ArduinoStudio Bridge

The Bridge is a lightweight desktop app that connects your browser to your Arduino board over USB.

Why Do I Need the Bridge?

Browsers can't directly access USB/serial ports for security reasons. The Bridge runs quietly in your system tray and acts as a relay — it receives commands from app.arduinostudio.com and sends them to your Arduino over USB using the Firmata protocol.

Download

Download the Bridge for your platform from the download page.

Installation

Windows

Run the .exe installer. It installs and launches automatically in your system tray. If Windows SmartScreen appears, click "More info" then "Run anyway" — this happens because the app isn't code-signed yet.

macOS

Open the .dmg file and drag ArduinoStudio Bridge to your Applications folder. On first launch, right-click the app and select "Open" if Gatekeeper blocks it.

Linux

sudo dpkg -i arduinostudio-bridge_*.deb

How It Works

1. The Bridge starts a local WebSocket server on localhost:7545
2. When you open app.arduinostudio.com, the browser connects to this WebSocket
3. The Bridge detects Arduino boards connected via USB
4. When you press Play, commands flow: Browser → Bridge → Arduino
5. Sensor data flows back: Arduino → Bridge → Browser

Firmata

ArduinoStudio uses the Firmata protocol to communicate with your Arduino in real time. The first time you connect a board, the Bridge will flash Firmata firmware onto it. This takes about 10 seconds and only needs to be done once per board.

Firmata replaces whatever sketch was previously on the board. If you want to go back to the Arduino IDE later, just upload any sketch normally — it will overwrite Firmata.

Troubleshooting

Bridge not detected

• Make sure the Bridge icon appears in your system tray (Windows) or menu bar (macOS)
• Try restarting the Bridge
• Check that no firewall is blocking localhost:7545

Arduino not detected

• Try a different USB cable (some cables are charge-only, no data)
• Try a different USB port
• On Linux, make sure your user is in the dialout group: sudo usermod -aG dialout $USER
• Check Device Manager (Windows) or ls /dev/tty* (macOS/Linux) to verify the board is recognized by the OS

Firmata flash failed

• Make sure no other program (Arduino IDE, serial monitor) is using the port
• Disconnect and reconnect the Arduino, then try again
• Select the correct board model in the Firmata wizard

Auto-Updates

On Windows and macOS, the Bridge automatically checks for updates every hour and installs them in the background. You'll see a notification in the tray when an update is ready — click "Restart to Update" to apply it.

On Linux, download the latest .deb from the download page and reinstall.