Connection Guide
Step-by-step instructions to connect a GDS test station to GDS Dashboards and view live data on a dashboard.
Get an invite
Accounts are invite-only. Your customer's admin invites you from the User Management page and you'll receive an email with a link to set your own password. If you're expecting an invite and don't see it, check your spam folder, then contact your admin or GDS support.
1
Navigate to Stations
Go to the Stations page from the sidebar. This page lists all registered MQTT client stations for your customer.
2
Add a Station
Click Add Station and fill in the details:
Station name (e.g. "Lab A - Triaxial Rig 1")
Laboratory name
PC identifier
Test type (Triaxial, Consolidation, Direct Shear, Permeability, or Cyclic Triaxial)
MQTT username + password (the broker will reject the connection without these)
3
Note the Client ID, Topic, and credentials
After saving, GDS Dashboards generates a unique Client ID and an
MQTT Topic in the format gds/station/{"{clientId}"}/data.
Copy these along with the username and password you set in step 3 — you'll need
them in the next step. The broker rejects any client whose client_id
isn't registered, and rejects publishes to topics outside its own station namespace.
4
Configure MQTT in GDSLab (or any publisher)
In GDSLab — or any MQTT client (e.g. GDS.TestSimulator, mosquitto_pub,
a Python script) — open the MQTT configuration and enter:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Host | dashboards.carlalsford.com (or localhost in dev) |
| Port | 1883 |
| Client ID | {"{from step 4}"} |
| Username | {"{from step 3}"} |
| Password | {"{from step 3}"} |
| Topic | {"{from step 4}"} |
5
Start a Test
Start a test in GDSLab. Data will be published to the MQTT broker and appear automatically in GDS Dashboards. You can verify the connection on the Home page where the MQTT broker status and connected client count are shown, or on the Stations page where the row's status dot turns green once the broker accepts the connection.
6
Detect variables from the payload
Once your station has published at least one message, expand its row on the Stations page and click Detect from payload. The wizard inspects the last JSON message, lists every numeric / boolean field that isn't already configured, and lets you tick the ones to turn into variables in bulk. Names and units come pre-filled from the JSON key — edit before confirming.
7
Create a Dashboard
Click the auto-generate (magic wand) icon on the station row for a one-shot dashboard, or go to Create Dashboard to build one by hand. Add tiles (charts, gauges, values) and bind each tile to the variables you configured in step 7. Use the share icon to generate a password-protected, no-login view link to send to anyone outside the team.
8
Quick Reference
MQTT Connection
| Host | dashboards.carlalsford.com |
| Port | 1883 |
| Protocol | MQTT v3.1.1 / v5 |
| QoS | 0 |
| Auth | per-station client_id + username/password |
| Topic prefix | gds/station/{"{clientId}"}/ |
Key Pages
| Sign in | /login |
| Stations | /clients |
| Dashboards | /dashboards |
| Create Dashboard | /dashboards/create |
| MQTT Spec | /docs/mqtt |