Last updated: 2026-06-04

You can build a lot in the simulator alone, but the rest of the docs assume your glasses are paired and on current firmware. This page gets you there - hardware setup, Developer Mode, and the firewall / Wi-Fi gotchas that QR sideloading runs into.

Set up your G2 & R1

If you only have the simulator for now, jump to Your First App and come back once the glasses arrive.

Naming convention

Throughout the docs and the phone app:

• Even G2 - the glasses.
• Even R1 - the optional input ring.

Your devices appear under these names in the Bluetooth pairing list.

Exit shipping mode

New glasses arrive in shipping mode - battery isolated so they don't drain in transit. They look dead out of the box. Wake them:

1. Drop both arms into the charging case and close it.
2. Watch the case light:
   • White - charged and ready.
   • Orange (≈3 s) - seating feedback when you insert the glasses.
3. Open the case. The glasses are now powered and discoverable.

Pairing

1. Open the Even Realities App and sign in.
2. Go to Devices → Add device and select Even G2.
3. Confirm the pairing prompt. The glasses display a brief confirmation.

Firmware update

The app checks for firmware right after pairing. Take the update before doing anything else - most early connection failures trace back to stale firmware.

1. The app prompts when an update is available, or check Devices → Firmware manually.
2. Keep the glasses in the case and the phone nearby until the flash finishes.
3. Don't interrupt it.

Pair the R1 ring (optional)

The R1 adds a touchpad you can use without raising a hand to your temple.

1. In the app, go to Devices → Add device → Even R1.
2. Follow the same confirm-prompt flow as the glasses.

The R1 gesture and event model lives in Device APIs → Inputs.

Enable Developer Mode

There is no toggle. Signing in to the web hub flips your account to developer; the next restart of the phone app surfaces the developer section.

1. Sign in to the web hub

Log in at hub.evenrealities.com/login with the same account you registered in the phone app. See Sign in for the full flow.

2. Restart the Even Realities App

Force-quit the app - swipe it away from recents, not just background - and reopen it.

3. Check the Even Hub tab

A developer section appears in the top-right of the Even Hub tab. That's where the Scan QR button lives, alongside the rest of the dev features Your First App uses.

Known issue: manual Link jump in Dev Preview

In Dev Preview, a manually triggered Link jump may fail - no response, the wrong page, or a bounce to the home screen. The mobile team is on it. Workaround: re-scan the QR instead of relying on in-app Link navigation. This page updates once the fix ships.

Network & Firewall Setup

If QR sideloading already works, skip this section. What follows is for the case where the QR scans but the app never loads.

QR sideloading points the phone at a dev server on your laptop (http://192.168.1.100:5173 or similar). For that to work, the phone and laptop have to be on the same network with nothing silently dropping the connection between them - the single most common reason the QR scans and nothing happens.

1. Find your LAN IP

You need your laptop's address on the local network - not localhost.

# macOS
ipconfig getifaddr en0        # Wi-Fi; try en1 if blank

# Linux
hostname -I | awk '{print $1}'

# Windows (PowerShell)
ipconfig | findstr /i "IPv4"

Use that address in the QR URL:

evenhub qr --url "http://<your-lan-ip>:5173"

2. Allow Node through the firewall

macOS - Application Firewall

macOS silently drops the first inbound phone-to-laptop connection. Allow Node explicitly:

1. System Settings → Network → Firewall → Options…
2. Add your node binary and set it to Allow incoming connections.
3. To confirm the firewall is the culprit, toggle it off, retry, then re-enable with the allow rule in place.

TIP

With a version manager, the node binary lives under ~/.fnm/... or ~/.nvm/.... Add that path - not a stale /usr/local/bin/node.

Windows Defender

Defender often blocks node.exe inbound without prompting, especially the shimmed node.exe from fnm/nvm-windows. Add an inbound rule on the dev port:

1. Windows Security → Firewall & network protection → Advanced settings.
2. Inbound Rules → New Rule → Port → TCP → 5173 (or your dev port) → Allow.
3. Apply to the Private profile at minimum.

3. Wi-Fi AP isolation

Corporate Wi-Fi and a lot of home routers ship with AP / client isolation on. It blocks device-to-device traffic even on the same SSID. The symptom: ping and connection silently fail with the firewall already open.

Fallbacks, in order of convenience:

Fallback	How
Phone hotspot	Tether the laptop to the phone's hotspot; both are then on the phone's network with no isolation.
Different network	Use a home/guest network without client isolation.
Tailscale	Put phone and laptop on the same Tailscale tailnet and use the Tailscale IP in the QR URL.

Quick diagnosis

If the QR scans but the app never loads, work this list top-down.

Step	Check	If it fails
1	Open http://<your-lan-ip>:5173 in your phone's browser	Phone can't reach the laptop - go to step 2
2	Confirm the dev server is actually running (npm run dev shows Local: line)	Restart the dev server, re-generate the QR
3	Confirm the IP in the QR matches the laptop's current LAN IP (Wi-Fi networks reassign on reconnect)	Re-run evenhub qr --url "http://<current-ip>:5173"
4	macOS / Windows firewall allowing Node / port 5173? (see step 2 above)	Add the allow rule, retry step 1
5	Router has AP / client isolation enabled? (see step 3 above)	Fall back to phone hotspot or Tailscale

Next

Your First App - scaffold, run, and sideload via QR.