Constian™ Manual

Model CNS-01

What the sign does

Constian sits in your home and shows one thing at a glance: whether any of your tasks need attention. It does this with color, so you can read it from across the room without reaching for your phone. The app is where you set it up, keep your tasks, and choose what this sign shows. The sign itself works nothing out. It shows the color our service sends it.

What you need

  • The Constian sign.
  • A USB-C cable and a standard USB power adapter rated 5V, 1A. These are not included.
  • A phone with Bluetooth, running the Constian app.
  • A Wi-Fi network.

Setup

  1. Get the app. Search for Constian on the App Store or Google Play, or open constian.com/apps, which links to both.
  2. Power the sign. Connect a USB-C cable to any standard USB adapter rated 5V, 1A. The cable and adapter are not included. It powers on into pairing mode and glows blue.
  3. Pair. Open the app and follow the steps. Keep Bluetooth on and the sign nearby. The app finds your sign for you.
  4. Add Wi-Fi and choose what it shows. During setup, the app asks for your Wi-Fi network and password, then what this sign should show. That can be your own tasks or a space you share with other people.

If pairing does not finish on the first try, close the app, confirm the sign has power, and start again. Pairing is designed to pick up where it left off.

Safety

Constian is designed for continuous indoor use on a standard 5V USB power supply. For safe operation, please follow these guidelines:

  • Use only a reputable, safety-certified (UL- or ETL-listed) 5V USB power adapter rated 1A or more. Never use a supply that puts out more than 5V. The adapter and cable are not included.
  • Use a good-quality, undamaged USB-C cable. Do not use frayed, damaged, counterfeit, or loosely connected cables or connectors.
  • Keep the sign and its adapter in a well-ventilated place. Do not cover them or place them in a sealed or enclosed space.
  • Keep the sign, cable, and adapter away from water, moisture, and heat sources. The sign is for indoor use only.
  • If the sign, cable, or adapter ever becomes hot, discolors, flickers, smells unusual, or behaves abnormally, unplug it right away and stop using it.
  • Do not open, modify, or attempt to repair the sign. There are no serviceable parts inside.
  • Keep the cable clear of walkways.

Most power-related risks come from a cheap, damaged, or counterfeit wall adapter rather than the sign itself. A certified adapter and a sound cable are the most important safety choices you make.

Wall mounting

The sign hangs on a single wall pin, included in the box.

  1. Push the included pin into the wall fully, where you want the sign.
  2. Line up the large round opening on the back of the base with the pin head, and place the base over the pin.
  3. Slide the base downward so the pin locks into the narrow upper slot.

To remove the sign, slide it upward and gently pull it away from the wall. The pin works on standard drywall and leaves only a small hole.

What the colors mean

  • Green. No task needs you. Either nothing has a due date, or nothing has come close to one yet.
  • Orange. Something is coming due, normally within the next 24 hours. This is the state you can still act on before anything is late. A task can be set to turn orange earlier than that, or later.
  • Red. Something is past its due time and still waiting. It stays red until the task is finished, and if the task needs approval, until that approval comes through.
  • Amber. The sign cannot reach your Wi-Fi network, or it is on Wi-Fi but cannot reach the Constian service. Either way it is not receiving fresh status, so the color you saw last may be out of date. It keeps retrying on its own and returns to green, orange or red once it reconnects.
  • Dim white. The sign is paired but has not been given anything to show yet. Open the app and choose what it shows.
  • Sky blue. The sign is in pairing mode, ready to set up in the app.

You may also see a brief purple glow for a second or two right after you plug the sign in. That is the sign starting up, and it passes on its own.

The sign follows the same status you see on the app's home screen, worked out the same way, so the two always agree.

Marking things done

Open the app and tick a task off when it is done. The sign follows within a few seconds. Some tasks in a shared space need approval first, and where that is on, the sign holds its color until the task is approved. The wording throughout is meant to be gentle: a task that is late shows as needing attention, never as failed or missed.

How the color is decided

The color comes from the due dates on the tasks the sign shows, and it is always the most urgent one. One red task makes the whole sign red, however much else is finished.

  • Green while no task is close to being due.
  • Orange from a day before something is due, unless that task has been set to ask for more warning, or less.
  • Red from the moment it is due, with no grace period, until it is dealt with.

A day of warning suits most things, so that is where every task starts. Some things need longer. A renewal you cannot deal with in one evening, or a form that has to go in the post, is worth knowing about while there is still time to do something. Open the task, tap Heads up, and choose anything from two hours to two weeks ahead.

That setting only moves when the task turns orange. Red is always the due time itself, whatever warning you asked for.

A task with no due date never changes the color. That is deliberate: someday tasks should not light up your sign. It is also why Heads up waits until a task has a due date, since there is nothing to count back from until then.

Our service works this out, not the sign, and the app reads the same answer from the same place. That is why the two can never disagree.

The button

  • Turn the light off or on. A short press turns the color display off, which is useful at night or to save power. Press again to turn it back on. The sign keeps following your tasks while the light is off, so the color is right the moment you turn it back on.
  • Enter pairing mode. Press and hold the button for five seconds. The sign switches into pairing mode so you can pair it, move it to a new Wi-Fi network, or link it to a different account. This does not erase anything. If you held the button by mistake, a short press cancels it and the sign returns to normal.

Reset and re-pair

Holding the button enters pairing mode without erasing anything, which is all you need for most changes. To fully reset the sign and unlink it from your account, open the app, go to Settings, and choose Reset sign. After a reset, the sign returns to blue pairing mode and waits to be paired and given a location again.

Before you return your sign or give it away, reset it this way. A full reset removes your Wi-Fi network and password and unlinks the sign from your account, so it carries none of your details to the next owner. The button hold alone does not erase anything, so use the app reset for this.

Frequently asked questions

Questions about living with the sign day to day. If something looks broken rather than unclear, see Troubleshooting below.

How do I set up a different sign? Open the app, go to Settings, and choose Reset sign. That unlinks the sign you have and returns it to blue pairing mode. Then pair the new one the same way you paired the first. An account holds one sign at a time today, so pairing a second sign means releasing the first.

Can I run two signs in one home? Not yet. One sign per account for now. Both would show the same status if they were paired, since the status belongs to your account rather than to a particular sign.

I changed my Wi-Fi network or password. Hold the button on the sign for five seconds. It returns to pairing mode, and you can run setup again in the app with the new network. Nothing is erased, and your tasks are untouched.

How do I turn the light off at night? Short press the button. The sign keeps following your tasks while the light is off, so the color is correct the moment you turn it back on. Press again to turn it on.

What does the amber light mean? The sign cannot reach your Wi-Fi network, or it is on Wi-Fi but cannot reach the Constian service. Either way it is not receiving fresh status, so the color you see may be out of date. Check that your router is working and that the network has not changed. The sign keeps retrying on its own. If your network details changed, re-pair it with the five-second hold above.

What does the dim white light mean? The sign is paired but has not been given anything to show yet. Open the app and choose what this sign shows.

Why does the sign glow purple for a moment when I plug it in? That is the sign starting up. It passes after a second or two on its own.

The color does not match what the app shows. Open the app and check your status there first, since the app is the source of truth and the sign follows it. If they still disagree after a moment, the sign is probably not connected. Look for the yellow light.

The sign stays blue. Blue means pairing mode, so setup is not finished. Open the app and complete pairing, Wi-Fi, and your location.

Nothing lights up at all. Try a different USB-C cable and a different adapter, and confirm the adapter is a 5V one rated 1A or more. Cable and adapter are not included, and a phone charger that only trickles power is a common cause.

How do I hand the sign to someone else? Open the app, go to Settings, and choose Reset sign before you pass it on. A full reset removes your Wi-Fi network and password and unlinks the sign from your account, so it carries none of your details to the next owner. The button hold alone does not erase anything.

Does the sign work without Wi-Fi? No. The sign works nothing out itself. It is told what color to show, so it needs an internet connection to stay current. Without one it shows amber and keeps the last color it knew.

Troubleshooting

The sign will not pair. Confirm the sign has power and that Bluetooth is on. Keep your phone close during setup. Close and reopen the app, then start pairing again.

The color looks wrong. Check what the sign is showing, in the app under the sign's settings; a sign shows either your own tasks or one space, and it may not be the one you are looking at. Then check the due dates and times on those tasks, since the color follows the most urgent one. A task with no due date never affects the color. If something turned orange earlier than you expected, open it and look at Heads up, which can be set to warn as much as two weeks ahead.

The color looks wrong. The sign mirrors your app home screen. Open the app and confirm your status there. If they disagree, give it a moment to refresh, or check your Wi-Fi connection.

The sign stays blue. This means setup is not finished. Open the app and complete pairing, Wi-Fi, and your location.

Nothing lights up. Try a different USB cable and adapter, and confirm the adapter is a 5V one rated 1A or more.

Care and cleaning

Use the sign indoors, in a dry place. Keep it away from water and moisture. To clean it, unplug it first and wipe it with a soft, dry cloth. Do not use liquids or solvents. There are no user-serviceable parts inside.

Warranty, privacy, and support

Constian comes with a one-year limited warranty. Read the full terms at constian.com/warranty. Our privacy policy is at constian.com/privacy. For anything else, email support@constian.com. We read every message and reply, usually within a day or two.

Regulatory information

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate the equipment.

Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

  • Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
  • Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
  • Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
  • Consult the dealer or an experienced radio or television technician for help.

The FCC ID is printed on the base of the device. Model CNS-01. Designed and assembled in the USA.