The Autopilot feature on the Casa Node is an easy way to have your node open and manage channels on your behalf.
To make payments on the Lightning network, you must first open channels. Opening channels is how your node connects with other nodes in the network to route payments.
Channels can be opened manually to other nodes, or they can be opened automatically.
If there's a specific node on the network that you'd like to connect to, it's best to open a channel manually. If you simply want to open channels to add liquidity to the network and participate, we recommend enabling Autopilot.
How do I enable Autopilot?
Prior to opening channels via autopilot or manually, your node must first have BTC available in the node's wallet
To enable Autopilot, click on the "Manage" section of your node's Lightning dashboard.
Then, click "Manage" next to the Autopilot channel settings.
Here, you can configure your Casa Node's autopilot settings, including the amount of channels you want open, and how much BTC liquidity you want in each channel.
Please note that Autopilot will try and match your settings to your specifications, but it is not always exact. You may see the number and size of channels that Autopilot opens vary from the settings you've configured.
Because the Lightning network is still highly experimental, we recommend you do not add significant funds to your node's wallet. Only add funds that you are prepared to lose!
Once you've enabled Autopilot, it may take some time for the node to find channels that match your specifications. Once it does, you'll notice that you have open channels.
You're now connected to the Lightning network!
Should you ever want to close your channels, simply change your autopilot settings to match your new desired configuration, and close out open channels manually.
