Have you registered at www.tikitag.com
Do you have the necessary hardware
Installing the tikitag PC client
Problems with the tikitag USB reader or PC client
Problems using tikitag with an NFC phone
How can I create my own application
Problems with my Dashboard
I am working on a different OS
Help, I still can't get tikitag to work
Expert Configuration

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What kind of problem do you have?

 

Have you registered at www.tikitag.com

In order to experience tikitag applications and to create your own tikitag applications, you need to register first. As long as you haven't registered, your tikitag reader will not function.

 

Do you have the necessary hardware?

You need a tikitag certified reader or a standard NFC phone to communicate with the tikitag service. You can get a tikitag-certified USB reader at our e-store.

The tikitag service only works with tikitag-certified RFID tags. You can get them from our e-store.

Please first install the tikitag software client before plugging a reader into your PC.

 

Installing the tikitag PC client

Have you downloaded and installed the tikitag software client successfully?

You need to download and install the tikitag software client on your PC for your tikitag reader to communicate with the tikitag online service.

You can download the latest version from the downloads page. When asked for a username and a password, please fill in your tikitag username and password that you use to login to the the tikitag website. Once installed, you can choose to have the client automatically upgrade to the most recent release.

The tikitag client software currently works on the following operating systems: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Intel-based Mac OS X 10.4 and 10.5.

You need to have a Smartcard driver installed on your PC.

• Windows users: the tikitag software client installs a smartcard driver on your PC, that's why you best first install the tikitag software, and then connect your reader to your PC. However, many windows machines have a Smartcard driver pre-installed, or look for an appropriate Smartcard driver when detecting a new Smartcard USB device. If your PC asks you to download a driver, we recommend installing the tikitag client instead. If the Smartcard driver installation fails, you can find the correct Smartcard driver at the downloads page.
• Mac users: if your Mac does not have the required Smartcard driver installed, you can find it on your operating system DVD or download it from our downloads page. The tikitag software client will keep you informed about received events and possible issues using visual notifications. Mac users should have installed growl (http://growl.info/) for the notifications to show up.

 

Problems with the tikitag USB reader or PC client?

Is your tikitag software client running?

Please make sure that your tikitag software client is running. You can choose to have it started automatically when your OS starts via the Options dialog.

To see whether the tikitag client is running, look for the tikitag tray icon. If there is no tikitag tray icon, you should manually start the tikitag client.

Is your tikitag software client successfully connected to the tikitag service?

Once you have successfully installed the tikitag client software, you can verify whether it successfully connects to the tikitag service. First, make sure the tikitag client is started. This is indicated by means of a tikitag system tray icon.

If the tikitag system tray icon is green, then the reader is successfully connected to the online tikitag service. This should also have been indicated using a system tray notification.

If the tikitag system tray icon is red, then there is a communication problem between the tikitag reader and the online tikitag service. This typically happens because one of the following reasons:

• You have not registered online. Please create an account via the tikitag website, and use the same username and password for the website as for the tikitag client.
• You typed an error in the username and/or password when configuring the tikitag client. Click on the tikitag tray icon, select "Options", and check the "Change tikitag username and/or password" box. Correct your username and password and hit OK.
• Your PC/Mac is not connected to the Internet. Please restore your Internet connection.
• Your PC/Mac is connected to the Internet via an HTTP proxy server. The tikitag software client will use the proxy settings of your standard browser. Make sure that you can connect to the Internet using your standard browser. Note that your standard browser may be a different browser than the one you prefer using (on a Windows PC, the client will typically use the Internet Explorer proxy settings). If you're using a Mac, you can manually configure the proxy settings in the "tikitag_ini.plist" file in the resources dir of the tikitag.app bundle. (changes will take effect after restarting your software client).

If all of the above seems correct and the tray icon is still red, try to restart the tikitag client (use the "Exit" option when clicking on the tray icon to stop the client).

 

Is your tikitag software client successfully connecting to the tikitag reader?

First make sure that your tikitag PC client is running, and that your tikitag reader is correctly plugged into one of the free USB interfaces. If the PC client is running, you should see a tikitag icon in your system tray.

The small light (LED) on the tikitag reader indicates whether the software client successfully communicates with the reader:

• The green light flashes very fast (many times per second): this means that it's working fine. The software client successfully communicates with the reader. Putting a tag on the reader should change the color of the tikitag tray icon to yellow.
• The green light flashes slowly (once per second): there is a communication problem between software client and reader. Check whether the software client is actually running. Plug out your reader and plug it back in.
• The green light is constantly on (no flashing): there is a communication problem between software client and reader. Check whether the software client is actually running. Plug out your reader and plug it back in.
• The lights stay dark: there is a communication problem between software client and reader. Check whether the software client is actually running. Plug out your reader and plug it back in.
• The red light is on or flashing: there is a communication problem between software client and reader.

If there's a communication problem between your software client and the tikitag reader, try the following:

• Shutdown the tikitag client (tray icon > exit). Unplug the tikitag reader. Start the tikitag client. Plug the reader back in. If the green LED on the reader flashes many times per second, you're ready to start.
• No visible lights on the reader may indicate that you don't have the correct SmartCard driver on your PC. This can be caused by a failed installation. Try installing the software again. If that fails, install the SmartCard driver that is available at our downloads page. Finally, unplug the reader, restart the tikitag software client and plug the reader back in.
• If all of the above fails, please contact support and send the log file in attachement.

 

Is your tikitag software client successfully detecting tikitag tag events?

Your software client is connected to the online tikitag service (tray icon is green), and your software client successfully communicates with the tikitag reader (green LED flashes rapidly), but nothing happens when you put a tikitag tag on the reader?

You can see whether your reader detects a tikitag by looking at the tikitag system tray icon. It turns yellow when a tag is detected.

If you see the system tray icon changing to yellow when you put a tag on the reader, but the action that you expected doesn't happen, then you should check your application in your Dashboard (or ask the person who gave you the tag to check his application).

If you put a tag on the reader, but the system tray icon does not change to yellow, then the reason may be:

• You are using a tag that is not compatible with tikitag. You can get tikitag-certified tags at our e-store. Please read the FAQ for more details about the technology that tikitag uses.
• You are removing the tag too fast from the reader. Try holding it close to the reader for at least half a second.
• You are keeping the tag too far away from the reader. Try actually touching the reader with the tag.

If all of the above doesn't apply, try stopping the software client, removing the reader, starting the software client and plugging the reader back in.

Logging

If you plan to contact us for support, you can find a log file for the tikitag software client in the "Application Data/Tikitag" directory for the current user on your PC. Or do a search for "tikitag.log". It is always helpful for us to take a look at that file when troubleshooting software client related issues. If you're curious about the technology, you sure can have a look at the log file yourself.

 

Problems using tikitag with an NFC phone

When you bring your NFC mobile phone close to a tikitag, your phone should automatically open a web-browser and show you the page associated with the considered tag. Your phone may first ask you for confirmation to continue.

If you don't get a signal from your NFC phone that a tag was detected, then either you should verify the configuration settings of your phone, or you are using an incompatible tag.

The tikitag service only works with NFC phones when used with tikitag-certified tags.

If you get a "page not found" error, you might have misconfigured your tag in the Dashboard, but please also check whether the browser that you're using has javascript enabled.

 

How can I create my own application ?

With tikitag, you can easily create your own application. This process always consists of a number of easy steps:

• Log in to the tikitag website, and open the dashboard page.
• Then, click on the "Make a new application" button.
• Step 1: choose the application or template that you want to base your own application on. Make your selection by clicking on it, and confirm by hitting "choose this app" at the bottom of the page. Or just double-click on the application icon.
• Step 2: customize your application. This step depends on the chosen type of application. You can keep some of the application data as is, or change it to your own needs. Confirm by clicking on "use this app".
• Step 3: choose a tag. In this step, you need to associate one or more tags to your application. In order to do this, you should put a tag on your tikitag reader when asked to do so. If no tags were detected by the system, hit the "let's try again" button and retry putting the tag on the reader. When a tag is detected, the system will show you it's unique number. When you are happy with the chosen tag, confirm by clicking on "choose this tag".
• Step 4: make the tag. In this step you can verify the application details. Finish step 4 by hitting "make this tag!"
• After creating your application, you can choose to share it with the community. Sharing your application means that other people will be able to see what your application is all about and will be able to copy your application and associate it with their own tags. They will obviously not be able to change the settings of your personal applications. After sharing an application, you can find it in the applications section of the website and further document it.

 

Problems with my Dashboard

My dashboard doesn't show up.

Please verify that you are logged in: refresh the dashboard page and log in at the top of the page if you are not already logged in.

Nothing happens when I put a tag on the reader.

During step 3 of the application creation process, you will be asked to put a tag on the reader. If this step fails, click on the "try again" button and you'll get an invitation to put the tag back on the reader. Put a tag on your reader during this notification, until your tikitag system tray icon turns yellow. This will make the unique number of your tag appear in the configuration window. Now the tikitag system has registered your tag and you can proceed.

If the tag detection keeps failing, please make sure that your tikitag PC client is working properly and that you are connected to the system using the same username in the PC client as in the tikitag website.

 

I am working on a different OS

If you're not a Windows, nor a Mac user, and you're interested in using the tikitag service, please check the dev pages.

 

Help, I still can't get tikitag to work

If you can't get the tikitag service to work, please drop us a note at support at tikitag dot com. Please include the following information in your e-mail:

• short description of the issue
• do you have an account at tikitag.com?
• what is your username?
• serial number of your tikitag reader (SN at the backside)
• unique ID of the tag you are using (printed number on the tag)
• colour of your tikitag systems tray icon: green, red, yellow
• any notifications you get from the tikitag tray icon
• color and behavior of the LED on your tikitag reader
• is the LED flashing rapidly (many times per second), or slowly (1 time per second)?
• "tikitag.log" file (/current user/Application Data/Tikitag/ on windows)

 

Expert Configuration

Expert configuration settings for the software client can be managed by editing the tikitag.ini file.