Toronto Live Map · Support
Help and contact
Setting up your map, what the lights mean, and what to do when something looks wrong.
Boards are not shipping yet. This page describes the current prototype and may change before delivery.
Write to info@vivolit.ca
To help us answer quickly, tell us:
- the board's name in the app (it starts with VIVOLIT-);
- what the lights are doing;
- your phone model.
We are a small Toronto team and email is the only support channel. We will never ask for your Wi-Fi password.
Set-up
You need:
- a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network (most home routers broadcast one, alongside 5 GHz);
- a phone with Bluetooth and the free Vivolit app (iPhone and Android, available before boards ship);
- a certified 5 V USB-C power adapter. The cable is in the box.
- Plug the board in. After a few seconds the first lights of the map breathe slowly in blue: the board is waiting for your phone.
- Open the app and add a board. Scan the QR set-up sticker on the back of the board. The app finds it over Bluetooth.
- Pick your Wi-Fi and type the password. The password goes from your phone straight to the board over an encrypted Bluetooth connection.
- Wait for the colours. Amber means the board is joining your Wi-Fi. A short green means it is connected. Then the map starts showing trains.
After set-up you do not need the app. The board fetches the train data by itself and reconnects on its own after a power cut. Use the app only to change brightness, switch modes or move the board to another network.
What the lights mean
During set-up and when there is a problem, the board uses its first few lights as status lights. At other times every light is a station.
| You see | It means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Slow blue breathing | Waiting to be set up over Bluetooth. | Open the app and add the board. |
| Amber pulse | Joining your Wi-Fi. | Wait a few seconds. If amber does not stop, see Troubleshooting. |
| Green, briefly | Connected. The map starts. | Nothing. |
| Red blinking | The Wi-Fi password was rejected, or a Wi-Fi reset is in progress. | After a failed password the board goes back to blue after about 8 seconds. Try again from the app; there is no need to unplug. |
| Station lights of Lines 1, 2 and 4 breathing gently, no trains | No fresh train data for about 3 minutes. Your internet or the public data feed is down. | Nothing. The trains come back by themselves when the data does. |
| Few or no trains late at night | Normal. The subway is not running, or only a few trains are. | Nothing. |
| Small red light on the back of the board | A software update is being written. | Do not unplug the board until the light goes out. |
Reset the Wi-Fi with the button
Do this when you get a new router, change the Wi-Fi password, or give the map to someone else. The board forgets its Wi-Fi network and starts set-up again.
- Leave the board plugged in and running.
- Press and hold the button on the back of the board (marked BOOT).
- Keep holding for 5 to 20 seconds, until the first lights blink red.
- Release. About a second later the board restarts and breathes blue, ready for set-up.
Release within 20 seconds. A hold longer than 20 seconds is ignored, so nothing is erased by accident.
Do not hold the button while plugging the cable in. That starts a factory mode. If it happens, unplug, wait five seconds, and plug the board back in without touching the button.
You can do the same from the app with Forget Wi-Fi, as long as the board is still on your network.
Troubleshooting
The app cannot find the board
- Check that the board is breathing blue. If it is not, it already has a Wi-Fi network: use the button reset.
- Turn on Bluetooth on your phone and allow the app to use it. On older Android phones the system also asks for location permission to scan for Bluetooth devices. The app does not read your location.
- Stand within a few metres of the board.
The board stays amber
- The board can no longer join the network it knows. Usually the router or the password has changed.
- Use the button reset and set it up again.
- Check that your network has a 2.4 GHz band. Networks that are 5 GHz only, and hotel or café Wi-Fi with a sign-in page, do not work.
The password is rejected (red blinking)
- Passwords are case-sensitive. Type it again in the app.
- The board goes back to blue by itself, so you do not need to unplug it.
A train is missing, or a light is in the wrong place
- Positions are estimated from open data that updates about once a minute. They are sometimes late, and a train that is missing from the data is missing from the map.
- Lines 1, 2 and 4 are live. Line 5 lights up when its data has trains. Line 6 stays dark until its data is published.
Nothing lights up at all
- Try another certified USB-C adapter and the cable from the box.
- Check in the app that brightness is not at zero and the mode is not "Off".
- If it still stays dark, write to us.
Power and care
- Use only a certified 5 V USB-C power supply (Class 2 / LPS).
- Indoor use only. Keep the map away from water, heaters and direct sun.
- Dust it with a soft dry cloth. Do not use sprays or solvents on the wood.
- There is nothing inside that you can repair. Please do not open the back.
Questions
Is the map "live"?
The board checks the public subway feed several times a minute. The feed itself updates about once a minute and gives expected arrival times, which the board turns into estimated positions. Expect "at or near this station". It is art, not a trip planner. Please do not use it to plan travel or for safety decisions.
Do I need an account or a subscription?
No. There is no account and no subscription. The board talks to the public data feed by itself.
Do I need to keep the app?
Only for changing settings. The map runs without it.
Can I dim it or switch it off at night?
Yes. Brightness goes from a soft glow to off in the app. The modes are live trains, a calm demo, and off.
What happens if the train data stops?
The map shows a gentle waiting pattern and recovers by itself when the data comes back. If the public feed ever stopped for good, the board would still be an engraved map with an animated mode.
Does it work outside Toronto?
Yes, anywhere with 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and an internet connection.
What do you do with my data?
Very little: no account, no tracking, no analytics. The board only downloads public train data. See the privacy page.
Is this an official product?
No. Vivolit is an independent Toronto company. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), the City of Toronto or Metrolinx.
Warranty and returns
The final warranty and returns terms will be published before the campaign launches.