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Set Up the EV3 Hardware

Before running a Simulink® model on the EV3 hardware, set up the hardware.

Prerequisites

You can connect the EV3 hardware to your host computer using four different connection types, USB, Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi®, or Ethernet.

Following hardware are required to setup these four connections:

  • USB - USB mini cable similar to the one provided with the EV3 kit.

  • Bluetooth - EV3 has in-built Bluetooth. The computer to which you want to connect to needs a Bluetooth module. If your computer does not have an in-built Bluetooth module, then use an external Bluetooth dongle.

  • Wi-Fi

    • EV3 compatible USB Wi-Fi dongle (recommend NETGEAR WNA1100 or Onkyo UWF-1)

    • Wi-Fi network connection to your host computer

  • Ethernet -

For the Wi-Fi and Ethernet connections, the network should have DHCP, a common service that automatically configures the network settings on devices such as EV3. Manual configuration of IP settings is not supported.

Verify the EV3 Firmware Version

Verify the EV3 firmware version, and, if needed, perform a firmware update:

  1. In the EV3 Brick Interface, go to the settings and select Brick Info.

  2. Check that Brick FW, is V1.03E or later.

  3. If the firmware version is earlier than V1.03E, use the LEGO® EV3 Software to update the firmware.

Note

Ethernet connection is not supported for firmware version 1.09. Use USB, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi connection to connect EV3 hardware to your host computer.

Connect the EV3 Hardware to Host Computer

Use one of the following connection types to establish connection between the EV3 and your host computer.

Connect Using USB

Use the USB cable to connect the Mini-USB port on the EV3, labeled as 'PC' with the USB port on your host computer.

Connect Using Bluetooth

  1.  Enable Bluetooth on your host computer. If it does not have the built-in Bluetooth, use a Bluetooth dongle.

  2. In the EV3 Brick Interface, select Settings > Bluetooth and enable Bluetooth option.

  3. Connect the host computer to the EV3 brick.

  4. On the EV3 screen, go to Settings > Brick Info and find the device ID of the brick under ID.

Connect Using Wi-Fi

  1. Connect an EV3 Wi-Fi Dongle to the EV3’s USB port.

  2. Use the settings in the EV3 Brick Interface to connect to a Wi-Fi router on the same network as your host computer.

    The encryption setting for this Wi-Fi router must be either None or WPA2.

    For more information, see the EV3 User Guide.

    While connecting, the EV3 hardware gets an IP address from the DHCP service on the network.

  3. In the EV3 Brick Interface, get the IP address from the Wi-Fi connection or from the Brick Info screen.

    Write down the IP address for future reference.

  4. (Optional) Use legoev3 to verify the network connection. For example:

    legoev3('172.21.128.249')
    myev3 = 

  legoev3 with properties:

    ipAddress: '172.21.128.249'

Connect Using Ethernet

  1. Connect an EV3-compatible Ethernet dongle, such as the Apple USB Ethernet Adapter, to the EV3’s USB port.

  2. Using an Ethernet cable, connect the Ethernet dongle to a router that is on the same network as your host computer.

  3. Restart the EV3 hardware.

    While restarting, the EV3 hardware gets an IP address from the DHCP service on the network.

  4. Use the EV3 Brick Interface to get the IP address from the Brick Info screen.

    Write down the IP address for future reference.

  5. (Optional) Use legoev3 to verify the network connection. For example:

    legoev3('172.21.128.249')
    myev3 = 

  legoev3 with properties:

    ipAddress: '172.21.128.249'