Set up your frame

Set up a frame you bought or were given. It takes about 5 minutes and a phone.

If the frame was a gift, you don't need anything from the person who gave it.

You need

• Wi-Fi on 2.4 GHz. Most home routers have it. The frame can't join a network that is 5 GHz only.
• A phone.
• A USB-C cable and power adapter.

1. Plug it in

Connect the frame to power. The screen shows three setup steps, and the light breathes blue.

2. Connect it to Wi-Fi

1. On your phone, open the Wi-Fi settings and join Featherframe-Setup. The Connect to Wi-Fi page opens.
2. Tap your Wi-Fi network. If it isn't in the list, tap Refresh, or type its name under Network.
3. Enter its password under Password.
4. Under Server, keep Featherframe Cloud.
5. Tap Save.

On Android, if your phone asks whether to stay connected to a network without internet, choose to stay connected.

The page says Connecting to your Wi-Fi…, then Connected. Featherframe-Setup closes, and your phone goes back to its usual Wi-Fi.

The frame shows Connecting, or Connecting to Wi-Fi and then Connecting to server. The light pulses blue while the frame joins your network, then breathes green.

If the frame hasn't joined after 40 seconds, the page says Couldn't join that network, and the light pulses red twice. Check the password, then tap try again.

If no page opens, stay on Featherframe-Setup and go to http://192.168.4.1 in your phone's browser.

3. Scan the code

When the frame is online, it shows a six-letter setup code beside a QR code, and the light breathes amber.

• Scan the QR code with your phone's camera, and open the link.
• Or go to cloud.featherframe.app, enter the code under Set up a new frame, and tap Continue.

The code works for a day, and the frame says when it expires. If it expires, the frame shows a new one within a minute.

4. Fill in the setup page

1. Tap Get started.
2. Choose a station near where the frame will hang, then tap Continue. Stations are microphones that people set up at home and share on BirdWeather, and the frame will show the birds the one you choose hears. To look somewhere else, type a ZIP code or town and tap Find, or tap the arrow in the search box to use your current location. If no station is near you, type a larger town nearby and choose the closest one.
3. Under Create your account, enter your email. You'll use it to sign in to your Featherframe webapp.
4. Tap Set up frame.

If you have your own BirdNET-Pi or BirdNET-Go, tap I have my own BirdNET station in step 2 and choose it instead. You'll connect it after setup. See Detection sources.

If you already have a Featherframe Cloud account, tap I already have an account instead of Get started, and enter your email. We'll email you a code that adds the frame.

Your phone is now signed in to your Featherframe webapp, at cloud.featherframe.app.

5. Check your email

Two emails arrive:

• Welcome to Featherframe!: what your frame shows, and where to change it.
• Confirm your email for Featherframe: tap Confirm email within 7 days, to confirm the address is yours.

To sign in later, go to cloud.featherframe.app and enter your email. You'll get a sign-in link. There's no password.

6. Hang it

Hang the frame in portrait orientation, near an outlet.

With a BirdWeather station, the first picture appears within about a minute. With your own detector, it appears once you've connected it. A color frame takes about 15 seconds to change a picture, and flashes while it does.

If something doesn't work, see Troubleshooting. To add another frame to your account, see Add a frame.

Next: Your frame.