English · Português
Remote access dashboard for your factory floor. Machine Portal is a single Windows application that lets you connect to, monitor, and organise every machine on your network from one place — no installer, no technical setup.
Machine Portal keeps all your machines in one dashboard. Each machine is a card showing its name, serial number, IP address, and a live status dot. Select a machine and click Connect and the remote screen opens automatically — including setting up a secure SSH tunnel behind the scenes when one is required. You can search your machines, open a machine's folder on a network drive, keep notes, and back up your whole list to move it to another PC.
- One-click connect — select a machine and click Connect, or just double-click its card. The remote screen opens automatically and cleans itself up when you close it.
- Secure SSH tunnel — machines that need a tunnel are handled transparently. Credentials are never shown in plain text and are stored encrypted on your PC.
- Live status — every card shows a colour dot that refreshes every few seconds: green = reachable, red = not reachable, grey = not yet checked.
- Add, edit, and remove machines at any time.
- Serial number and notes on every machine, shown on the card and searchable.
- Search bar — filter instantly by name, IP address, or serial number.
- Custom card image — right-click a card → Change Image to make each machine easy to spot.
- Right-click menu on any card: Connect, Open machine folder, Change Image, Edit, Remove.
- Open machine folder opens that machine's folder on your configured network drive (using its serial number), so documentation and files are one click away.
- Export your machine list and settings to a
.jsonfile, and import it on another PC or after a reinstall. - For security, backups do not include SSH passwords (those are encrypted per-PC and can't be restored elsewhere) — you re-enter them once after restoring.
- ? Guide — a step-by-step how-to for every task, right inside the app.
- ? Help — a support form that emails your message to Equipack with the log attached.
- Light and Dark themes.
- English and Portuguese (PT) interface.
- Licensed per PC — activate once with a key tied to this computer; no internet needed afterwards.
- Encrypted credentials — stored SSH passwords are protected with Windows account encryption.
- Signed updates — the app only installs updates that carry a valid signature from Equipack.
| Operating system | Windows 10 or Windows 11 (64-bit) |
| Network | Local network access to the machines you want to reach |
| Installation | None — a single .exe, no installer needed |
On first launch the Activation dialog shows your Device ID — a short code tied to this PC.
- Click Copy to copy the Device ID.
- Send it to your vendor (Equipack).
- Paste the license key you receive and click Activate.
The license is saved locally; no internet connection is needed after activation.
- Click + Add in the top-right.
- Enter the name, IP address, and serial number.
- Enable SSH tunnel if that machine needs one (your vendor will advise), and enter the SSH username/password.
- Click Save — the card appears on the dashboard.
Click a card to select it and click Connect, or double-click the card. The remote screen opens automatically. Close it when you're done — the connection cleans up by itself.
New to the app? Open ? Guide in the toolbar for the same steps with more detail, or read INSTRUCTIONS.md.
- Find a machine — type in the search bar (name, IP, or serial). The list filters as you type.
- Open a machine's folder — right-click the card → Open machine folder (requires the Netdrive Path set in Settings and a serial number on the machine).
- Edit or remove — right-click the card, or select it and use the toolbar.
Open Settings to change:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Theme | Light or Dark |
| Language | English or Português (PT) |
| Netdrive Path | Base network path used by Open machine folder |
| VNC Port | Port used for direct (non-tunnelled) connections |
| SSH Remote Port | The VNC port on the remote side of the tunnel |
| SSH Tunnel Wait | How long to wait for the tunnel before opening the viewer |
| Backup / Restore | Export or import your machine list as a .json file |
Machine Portal checks for new versions on startup. When one is available it offers to update; the download is verified against Equipack's signature before it is installed, so only genuine releases are ever run. You can also check manually in Settings.
| Symptom | What to try |
|---|---|
| Status dot stays grey | The machine may be unreachable, or a firewall is blocking network pings |
| Connection fails | Check the IP address is correct, the machine is powered on, and (for SSH) the username/password |
| "Local port already in use" | A previous session may still be open — close it, or restart Machine Portal |
| Activation dialog appears every launch | Re-activate; contact your vendor if you've lost your license key |
If you can't resolve an issue, use ? Help to send a support request — the log file is attached automatically so support can diagnose it quickly.
Equipack, Lda. — Jorge Santos jorgesantos@equipack.pt