# Add an ATEM connection

> Add a Blackmagic Design ATEM as a connection, connect to the switcher over the network, and confirm it exposes actions, feedbacks, variables and ports.

Connect a Blackmagic Design ATEM before creating your first position. The connection supplies ready-made button presets for building controls and routing ports for building a Custom Router panel. Use an ATEM that is not carrying a production output while learning. Buttons controls the switcher over the network; USB control is not supported. Before you begin Have these ready: The ATEM's network address or a discoverable ATEM on the same reachable network. A Buttons host that can reach the ATEM. A safe opportunity to test the switcher without disrupting a production. Add the connection Open Connect → Connection . Select Add . On an empty system, select Add connection . In Add Connection Type , search for ATEM . Select the Blackmagic Design ATEM module. In Create Connection , enter a recognizable Label , such as Training ATEM . Leave Count at 1 , then select Create . Buttons creates the connection and opens its configuration. Connect to the switcher Under Config , choose the ATEM in Device when it is discovered. Otherwise, enter its address in Target IP . Leave Model on automatic detection unless you are preparing controls while the switcher is offline. Choose the Preset Style you want to use when adding ready-made controls to a position. Under Router Configuration , confirm the ATEM resources you want Buttons to expose as routing ports: Aux/Outputs , M/Es , Multiviewers , and Audio are all enabled by default. For a first setup, leave M/Es enabled so the mix-effect buses can be used in a Custom Router. Turn off any resource type you don't want exposed. Select Save . The status banner updates as Buttons starts the module and connects to the ATEM. When routing support is ready, Ports and Bundles shows the sources and destinations generated from the switcher's current configuration. Confirm that the connection is useful Before creating a position, confirm that the connection provides both building blocks needed for the next steps: The Actions , Feedbacks , Variables , and connection presets expected from the ATEM module. ATEM sources and destinations under Ports and Bundles . The exact controls and ports depend on the connected ATEM model, its configuration, the module version, and the options enabled under Router Configuration . Do not test an action or route merely to prove that it exists. Pressing a generated control can change the real switcher immediately. If the ATEM does not connect Check that the ATEM address is correct, the ATEM and Buttons host can reach each other, and no network policy blocks the switcher's control traffic. Keep Model on automatic detection when the switcher is online. If Ports and Bundles is absent or empty after the connection becomes ready, return to Config , review Router Configuration , select Save , and allow the connection time to synchronize the enabled resources. Where to go next Create a position . Add controls and sections , using ATEM connection presets for initial buttons. Build a focused routing panel with Custom Router from the ATEM sources and destinations.