NFC Configurator Setup

The HARDWARIO STICKER NFC Configurator is a desktop application for wirelessly configuring STICKER devices. The configuration is prepared on your computer and an Android phone transfers it to the STICKER over NFC. No cables or programmers are required.

This page describes how to install the application and prepare your computer for the first run. For day-to-day usage and the list of all configurable parameters, see Configuration →.

Requirements

Item	Notes
Computer	Windows 10 / 11 or Ubuntu Linux
Python	3.10 or newer
OpenSSH client	Included in Windows 10/11 and all recent Linux distributions
Internet connection	Required for the HTTPS tunnel that links the desktop and the phone
Android phone	With Google Chrome. Web NFC works only in Chrome on Android. iPhone, iPad, Safari and Firefox are not supported
STICKER device(s)	Any variant: Clime, Input, Motion
`STICKER Inventory.csv`	Provided by us

caution

Web NFC is supported only on Chrome for Android. iPhones, iPads, Safari, Firefox or any other browser will not work.

1) Download the application

Pick whichever option is easier for you.

Option A ZIP archive

Open https://github.com/hardwario/sticker-configuration in your browser.
Click the green Code button, then Download ZIP.
Extract the ZIP into a folder of your choice (for example your Documents folder). You can rename the extracted folder to sticker-configuration.
Open a terminal (Linux) or Command Prompt (Windows) and change into that folder.

Option B Clone with Git

Windows:

cd %USERPROFILE%\Documents
git clone https://github.com/hardwario/sticker-configuration.git
cd sticker-configuration

Linux:

cd ~/Documents
git clone https://github.com/hardwario/sticker-configuration.git
cd sticker-configuration

2) Installation on Windows

Step 1 Install Python

Go to https://www.python.org/downloads/ and click Download Python 3.x.x (any version 3.10 or newer).
Open the installer. On the first screen, tick "Add python.exe to PATH"/ Add Python to environment variables.
Click Install Now and wait for it to finish.
Open the Command Prompt (press the Windows key, type cmd, press Enter) and verify:

python --version

You should see something like Python 3.12.2.

caution

Without Add python.exe to PATH, the python command will not work from the Command Prompt.

Step 2 Check OpenSSH

OpenSSH is included in Windows 10 and 11. Verify by typing:

ssh

If a usage message appears, you are ready. If you see an error, install it: open Settings → Apps → Optional Features → Add a feature, and install OpenSSH Client.

Step 3 Create an SSH key

The tunnel that connects your phone to the desktop needs a dedicated SSH key without a passphrase. The application uses its own key file (hardwario_sticker_ed25519), so any existing keys you have for GitHub or other services are untouched.

Check whether the key already exists:

dir %USERPROFILE%\.ssh\hardwario_sticker_ed25519

If the file is listed, you are done, skip to Step 4.
If you see File Not Found (or the .ssh folder does not exist), create the key with:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -N "" -f %USERPROFILE%\.ssh\hardwario_sticker_ed25519

caution

The -N "" part is important, it creates the key without a passphrase. A key with a passphrase will make the tunnel hang silently (the QR code never appears), because the application cannot type the password for you.

Step 4 Install Python dependencies

From inside the project folder, run:

pip install -r requirements.txt

If you see pip is not recognized, try python -m pip install -r requirements.txt instead.

3) Installation on Linux (Ubuntu)

Step 1 Install Python, Git and OpenSSH

Open a terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T) and run:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install python3 python3-pip python3-venv git openssh-client

Verify:

python3 --version

You should see something like Python 3.12.3.

Step 2 Create a virtual environment

A virtual environment keeps the application's Python packages separate from your system packages. From inside the project folder:

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate

When the virtual environment is active, the prompt shows (.venv) at the beginning. Run source .venv/bin/activate every time you open a new terminal before starting the application.

Step 3 Create an SSH key

The tunnel that connects your phone to the desktop needs a dedicated SSH key without a passphrase. The application uses its own key file (hardwario_sticker_ed25519).

Check whether the key already exists:

ls ~/.ssh/hardwario_sticker_ed25519

If the file is listed, you are done, skip to Step 4.
If you see No such file or directory, create the key with:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -N "" -f ~/.ssh/hardwario_sticker_ed25519

caution

The -N "" part is important, it creates the key without a passphrase. A key with a passphrase will make the tunnel hang silently (the QR code never appears).

Step 4 Install Python dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

If PyQt5 fails to install, add the required Qt libraries and try again:

sudo apt install libxcb-xinerama0 libxcb-cursor0

caution

Do not install the Debian python3-pyqt5 package. The virtual environment will not see system-wide packages, so it would not help.

4) Device inventory (STICKER Inventory.csv)

The application needs a CSV file called STICKER Inventory.csv to look up each device and its encryption key. You receive this file from us.

Place the file in the root folder of the application. The file name must be exactly STICKER Inventory.csv (capital "S" and a space).

CSV columns

Column	Description	Format
Serial number	The 10-digit number from the barcode on the STICKER	10 digits
Product type	Product variant name	Text (for example `STICKER_Clime`)
Date Time	Registration timestamp	`YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS`
DevEUI	LoRaWAN device identifier	16 hex characters, lowercase
AppKey	LoRaWAN application key	32 hex characters, lowercase
JoinEui	LoRaWAN join server identifier	16 hex characters, lowercase
Secret key	Encryption key used for NFC communication	32 hex characters, lowercase
Nonce counter	Security counter that prevents replay attacks	Integer, starts at 1

Example

Serial number,Product type,Date Time,DevEUI,AppKey,JoinEui,Secret key,Nonce counter
8473920156,STICKER_Clime,2024-01-01 00:00:00,a1b2c3d4e5f60718,9f3e7a2b1c8d4e5f6071829304a5b6c7,0000000000000000,7c4e9b2a8f1d6053e9a47b28c3f15d6b,1

caution

Do not edit the Nonce counter column by hand. The application updates it automatically after every successful write. If the nonce in the CSV does not match the nonce on the device, the device will reject future configurations.

5) Run the application

Open a terminal (or Command Prompt on Windows) in the project folder and start the desktop app.

Windows

python main.py

If python is not recognized, close and reopen the Command Prompt so the PATH refreshes after installing Python, or try python3 main.py or py main.py.

Linux

source .venv/bin/activate
python3 main.py

The virtual environment must be active, the prompt should start with (.venv).

The PyQt desktop window opens. To stop the app, close the window or press Ctrl + C in the terminal.

Quick start checklist

Before configuring your first device, make sure:

The application is installed and python main.py (or python3 main.py) opens the window without errors.
STICKER Inventory.csv is in the project folder and contains your device(s).
The dedicated SSH key hardwario_sticker_ed25519 exists without a passphrase.
Your Android phone is connected to the internet, NFC is turned on and you are using Chrome.

You are now ready to write configuration to a device, continue with Configuration →.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
`python is not recognized` (Windows) or `command not found` (Linux)	Reinstall Python and tick Add to PATH (Windows). On Linux use `python3` instead of `python`.
`pip is not recognized`	Use `python -m pip` (Windows) or `pip3` (Linux).
`ModuleNotFoundError` when starting the app	Dependencies are not installed. Run `pip install -r requirements.txt` in the project folder.
PyQt5 fails to install on Linux	Missing system Qt libraries. Run `sudo apt install libxcb-xinerama0 libxcb-cursor0` and try again. Do not install the Debian `python3-pyqt5` package, the virtual environment will not see it.
Tunnel fails to start	OpenSSH client is not installed. Windows: enable via Settings → Optional Features. Linux: `sudo apt install openssh-client`.
QR code never appears / tunnel hangs silently	The dedicated SSH key for the tunnel is missing or has a passphrase. Recreate it with the `-N ""` flag.
QR code or tunnel URL does not appear	Wait a few more seconds. Check your internet connection and firewall (the tunnel uses port 443).
NFC server does not start	Port 5555 is already in use. Close the other application. Linux: `lsof -i :5555` Windows: `netstat -ano \| findstr :5555`

Requirements​

1) Download the application​

Option A ZIP archive​

Option B Clone with Git​

2) Installation on Windows​

Step 1 Install Python​

Step 2 Check OpenSSH​

Step 3 Create an SSH key​

Step 4 Install Python dependencies​

3) Installation on Linux (Ubuntu)​

Step 1 Install Python, Git and OpenSSH​

Step 2 Create a virtual environment​

Step 3 Create an SSH key​

Step 4 Install Python dependencies​

4) Device inventory (STICKER Inventory.csv)​

CSV columns​

Example​

5) Run the application​

Windows​

Linux​

Quick start checklist​

Troubleshooting​

Requirements

1) Download the application

Option A ZIP archive

Option B Clone with Git

2) Installation on Windows

Step 1 Install Python

Step 2 Check OpenSSH

Step 3 Create an SSH key

Step 4 Install Python dependencies

3) Installation on Linux (Ubuntu)

Step 1 Install Python, Git and OpenSSH

Step 2 Create a virtual environment

Step 3 Create an SSH key

Step 4 Install Python dependencies

4) Device inventory (STICKER Inventory.csv)

CSV columns

Example

5) Run the application

Windows

Linux

Quick start checklist

Troubleshooting