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First Printer Setup

This guide walks you through adding your first printer to BamDude.

Prerequisites

Before adding a printer, ensure:

  • BamDude is running (Installation or Docker)
  • Your printer is powered on and connected to your network
  • SD card is inserted in the printer
  • Developer Mode is enabled (see guide)
  • You have the IP address, serial number, and access code

Adding Your Printer

You can add a printer two ways: let BamDude auto-discover it on the LAN (fastest), or fill in the IP / access-code / serial manually.

Option A — LAN auto-discovery

  1. Open BamDude → Printers → Add Printer → Discover on LAN.

  2. Pick the discovery method that matches your install:

    BamDude listens for SSDP broadcasts. Bambu Lab printers announce themselves on the LAN every few seconds and show up in the discovery list automatically. Click Start, wait ~10 seconds, then pick your printer from the list.

    SSDP works as long as the container is on network_mode: host (see Docker → Host-mode compose). Same flow as native install.

    SSDP multicast doesn't cross the bridge, so the automatic list may stay empty. Use the subnet picker (below) with a Custom subnet… matching your LAN — BamDude actively probes every host on that subnet instead of relying on multicast. On a /24 this finishes in under a minute.

  3. Discovering across a router or VLAN? The dialog always shows a subnet picker. By default it scans your server's own subnet via SSDP, but SSDP multicast can't cross routers or VLAN boundaries — so a printer on a different network segment than the server never shows up. Pick Custom subnet… to reveal a CIDR field, enter the printer's subnet (e.g. 10.1.1.0/24), and BamDude runs an active unicast scan of that range instead of SSDP. The last custom subnet you entered is remembered for next time.

    Ports must be reachable across the boundary

    A cross-subnet scan only finds a printer if the FTP (990) and MQTT (8883) ports are routable from the server to the printer's segment. Open them on any firewall / router ACL between the two networks first — otherwise the printer stays invisible even with the correct CIDR.

  4. Click your printer in the result list. BamDude pre-fills IP and Serial for you — only the Access Code is left to type.

  5. Skip to Step 3 — Save and Connect below.

Discovery permission

The discovery routes require the discovery:scan permission. The default Administrators and Operators groups have it; Viewers do not.

Option B — Manual entry

Use this when discovery is unavailable (different VLAN, mDNS blocked, locked-down environment) or you already have the printer's connection details.

  1. Open BamDude in your browser
  2. Go to the Printers page
  3. Click the Add Printer button
  4. Choose Enter manually

Step 2: Enter Printer Details

Field Description Example
Name A friendly name for your printer Workshop X1C
Model Pick the model from the dropdown (X1C, P1S, A1 Mini, H2D, …). BamDude uses this to enable model-specific features (door sensor, dual nozzle, AMS-HT) before MQTT confirms it. X1 Carbon
IP Address Your printer's local IP address (auto-discovery fills this) 192.168.1.100
Access Code 8-character code from Developer Mode 12345678
Serial Number Your printer's serial number (auto-discovery fills this) 01P00A000000001

The connection is verified before the printer is saved

When you click Add, BamDude probes the printer over MQTT first. If it can't connect — wrong access code, wrong IP, or the printer is off / not in LAN-Only Mode — the add is rejected with an explanatory message and nothing is saved, so you never end up with a dead, empty printer card. Make sure the printer is powered on and reachable before adding.

Model selection matters

BamDude derives several capabilities from the model — door-state detection, dual-nozzle UI, AMS-HT slot rendering, maintenance task filtering (carbon/steel rod vs. linear rail). Picking the wrong model will hide or surface the wrong features. Check the capability matrix if you're unsure which class your printer falls into.

Step 3: Save and Connect

  1. Click Save
  2. BamDude will attempt to connect to your printer
  3. Wait for the connection indicator to turn green

Bambu Cloud (optional, per-user)

Linking your Bambu account unlocks cloud-only features: firmware-update checks, cloud filament catalog, slicer-setting profiles. Each BamDude user stores their own cloud credentials — admins don't share their Bambu account with operators or viewers.

  1. Open Settings → Cloud while logged in as the user you want to link.
  2. Pick the region — global (default, EU/US/AS) or china. The region maps to a different Bambu Cloud endpoint; the wrong choice results in Login failed.
  3. Enter email + password. If 2FA is enabled on your Bambu account, you'll be prompted for the verification code next.
  4. The token is stored encrypted on the user row. Other users on the same BamDude install do not see or share it.

Auth disabled?

On installs where auth is disabled (rare — auth has been on by default since 0.4.0) the cloud token falls back to the global Settings table instead of per-user storage.

Verifying Connection

A successfully connected printer shows:

Element Description
Green indicator Connection is active
Live temperatures Nozzle, bed, and chamber readings
HMS status Health Management System shows "OK"

Connection Issues?

  1. Is Developer Mode enabled? Re-check both LAN Only Mode and Developer Mode
  2. Correct IP address? Verify in printer network settings
  3. Access code fresh? Codes change when Developer Mode is toggled
  4. Same network? BamDude server and printer must be on the same LAN
  5. Firewall rules? Ensure ports 8883 (MQTT) and 990 (FTPS) are open

See the full Troubleshooting Guide for more.

Adding More Printers

Repeat the process to add additional printers. BamDude supports unlimited printers -- manage your entire print farm from one interface.

🏁 Next Steps

Print Archiving
How archiving works

Print Queue
Schedule prints

Notifications
Get alerts on your phone

Telegram Bot
Control from Telegram

Originally based on Bambuddy documentation.