
  • Bioprint Online is open on the same computer which has the Allevi Wireless Adapter installed on it.
  • The Allevi Wireless Adapter is securely connected to your computer USB port.
  • The Wi-fi channels are set up correctly.
    • Note: sometimes, Windows 10 will automatically disconnect from the ‘Allevi Printer 1234567’ network over time since it has no actual internet signal. Re-selecting the wi-fi channels typically fixes this.

My Allevi 2’s status is Standby and there is a caption saying ‘Printer Disconnected’.

This usually means the Allevi 2 Online Adapter has successfully reached the cloud, but the cloud isn’t getting any information from a bioprinter.

  • Disconnect and re-connect the USB cable between the Online Adapter and the Allevi 2.
  • Try using a different USB port on the Online adapter.
  • Try using a different USB cable.
  • If that also doesn’t help, reach out to the Allevi Support Team.

I was expecting to see Allevi Wi-fi Connect but now I see the Network ‘Allevi Printer 1234567’

As of May 24th, 2022 the Allevi Wi-fi Connect workflow has been replaced by the Allevi Printer Configuration Manager. If you were successfully working with the Allevi Wi-fi Connect workflow before, then the cloud mode described above should be a very similar workflow to get you connected to your bioprinter.

My project requires that I not use the internet at all.

If you’re interested in an on-premises version of the software, contact the Sales Team for more details.


If you have any other connection questions, contact the Allevi Support Team.

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