Protecting Your Device with a Password

Once you have created your Tibbo application, you can start deploying it into multiple devices. At this point you are recommended to password-protect your device. Since Tibbo devices can be uploaded to and debugged through the network, anyone with the basic understanding of TIDE software can "mess up" with you device in many different ways and without even touching it physically. "They" can simply render the device unusable or, even worse, replace your application with a hacked one one that has additional undesirable "features". All this can be prevented by setting the device password.

Setting device password

Passwords are set with the Device Explorer. Select the device in the list, click Password button to bring up Change Device Password dialog. Enter any password you want. From that point on, firmware and application uploads to the device will require this password. TIDE will prompt you to Enter Device Password every time it is needed. Check Save password for this device in the Enter Device Password dialog and TIDE will memorize the password (it will be stored in an encrypted file). This way, you won't have to input the password over and over again.

Your Tibbo BASIC application can also set the password on its own. This can spare you the trouble of manually protecting each device.You can find a code example in Special Configuration Section of the EEPROM.

Clearing the password

To remove the password, use the Password button of the Device Explorer and set an empty password. This, however, will require you to input the old (current) password as well. And what if you don't remember it? Read on...

When you forgot the password

Simply press (and keep pressed) the MD button of your device while clicking OK button in the Change Device Password or Enter Device Password dialog. This will make you device accept any password you enter. Pressing the MD button will not erase the password, but rather bypass it. This way you can change the old password (or remove it completely) without knowing what it was.

How secure is it?

When the password is being set or changed, it is transmitted across the network "in the open". Therefore, set passwords in the secure environment where you can make sure that no one is "eavesdropping". Subsequent transmissions of the password to "login" onto the device (in order to upload firmware, etc.) are "safe". No data is transmitted in the open and eavesdropping on the data transmission will not reveal the password or render any useful data.

How to remove passwords stored by TIDE

Open the Device Explorer and click on its icon (top left corner of the window). Select Advanced Settings. Click on Clear Password Cache. You are done.