SUPPORT

Setup guide

Everything you need to get SUMn running at your site, from the first install to your first test alert. Allow about five minutes per computer.

Printable copy: download the setup guide (PDF). It is also attached to your licence email.

Quick start

New to SUMn? These six steps get you going. You will need your licence key email, and each computer on the same office network. Allow about five minutes per computer.

  1. Download and install. Go to sumn.com.au/download and click Download for Windows. Open setup.exe from your downloads, then click Install.

  2. Let Windows run it. If Windows says “Windows protected your PC”, click More info, then Run anyway. If Windows asks about the firewall, click Allow access.

  3. Activate. On the first computer, type the licence key from your email and click Activate. On every other computer, click Find a licence on this network.

  4. Name the computer. Right-click the globe and choose Settings. Type a name people will recognise, such as Reception 1, and click Save Settings.

  5. Repeat on every computer. Do steps 1 to 4 on each computer at your site. One licence covers them all.

  6. Check it's green, then test. With two or more computers running, the globe turns green. Tell everyone you are testing, then double-click the globe: the other computers sound an alarm. Double-click again to stop.

The rest of this guide explains each step in detail, with help if something doesn't work.

Before you start

  • A Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer for each station.

  • All the computers on the same local network (the same office network or Wi-Fi).

  • An internet connection, to activate the licence and receive updates.

  • Your licence key, from the email we sent after purchase (it looks like SUMN-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX).

  • Permission to install software on the computers. If you have an IT provider, you can send them this guide.

1. Install SUMn

  1. On the first computer, go to sumn.com.au/download and click Download for Windows, then Install.

  2. Open the file that downloads (setup.exe).

  3. If Windows shows “Windows protected your PC”, click More info, then Run anyway.

  4. When asked whether to install SUMn, click Install. SUMn starts when installation finishes.

2. Activate your licence

The first time SUMn starts, it looks on the network for another computer that already has a licence. On your first computer there won't be one, so the activation screen opens.

  1. Enter your licence key.

  2. Click Activate. Your key is registered to the site name given when you bought SUMn.

On every other computer at the site, choose Find a licence on this network instead. SUMn copies the licence from a computer that is already running SUMn. You can also type the same key.

3. Allow SUMn through Windows Firewall

SUMn computers talk to each other directly over your local network. The first time SUMn starts, Windows may ask whether to allow it.

  • Tick Private networks and click Allow access.

  • Make sure the office network is set to Private in Windows (Settings > Network & internet > your connection > Network profile type). SUMn cannot hear other stations on a Public network.

If the prompt was dismissed, or your IT provider manages the firewall, allow inbound UDP port 45678. For example, in PowerShell run as administrator:

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "SUMn" -Direction Inbound -Protocol UDP -LocalPort 45678 -Action Allow -Profile Private,Domain

Third-party security software may need the same rule.

4. Name the station

  1. Right-click the globe and choose Settings.

  2. On the Station tab, enter a name people will recognise, such as Reception 1, Interview Room 4 or Back Office. This is what other computers show when this one raises an alert.

  3. Check the alert message, then click Save Settings.

Use room or role names, not people's names.

5. Repeat on every computer

Install SUMn on each computer at the site, using Find a licence on this network to activate. Once two or more computers are running SUMn, the globe turns green to show they can see each other.

6. Test it

Tell everyone before you test, so nobody thinks it is real.

  1. On one computer, double-click the globe. It turns red and every other SUMn computer sounds an alarm and shows a pop-up naming the location.

  2. On another computer, click I WILL RESPOND. The other computers show that someone is responding, and the globe on the first computer shows how many people are coming.

  3. On the first computer, double-click the globe again to end the alert.

  4. Check that every computer sounded and showed the alert. If one did not, see Troubleshooting below.

Test again after changes to your computers or network, and regularly after that, for example once a month.

Using SUMn day to day

The globe

  • Grey — no other stations found yet (“Nobody to SUMn”).

  • Green — ready. Other stations are online and listening.

  • Red — an alert has been raised.

  • Orange — help is coming. Colleagues have responded.

Drag the globe to move it. Drag its edge to resize it. Right-click it for Settings, the light or dark globe, assistance requests and Exit.

Settings

  • Station — station name and alert message.

  • Assistance — non-urgent “come and help” requests: turn them on and tick the stations that should receive them.

  • Audio — choose the alarm sound, preview it and set the volume.

  • Appearance — transparency, animation and colour.

  • Licence — your key, site, status and renewal date, and importing a licence from another station.

  • About — version and links to our terms.

Assistance requests

When assistance is turned on, right-click the globe and choose Request assistance. The chosen stations hear a gentle chime and can reply On my way or Can't right now. Your globe shows when someone is coming.

Updates

SUMn checks for updates each time it starts. When a new version is available, Windows asks whether to download it: click OK. Please install updates promptly, as they can include fixes that keep alerts working. Exiting and reopening SUMn (right-click the globe, Exit SUMn) runs the check again.

Moving or adding computers

  • Install SUMn on the new computer and choose Find a licence on this network.

  • To remove SUMn from a computer, open Windows Settings > Apps, find SUMn and choose Uninstall.

  • Your licence covers every computer at your site, so there is nothing to transfer.

Troubleshooting

The globe stays grey (“Nobody to SUMn”)

  • Check the other computers are switched on, logged in and running SUMn.

  • Check they are on the same local network, and that the network is set to Private.

  • Check Windows Firewall, and any other security software, allows UDP port 45678 (step 3).

  • Some networks, such as guest Wi-Fi, keep devices apart. Use the main office network.

One computer does not receive alerts

  • Check its firewall and network profile as above.

  • Make sure SUMn is running (the globe is on screen) and that the volume is up.

Licence messages

  • “Could not verify” — the computer needs to reach the internet at least once every 30 days.

  • Renewal warnings — check your subscription at sumn.com.au/account.

For IT staff

  • Stations send and receive UDP on port 45678, as broadcasts to each local subnet. No server is needed on site.

  • Stations contact https://license.sumn.com.au (TCP 443) to activate and about once a week to check the licence.

  • SUMn installs per user with ClickOnce from downloads.sumn.com.au. Settings and the licence are kept in %AppData%\SUMn.

  • Stations talk only to others on the same local network. Connecting sites over a VPN is available only when it has been enabled for your licence. Email support@sumn.com.au to discuss it.

Help

Email support@sumn.com.au. Common questions are answered on our support page.

SUMn is a staff communication tool that helps colleagues get help to each other quickly. It is not a monitored alarm service and does not contact police, ambulance, fire or security. In an emergency, call 000.