Setting Up Beni: Your First 10 Minutes

You just opened the box. Beni is sitting there, cameras pointed at the ceiling, waiting. In ten minutes you'll have it locked onto you and rolling. Here's the exact path — no reading a manual you'll never read again.

1. Charge first. Do this before anything else.

Plug Beni in via the included USB-C cable. The status ring pulses amber while charging, solid green when full. A full charge takes about 45 minutes and gives you 90 minutes of active follow time. You can move on to the next steps while it charges — the app setup doesn't need Beni powered on.

2. Get the Mondo app

Download Mondo from the App Store or Google Play. Create an account with the email you used at checkout — your device pairing code was sent there. Grant camera and Bluetooth permissions when asked; both are needed for the pairing handshake.

3. Pair Beni

Hold the power button on Beni's underside for 2 seconds. The status ring will start slow-pulsing blue — this is pairing mode. In the app, tap Add Device and point your phone camera at the QR code on Beni's underside. Pairing takes about 8 seconds.

• If pairing fails — check that Bluetooth is on and you're within 3 feet of Beni. Wi-Fi networks with 5GHz-only bands can slow the initial handshake; move closer to your router.
• If the QR code won't scan — wipe the camera lens on the underside with the microfiber in the box. The lens ships with a protective film that some units come with pre-peeled and some don't.

4. Your first calibration walk

Take Beni to a flat, open space — a living room, a driveway, or a park. Set it on the ground, tap Follow Me in the app, and step 6 feet in front of it. You'll see a quick blue scan sweep — that's Beni building a subject lock on you. When the ring goes solid white, walk. Beni follows.

The first 30 seconds might feel like it's studying you — because it is. Beni learns your gait, your outline, and your typical distance in that window. After that, it settles into a rhythm and stops feeling like a device.

5. What to try next

• Slow orbit — Hold still and tap Orbit. Beni circles you at a fixed radius. Best cinematic shot for zero effort.
• Follow + Frame Height — In the Follow menu, drag the frame slider. Higher = full body; lower = waist-up. Change it once, Beni remembers.
• Manual Waypoint — Walk Beni through a path once holding the app's steering pad; it'll replay that path on command. Useful for repeated shots (product B-roll, dance rehearsals).

Watch: the whole setup in under two minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID

"The moment it stopped feeling like a gadget and started feeling like a tripod that walks itself was somewhere around minute six." — an early tester

Common first-day questions

• Does Beni need Wi-Fi to follow me? — No. Follow, Orbit, and Waypoint work fully offline. Wi-Fi is only used for firmware updates and cloud backup of your footage.
• Can it follow two people? — It locks one subject at a time, but you can tap another face in the live preview to swap the lock mid-shoot.
• Is it waterproof? — Splash-resistant (IP54). Fine for a beach or a light drizzle; don't dunk it.

Ready to actually go make something? Grab an extra battery before your first shoot day. Trust us.