Offline Badge Capture
Set up the local capture server so phones can scan badges directly to your Mac — no internet required.
Before You Start
- The LeadFuel desktop app installed on a Mac
- A travel router (we recommend the GL.iNet GL-MT3000 Beryl AX, ~$80)
- A smartphone with a camera
Understand When to Use Offline Capture
Use offline capture when:
- Venue WiFi is locked down, slow, or unreliable
- You're in a basement hall or exhibit area with poor cellular signal
- You want a completely self-contained setup that doesn't depend on venue infrastructure
The LeadFuel desktop app starts a local web server. Phones on the same network visit a URL to scan badges — captures go to the Mac locally and sync to the cloud later.
Set Up Your Travel Router (One-Time)
Hardware needed: GL.iNet GL-MT3000 Beryl AX travel router (~$80).
- 1Power on the router via USB-C
- 2Join the router's default WiFi (printed on the back of the router)
- 3Open
http://192.168.8.1in a browser and set an admin password - 4Go to Wireless → 2.4GHz and change the SSID to
LeadFuel - 5Set a simple WiFi password your team can type on a phone
- 6Click Apply
The router is now configured. This only needs to be done once.
Keep a written copy of the WiFi password and admin password in your event bag. You don't want to factory-reset a router on the show floor.
Connect at the Venue
Simple setup (Mac goes offline):
1. Plug the router into a Mac USB-C port
2. Wait 30 seconds for it to boot
3. On the Mac, join the `LeadFuel` WiFi network
4. Open the LeadFuel desktop app
5. Go to Settings — the Local Badge Capture panel shows the URL and QR code
Recommended setup (Mac keeps internet):
1. Plug a USB-C hub into the Mac
2. Run an ethernet cable from the hub to the router's LAN port (not WAN)
3. Power the router via USB-C
4. Mac WiFi stays on venue WiFi for internet; phones connect to `LeadFuel` WiFi
With Option B, captures sync to the cloud in real-time as they come in.
Connect Phones to the Capture Page
For each phone (one-time per event):
- 1Join the
LeadFuelWiFi network - 2Open Safari or Chrome
- 3Scan the QR code shown in the desktop app's Settings, or type the URL
- 4Enter the 4-digit PIN shown in the desktop app
- 5Tap Take Photo, photograph the badge, tap Submit Scan
The PIN changes each time the desktop app restarts. If a phone gets a 'wrong PIN' error, check the current PIN in the app's Settings.
Monitor and Sync
The desktop app's Settings panel shows: - Pending Sync — captures waiting to upload - Synced Today — captures successfully sent to the cloud
Sync happens automatically every 10 minutes when internet is available, or you can trigger it manually from Settings.
Once synced, leads go through the normal processing pipeline: OCR → contact enrichment → CRM matching → AI analysis → email generation.