HiveCatcher Connect

Connect runs HiveCatcher's services — monitoring, the on-demand VPN, and the browser terminal — over your own internet connection. Use it over Ethernet, or with your own SIM and carrier plan. The Connect installer does not install the modem or cellular stack; if you need us to bring up the modem for your own SIM, use the Cellular installer and choose Connect as the product.

This installs the agent, WireGuard, and the cloud access account. It does not touch the modem or cellular stack. Connect the box to Ethernet, or make sure your own SIM and APN are already configured.

0.Bootstrap (minimal installs)

A minimal Debian/Ubuntu may have neither curl nor sudo. Run this once as root (su -), then log back in:

# Debian / Ubuntu
su -
apt update && apt install -y curl sudo
usermod -aG sudo YOUR_USER
exit

# Fedora / RHEL
su -
dnf install -y curl sudo
usermod -aG wheel YOUR_USER
exit

1.Get a Device Code

In the dashboard, open Device Onboarding → Get a Device Code and generate a code (e.g. 7QK4-M2XP). Codes are product-agnostic: you choose Cellular Connect vs Connect for the device after it activates. To bring up many devices, tick Reusable install key.

2.Install

Run the Connect installer with your code. The script detects the distro and installs only what Connect needs.

curl -fsSL https://hivecatcher.com/install/connect.sh | \
  sudo bash -s -- --code 7QK4-M2XP

No code yet? Run it without --code: the installer self-registers, prints the device's code, and you claim it in the dashboard afterwards.

curl -fsSL https://hivecatcher.com/install/connect.sh | sudo bash -s --

Debian 13 (trixie) — tested

Works as-is. If you prefer to read it first: curl -fsSL https://hivecatcher.com/install/connect.sh -o c.sh, then less c.sh and sudo bash c.sh --code 7QK4-M2XP.

Ubuntu — tested

Same command; the script maps package names for apt automatically.

Fedora 44 — tested

Same command; the script maps package names for dnf and adds the firewalld rule so the cloud can reach the box over the tunnel. You do not need to enable root SSH.

Other Linux

Use the roll-your-own guide — Connect needs only the agent, systemd, WireGuard, and curl.

3.Verify

systemctl status hivecatcher-agent
hivecatcher-agent version

The device appears in your dashboard once it checks in. The first check-in is what makes it billable.

Wi-Fi is not supported — Connect uses wired Ethernet (or your own connectivity). Cellular is the separate Cellular product.

Uninstalling

You can remove HiveCatcher at any time. Tell us first so the device is released and billing stops, instead of just going silent.

1. Tell HiveCatcher

sudo hivecatcher-agent deregister

This flags the device for the operator to release. It is best-effort: if the box has no connection right now, the operator will still see it go silent and can release it.

2. Stop and disable the services

sudo systemctl disable --now hivecatcher-agent

3. Remove the units

sudo rm -f /etc/systemd/system/hivecatcher-*.service \
              /etc/systemd/system/hivecatcher-*.timer
sudo systemctl daemon-reload

4. Remove the files

sudo rm -rf /usr/local/bin/hivecatcher-* /etc/hivecatcher /var/lib/hivecatcher
sudo rm -f /etc/udev/rules.d/99-hivecatcher-modem.rules
sudo udevadm control --reload

The WireGuard tunnel goes away with the agent, and the cloud peer is removed when the operator releases the device. To just pause HiveCatcher for a while, do step 1 and step 2 and stop there; nothing else is required.