This article provides everything your IT team needs to know to prepare your network infrastructure for Vector 8. It covers supported network types, authentication protocols, firewall requirements, and connection monitoring behaviour.
Supported network types
Vector 8 Docks connect to the internet via WiFi (2.4 GHz or 5 GHz) and are compatible with the following network types.
Secure networks (WPA2 / WPA3) Vector 8 Docks are compatible with standard secure WiFi protocols, including WPA2 and WPA3. WPA3 is preferred where available.
Enterprise networks (EAP-TLS) Vector 8 also supports Extensible Authentication Protocol – Transport Layer Security (EAP-TLS), making it compatible with enterprise and university network environments that use certificate-based authentication.
Mobile hotspots Vector 8 Docks are compatible with mobile hotspots. An independent battery-powered hotspot device is recommended where possible, however direct connection to a mobile phone with hotspot capabilities is also supported. See: Connecting Vector 8 When Travelling
Open networks Vector 8 Docks can connect to open networks with no authentication, however these networks must not implement captive portals or DNS redirection unless MAC address allowlisting is in place. See: MAC Address Allowlisting - IT Administrator Guide
Captive portal networks
Vector 8 Docks do not support networks with a captive portal without first allowlisting the device. As the Dock has no user interface, it cannot interact with a captive portal login or acceptance page directly.
To use Vector 8 on a captive portal network, your IT team will need to allowlist each Dock by MAC address. See the following articles for the full workflow:
If allowlisting is not possible on your network, the Vector Desktop App provides an alternative data transfer method via USB-C using your PC's internet connection. See: Vector Desktop App - VECTOR 8
Destination ports
No unique firewall rules or port configuration are required for Vector 8 Docks. All data sent and received between Vector 8 Docks and Catapult Cloud services uses standard HTTPS communication via TCP port 443.
Connection monitoring
Vector 8 Docks perform a lightweight connection check intermittently to maintain an accurate online/offline device status and manage timeouts and reconnections. This is done via ICMP ping to aws.amazon.com.
If your network blocks outbound ICMP traffic, please ensure aws.amazon.com is exempted to allow connection monitoring to function correctly.
LED indicators
Your Vector 8 Dock uses a series of LEDs to indicate its connectivity status during setup and general use.
Connecting the Catapult Vector app to the Dock via Bluetooth
| Status | LED |
|---|---|
| Dock searching for app connection | Bluetooth LED — blue breathe |
| Dock connected to Catapult Vector app | Bluetooth LED — blue solid |
Configuring the Dock internet connection
| Status | LED |
|---|---|
| Dock searching for WiFi access point | WiFi LED — orange breathe |
| Dock connected to WiFi access point only | WiFi LED — yellow breathe |
| Dock internet connected | WiFi LED — yellow solid |
For a full LED reference including power states and data transfer indicators, see: Vector 8 Dock LED Behaviour (S8)
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