Setup

GroundControl

Install and configure GroundControl — the edge application that connects your instruments to the UniteLabs platform.

GroundControl is a desktop application that runs on a local machine in your lab. It acts as the secure edge gateway between your physical instruments and the UniteLabs cloud, hosting and managing connector executables, executing real-time commands, and streaming telemetry back to the platform.

You need one GroundControl installation per edge machine (i.e., per machine that is physically connected to lab instruments).

GroundControl is the GUI path — best for workstations and lab PCs. For headless Linux servers, Raspberry Pi, or embedded devices, see Headless install instead.

System Requirements

Platform	Requirement
macOS	macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later — Intel and Apple Silicon
Windows	Windows 10 (64-bit) or later
Linux	Ubuntu 22.04 AMD64, Raspberry Pi OS 64-bit (RPi 4/5), or any modern distro with a desktop environment

Some connectors rely on Windows-based components of the instrument software. These connectors are only available for download in the Windows version of GroundControl. We are working hard on porting all components to become fully OS-agnostic.

Download

Download the latest release of GroundControl for Windows, Mac Linux on our website.

Download GroundControl

Install

Download and open the universal DMG (supports both Intel and Apple Silicon):

Drag the app to your Applications folder and open it.

Download the installer, move it to your desired folder, e.g. ~/MyApps,and make it executable with the right level of permissions:

...
chmod a+x ...

Full Raspberry Pi 4/5 support is included in the ARM64 build.

Auto-Updates

GroundControl checks for updates automatically. When a new version is available, you will be prompted inside the application to download and install it. Updates are signed and delivered securely.

Configure Your Tenant

On first launch, open Settings and fill in your tenant details:

Tenant ID: your UniteLabs tenant identifier. You will find this in your welcome email or by asking your UniteLabs contact.
Connector Registry URL: pre-configured by default; only change this if instructed by UniteLabs.
Auth settings: Client ID and Redirect URI are pre-filled with correct defaults for most deployments.

Click Sign In in the bottom left navigation bar. Your browser opens the UniteLabs platform login page. After authenticating, the browser returns you to GroundControl.

GroundControl uses this session token to:

Authenticate with the connector registry when browsing or downloading connectors
Communicate securely with the UniteLabs cloud on behalf of your tenant

Once signed in, you are ready to add devices and connectors. Continue with the Use GroundControl guide.

Lab as Code

Why expressing your lab methods as Python code pays off as your workflows grow.

Network requirements

Firewall rules, ports, and network configuration required for GroundControl and connectors.