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Finding Cockpit

The Cockpit controller is a friendly web interface that lets you monitor and update your Ctrl Cloud device easily. You access it through a browser on your local network. Do not update until you receive an email asking you to.

Step 1: Try the Hostname URL

Your Ctrl Cloud device usually has a preset hostname printed on your index card, like yourname.local or ctrlcloud.local. This control center is only available on your local network — you cannot access this from your Nextcloud web address. This is by design for security, to keep powerful admin access local.

  1. Open your web browser.
  2. Try accessing Cockpit by entering:
    http://yourname.local:9090
  3. If the page loads, log in with the OS username/login provided with your cloud. Then upgrade privileges to administrative access (top right corner).

Note: Username and Password are case sensitive.
Note: The hostname may vary depending on your network setup.

Step 2: Find the Local IP Address

If the hostname URL doesn’t work, you’ll need to find the device’s local IP address.

On Windows

  1. Open Command Prompt (press Win + R, type cmd, press Enter).
  2. Run the command:
    arp -a
  3. Look for entries that match your network’s IP range (like 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x).
  4. Try browsing to each IP with port 9090, for example:
    http://192.168.1.10:9090
  5. When Cockpit loads, note that IP for future use.

On macOS

  1. Open Terminal (Cmd + Space, type Terminal, press Enter).
  2. Run the command:
    arp -a
  3. Review the list of devices on your network and try their IP addresses in your browser at port 9090:
    http://<ip-address>:9090

On Linux

  1. Open a terminal.
  2. Run the command:
    ip neigh
  3. Identify devices on your local network and test their IP addresses in the browser with port 9090.

Step 3: Use Your Router’s Admin Page to Find the IP

If you have access to your home or office router’s admin page, you can usually find the Ctrl Cloud device’s local IP address there.

  1. Log in to your router’s admin page by entering its IP address into a web browser. Common router IPs are:
  2. 192.168.0.1
  3. 192.168.1.1
  4. 10.0.0.1
  5. Enter your router’s username and password (often printed on the router or provided by your ISP).
  6. Navigate to the section showing connected devices, attached devices, or DHCP clients list.
  7. Look for a device name related to your Ctrl Cloud device or a new/unknown device with an IP address in your local subnet.
  8. Note that IP address and use it to access your Ctrl Cloud:
  9. Nextcloud web interface: http://<ip-address>
  10. Cockpit admin interface: http://<ip-address>:9090

Additional Tips

  • You can use network scanning tools like nmap or Fing (mobile app) to scan your local network for devices with port 9090 open.
  • Once you find the IP, bookmark it as http://<ip-address>:9090 for quick access.
  • The Ctrl Cloud device must be on the same local network as your computer or mobile device to access Cockpit.

Summary

  • Try http://hostname:9090 first using the name on your index card.
  • If that doesn’t work, scan your local network or check your router to find the device’s IP address.
  • Cockpit is only accessible locally unless you configure network access or VPN.

Using Cockpit

Cockpit is your built-in web management tool for your Ctrl Sync Cloud. It gives you an easy way to check system health, manage updates, and handle basic settings — all from your browser.

First Login: Accepting the Self-Signed Certificate

When you first log in, your browser may warn you about a "self-signed certificate." This is normal for a private system like yours. Simply accept the warning and proceed — this just means your system is using its own encryption certificate rather than one from a public certificate authority.

Checking Storage

In Cockpit, you can view how much storage your cloud drive is using.

  1. Navigate to Storage in the left-hand sidebar.

  2. Locate the drive labeled:

    /mnt/nextcloud

This is where all your personal files are stored.
If this drive becomes full, you’ll need to either free up space or add additional storage.

Changing the OS User Password

While changing the base Operating System (OS) user password isn’t strictly necessary (since we can’t access your home network without you using a third-party tool to allow it), you may want to change it for peace of mind.

  • This password change only affects the OS user (the account that runs the server itself).
  • It does not change your Nextcloud username or password.

Change Password via Terminal

  1. Log in to your server (either through Cockpit’s terminal or SSH).
  2. Run the following command:

passwd

Change Password via Cockpit GUI

  1. Log in to the Cockpit web interface.
  2. From the left-hand sidebar, go to Accounts.
  3. Select the account you want to update (this is usually the main OS user you set up during installation).
  4. Click the Change Password button.
  5. Enter the new password and save.

By learning your way around Cockpit, you’ll have more control over your Ctrl Sync Cloud while keeping your system secure.

If you run into trouble, please reach out to our support for help locating your Ctrl Cloud device on your network.