How to Set Up SmartLink

Overview

SmartLink lets you operate your FlexRadio from anywhere over the internet. It works only when your radio, your home network, and your remote device are all set up correctly, and this article walks you through each part in order.

These instructions assume you are using SmartSDR for Windows. If you use SmartSDR for Mac, see the SmartSDR for Mac Online Manual for the equivalent steps. For more background on SmartLink, see the SmartSDR Software User Guide.

The setup has six steps:

1. Sync your computer’s clock.
2. Test the radio-side network.
3. Create and log in to your SmartLink account.
4. Register your radio.
5. Configure port forwarding (automatic or manual).
6. Test the connection from a remote network.

Before you begin

Make sure you have the following in place before you start:

• A compatible radio license. Your radio must have a v2, v3, or v4 license. v1 licenses do not include SmartLink access.
• An internet connection for the radio. The radio must be connected to your router and able to reach the internet.
• A compatible home network. Your internet connection must have only one router performing Network Address Translation (NAT), and your ISP must provide a public IP address instead of using Carrier-Grade NAT (CG-NAT) for the WAN interface. The radio must not be assigned a public IP address or placed in your router’s DMZ. Step 2 shows you how to check.
• An accurate computer clock. A clock that is significantly out of sync can prevent your computer from communicating with the SmartLink server.
• A SmartLink account. You will create one in Step 3 if you do not already have one.
• A microphone PTT or CW key connected to the radio. You will use it once, during registration, to prove you have physical control of the radio. It must be connected to the radio’s PTT or KEY jack.
• Port forwarding for the radio. You will set this up in Step 5, either automatically (UPnP) or manually.
• A remote device. This can be a PC, laptop, Mac, Maestro, or iOS device. It must log in to the same SmartLink account as the radio is registered to, and it must be on a different network than the radio when you test.

Step 1: Sync your computer’s clock

Do this before you create a SmartLink account or register your radio. If your computer’s clock is significantly out of sync, it may not be able to communicate with the SmartLink server.

Option A: Use Windows 11 settings

1. Open Settings. Click the Start button and select Settings, or press Windows + I.
2. Click Time & language, then select Date & time.
3. Turn on Set time automatically.
4. If you travel often, also turn on Set time zone automatically.
5. To sync right away, scroll to Additional settings and click Sync now. A message confirms that the sync succeeded.

Option B: Use a time-sync program

You can also use an automated time-sync program to keep your computer’s clock accurate, such as Meinberg NTP, Dimension 4, or Time Sync Tool.

Step 2: Test the radio-side network

Some internet connections cannot support SmartLink. Check your radio and your network now, so you do not spend time on later steps that cannot work.

Check the radio’s information and internet access

Run this check from a computer on the same network as the radio. In the Radio Chooser, right-click the radio and select Copy radio info to clipboard, then paste the result into a text file. For detailed steps, see Retrieving the Radio Information from a FLEX-6000.

Check these lines in the results:

Check for multiple NAT or CG-NAT

SmartLink works only when your ISP’s router is the only device performing NAT (a “single NAT” setup). It does not work when two or more routers perform NAT, or when your ISP uses Carrier-Grade NAT (CG-NAT).

The quickest check is a traceroute:

1. On a Windows computer on the radio’s network, click Start, type CMD, and press Enter.
2. Type tracert -d 8.8.8.8 and press Enter.
3. Look at the addresses listed. Count how many are private (10.x.x.x, 172.16.x.x through 172.31.x.x, or 192.168.x.x) or shared (100.64.x.x through 100.127.x.x).

One private address is normal; it is your own router. If you see more than one, your network has multiple NAT or CG-NAT, and you must fix it before continuing. For other ways to check, see How to Determine if Your Network is Configured for Multi-Level NATing and CG-NAT.

If you have multiple NAT (two routers in your own network)

If you use a second router or a mesh system behind your ISP’s router, do one of the following:

• Put the first router in bridge mode, and let the second router or mesh unit handle Wi-Fi, DHCP, routing, and port forwarding.
• Put the second router or mesh unit in access point mode, and let the first router handle DHCP, the firewall, and port forwarding.

If your ISP uses CG-NAT

SmartLink requires a routable public IP address that does not use CG-NAT. Contact your ISP and ask for one. What they offer varies:

• Some ISPs provide it for free.
• Some charge a small additional monthly fee.
• Some charge a large monthly fee or require a commercial account.
• Some cannot or will not provide it.

Once your network passes these checks, continue to Step 3.

Step 3: Create and log in to your SmartLink account

You need one SmartLink account for the radio and all of your remote devices. If you do not have an account yet, follow Managing Your SmartLink Account and Password to create one. That article also explains how to reset a forgotten password.

If you already have an account, log in to it on the computer you will use to register the radio:

1. Open SmartSDR to the Radio Chooser screen.
2. Click the Log In tab.
3. Enter the email address for your SmartLink account, then press Tab.
4. Enter your password. Click the Show/Hide (eye) button to check it for typing and capitalization errors, which cause many login problems.
5. Click Log In.
    

Step 4: Register your radio

Registering links your radio to your SmartLink account. Make sure you are logged in to that account (Step 3) and that a microphone PTT or CW key is connected to the radio’s PTT or KEY jack.

1. Open SmartSDR. On the Radio Chooser screen, select SmartLink Setup.
2. Click Register.
3. When the dialog box asks you to confirm, press the PTT on your microphone or press your CW key. This confirms that you have physical control of the radio and prevents someone else from hijacking it.

When registration succeeds, the radio plays a chime and a green check mark appears with the message Registered for SmartLink! Your Radio has been registered!

Step 5: Configure port forwarding

Your router must forward SmartLink traffic to your radio. There are two ways to do this. Use Option A if your router supports UPnP, and use Option B if it does not or if UPnP is turned off.

Option A: Automatic port forwarding (UPnP)

UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) lets your router and radio set up port forwarding automatically. This is the fastest and easiest option.

1. Turn on UPnP in your router. Check your router’s user guide, or search the internet, for how to do this on your model. Routers differ:

• Some routers have UPnP turned on by default.
• Some have it turned off by default, and you must turn it on.
• Some, including certain ISP-supplied routers such as AT&T models, have UPnP permanently disabled. If yours does, use Option B.

2. Set the radio to Automatic. The computer you use must be on the same network as the radio.

1. Open SmartLink Setup.
2. Click the Network Settings down arrow, select Automatic, and click Save.
3. Click Test. When the test succeeds, the small indicator circle turns green.
4. Hover over the indicator to see the test results. UPnP Ports should show PASS.

The test checks three groups: UPnP Ports, Forwarded Ports, and Hole Punch. Only one group needs to pass, but both the TCP and UDP ports in that group must show PASS.

If the test passes, go to Step 6. If the test fails, check your router’s UPnP setting, or switch to Option B.

Option B: Manual port forwarding

Use manual port forwarding if UPnP is unavailable, is turned off, or if you prefer not to use it. Some ISPs and router manufacturers turn off UPnP permanently for security reasons.

While you set up and test manual forwarding, turn UPnP off in your router so it cannot assign conflicting ports. After SmartLink works, you can turn UPnP back on.

1. Reserve an IP address for the radio. In your router’s DHCP settings, assign a reserved IP address to the radio. Some routers call this a “local static” or “manual” IP address. Use the Radio IP you noted in Step 2, and check your router’s user guide for instructions.

This step is essential. If you skip it, your router will eventually give the radio a different IP address and break your port forwarding rules, because data will still go to the old address.

2. Enter the external ports in SmartLink Setup.

1. Open SmartLink Setup.
2. Click the Network Settings down arrow and select Manual.
3. Enter an external port number in the TCP box and another in the UDP box. This article uses TCP 21100 and UDP 22100 as examples. These numbers avoid conflicts with ports that UPnP assigns.
4. Press Tab to set the numbers, then click Save.

You can use any external ports, as long as no other device or FlexRadio on your network uses the same ones.

3. Create two port forwarding rules in your router. Open your router’s port forwarding settings and create two separate rules that send traffic to the radio’s reserved IP address. Instructions for your router are usually available online.

The external ports must match the numbers you entered in SmartLink Setup. The internal ports (4994 and 4993) are the ones the radio uses.

Each rule must use either TCP or UDP. Do not use a Both or TCP/UDP setting, even if your router offers one. Click Apply or OK to save the rules.

4. Test the connection. Return to the SmartLink Setup Manual screen and click Test. After about a minute, the indicator should turn green. Hover over it. Forwarded Ports should show PASS for both TCP and UDP.

Step 6: Test your remote connection

Once the SmartLink Setup test passes, confirm that you can connect from a remote device.

1. On your remote device (PC, laptop, Mac, Maestro, or iOS device), log in to the same SmartLink account that the radio is registered to.
2. Connect to the radio through SmartLink.

The remote device must be on a different network than the radio’s home network. You cannot test SmartLink from the same network as the radio.

If the connection works, your SmartLink setup is complete.

Setting up a second radio on the same network

Complete Steps 1 through 6 for your first radio before you add another. Each radio needs its own SmartLink registration and its own port forwarding. You have two options.

Option A: Use automatic port forwarding for each radio (recommended)

This is the easiest and most trouble-free method. Turn on UPnP in your router and set every radio to Automatic in SmartLink Setup, as described in Step 5, Option A. The router and radios negotiate the port forwarding for all of them.

Option B: Use manual port forwarding for each radio

If you cannot or do not want to use UPnP, set up one pair of port forwarding rules for each radio, and give each radio its own reserved IP address and its own external ports.

1. Confirm that the first radio works before you add the second.
2. Reserve an IP address for the second radio in your router.

3. Create two new rules for the second radio, using different external ports than the first radio. The examples below continue the numbers used in Step 5:

   Rule	Protocol	External port	Internal port	Forward to
   1	TCP	21200	4994	Radio 2’s IP address
   2	UDP	22200	4993	Radio 2’s IP address

4. Each rule must use either TCP or UDP, not both or TCP/UDP. Click Apply or OK to save.
5. On the second radio, open SmartLink Setup > Network Settings > Manual, enter the same external ports you used on the router (TCP 21200 and UDP 22200), and click Save.
6. Click Test and confirm that Forwarded Ports shows PASS for TCP and UDP.

Still need help?

If SmartLink still does not work after you complete these steps, open a HelpDesk ticket. Include the radio information you copied in Step 2 and the results of your SmartLink test (hover over the indicator in SmartLink Setup), which helps us find the problem faster.