StonkTicker Instructions

Your StonkTicker dashboard, showing live prices in Tiles view.

Stock Data Setup

Choosing your data provider

StonkTicker supports two free data providers. Pick one:

Alpaca — stocks and ETFs, with a generous free tier. Takes about 10 minutes to set up (instructions below). *HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Finnhub — stocks only, simplest setup, single free API key. Good if you don't want to create a brokerage-style account.
Crypto (Coinbase/Binance) works automatically with either choice — no separate account needed.

Setting up Alpaca (free)

Alpaca's free "Paper Trading" account gives StonkTicker full access to live stock prices at no cost — you never fund the account or place a real trade. It just looks like a trading platform because that's Alpaca's main product.

Go to app.alpaca.markets/signup and sign up with your name and email. No banking or ID information is needed.
Verify your email, then log in. The first time you log in, choose Individual Account when asked.

You'll land on your Paper Trading dashboard automatically (confirmed by a banner reading "You are on Paper Trading, no real money is being used"). This is already the free account you need — there's nothing else to activate.

3.On the right-hand side of the Home page, find the API Keys card. Your Key is already shown.

Click Regenerate. Alpaca will show a warning before it does anything — click Generate New Keys to confirm. This reveals your Key ID and Secret Key together, one time only. Copy both immediately (a notes app or password manager works).

On your StonkTicker Device's Settings page find the IP Address

Use the IP given to you on the device! Enter the IP with any browsers (Safari, Chrome, Firefox) and press ENTER

Once in the Web Config Menu of the Device:

Click Data Source
Choose API Provider to Alpaca.
Paste your Key ID into Alpaca API Key (Key ID), and your Secret Key into Alpaca Secret Key.
Check the Paper Trading account box.
Click Save. Your StonkTicker reconnects and starts pulling live prices within 15–30 seconds.

Heads up: confirming a new key immediately invalidates the old one. If StonkTicker is already running on a previous key, have its configuration page open and ready before you click Generate New Keys.

Setting up Finnhub (free)

Go to finnhub.io and create a free account.
Copy your API key from your Finnhub dashboard.
On your StonkTicker's configuration page in the browser, open Data Source, set Choose API Provider to Finnhub, and paste your key into the Finnhub API Key field. (Finnhub doesn't require a Secret Key like Alpaca.)
Click Save.

Finnhub's free tier allows 60 requests per minute, which comfortably covers a full watchlist at the default refresh rate. Use the same steps as Alpaca to enter the API Key.

StonkTicker

Setup guide, screen gestures, and troubleshooting FAQ

StonkTicker is your always-on desktop display for stocks and crypto prices, with a 4-inch full-color touchscreen. This guide covers everything you need to get set up, navigate the device day to day, and fix the handful of things that occasionally trip people up.

Getting started

Out of the box, StonkTicker needs three things before it can start showing live prices: a Wi-Fi connection, a data provider (free), and at least one symbol to track. The on-screen setup wizard walks you through the first and third the first time you power it on.

Setting up your StonkTicker

StonkTicker connects to 2.4GHz Wi-Fi networks only (most routers broadcast both 2.4GHz and 5GHz — connect to the 2.4GHz one). It also can't connect through networks that require a login page in a browser, like hotel or guest Wi-Fi.

Plug in your StonkTicker using the included USB-C cable.
On first boot, the device shows a setup wizard. Follow the prompts to connect to your home Wi-Fi network.
Run the screen calibration when prompted — this is required for touch to register accurately, so don't skip it.
Pick a color theme and set your time zone.
Choose your data provider. Crypto works out of the box, for Stocks, follow the instructions below. (Stock Data Setup)
That's it — your dashboard starts populating with live prices.

Screen gestures

StonkTicker is fully touch-controlled. Here's what each gesture does:

Frequently asked questions

My prices stopped updating
Check the Wi-Fi icon in the top-right corner of the dashboard. If it shows disconnected, your device has lost its Wi-Fi connection — see "Resetting Wi-Fi" below. If Wi-Fi looks fine, your data provider may be temporarily unavailable; StonkTicker automatically retries in the background.

My device shows "Alpaca account unavailable" or prices won't load after setup
This almost always means the Key ID or Secret Key was pasted with an extra space, or the Paper Trading box doesn't match the account type your keys came from. Go back to Alpaca's API Keys panel, regenerate a fresh pair, and re-enter both values carefully.

Resetting Wi-Fi
If you've changed routers, moved, or your saved network is no longer available, reset your Wi-Fi connection from Settings and re-run the connection steps without affecting anything else on the device.

Full factory reset
If your device is unresponsive or you want to wipe it completely (for example, before giving it to someone else), go to Settings > Factory Reset. The screen confirms before anything is erased — this clears your symbols, theme, and Wi-Fi settings, but does not affect your license.

Screen is frozen or unresponsive
Unplug the device, wait a few seconds, and plug it back in. If the issue continues, try the Wi-Fi reset above — a stuck network connection is the most common cause.

Do I need to keep my phone or computer connected for the device to work?
No. Once setup is complete, StonkTicker runs independently and only needs Wi-Fi and power — your phone or laptop is only involved during setup or if you want to change settings.

Will resetting Wi-Fi delete my symbols and settings?
No. Resetting Wi-Fi only clears the saved network — your symbols, alerts, and display preferences are untouched. Only a full factory reset clears everything.

Will a factory reset cancel my license or activation?
No. License activation is tied to your device and is preserved through a factory reset. You won't need to reactivate.

How do I know what firmware version I'm running?
Open Settings and go to the Firmware screen. Your current version number is shown there.

Can I run both crypto and stock symbols at the same time?
Yes. Crypto works automatically regardless of which stock data provider you choose — mix symbol types freely.

What happens if my Wi-Fi network changes (new router, moved apartment, etc.)?
Use the Reset Wi-Fi option from Settings to clear the old network and reconnect to the new one, without affecting anything else.

My device won't connect to Wi-Fi during setup — what should I check?
Double-check your Wi-Fi password, and make sure you're connecting to a 2.4GHz network — StonkTicker doesn't support 5GHz-only networks. It also won't work on networks that require a captive-portal login page (hotel Wi-Fi, guest networks, etc.).

Still stuck? Reach out and we're happy to help.