Spot Gateway: Your Secure Connection to Spot Parking
This guide will help you understand what your Spot Gateway does, how to set it up, and what it needs to work smoothly.
What is the Spot Gateway and Why is it Important?
Think of the Spot Gateway as a super-secure messenger. Its job is to safely connect your university's local camera system to the Spot Parking "brain" in the cloud. This connection allows our team to watch over your parking system and provide quick support, making sure everything runs perfectly.
Function: It's the secure bridge that sends information from your cameras to our system.
Security: All messages sent are fully locked down and verified, like a secret code only we can read.
Key Benefit: It allows the Spot Parking team to keep an eye on your system and help you without needing to be on-site.
Easy Installation: Get Your Spot Gateway Online in 3 Steps
Setting up your Spot Gateway is quick and easy. Just follow these steps, and the device will do the rest automatically!
STEP 1: Plug in Power: Take the power adapter we provided and plug its small end into the USB-C port on your Spot Gateway device. Then, plug the other end into a wall outlet.
STEP 2: Connect to Network: Use the Ethernet cable we provided. Plug one end into your Spot Gateway and the other into any network plug (like a wall jack or a port on your internet router) that has an active internet connection.
STEP 3: Automatic Connection: Once the Spot Gateway has internet access (we'll explain this below), it's smart enough to find and connect to Spot Parking's secure servers all by itself. You don't need to do anything else!
What Your Spot Gateway Needs from Your Network (The "Internet Access" Part)
The Spot Gateway is built to be very secure and doesn't interfere with your network. It only needs to be able to send information out to the internet. It never needs information to come into it from the internet.
"Talking Out" to the Internet (Outbound Connectivity)
The easiest way to ensure your Spot Gateway works is to allow it to communicate freely with the internet. If your network has a firewall (like a digital security guard) or a proxy (like a post office for internet traffic), you might need to tell it to allow the Spot Gateway to connect to us.
Here are the specific "doors" (called ports) that need to be open for your Spot Gateway to "talk out" to the internet:
TCP/443
This is the main secure connection the Spot Gateway uses to talk to our main Spot Parking servers.
UDP/41641
This creates a private, secure pathway for specific messages between parts of our system.
UDP/3478
Helps the Spot Gateway find its way through complex networks (like those with firewalls or NAT) to build those secure tunnels.
TCP/80
Mostly used to see if your network might be asking for a login (like in a hotel or airport Wi-Fi).
Important Note: Your Spot Gateway only sends information out. You do not need to open any special "incoming" doors in your firewall or set up "port forwarding" for it.
Allowing Specific Internet Addresses
If your network's firewall is very strict and only allows connections to specific internet addresses, please tell your IT team to allow access to the following address ranges:
Standard Internet (IPv4):
192.200.0.0/24, 199.165.136.0/24
Newer Internet Addresses (IPv6):
2606:B740:49::/48, 2606:B740:1::/48
These are the only places your Spot Gateway needs to communicate with for its secure operation.
Need Help? We're Here For You!
If you run into any issues, or if your Spot Gateway doesn't seem to be connecting (our team will typically confirm it's online), please reach out to us right away.
Email Us: support@spotparking.app
To help us solve your problem faster, please include the following in your message:
Your Institution's Name
Where the Spot Gateway is plugged into your network (e.g., "Main switch" or "Guest network VLAN").
Confirm if your IT team has allowed the "outgoing doors" for TCP 443 and UDP 41641/3478.
We'll get back to you within 1 business day to help confirm everything is connected and your Spot Gateway is up and running!
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