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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Webmite Static IP address

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damos
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Joined: 15/04/2016
Location: Australia
Posts: 63
Posted: 01:39am 14 Jun 2023
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It is possible to use static IP addresses with the Webmite? All the references I see in the manual are DHCP.

The reason is that we would like a zero-training system for technicians where they install the equipment and connect power and walk away as all the equipment will be preconfigured, eg 192.168.5.1. If we have more than 1 of a particular type of equipment there will be a rotary switch which sets the last octet with values between 0 and 15.

The reason of static addresses is that the controlling system will automatically know that a certain type of device belongs to a certain subnet and doesn't need to scan for it. Without static addresses we either need to implement a scanning algorithm or get into the router - in fact we need a router, which is not necessarily required with static addresses as PCs or other devices can host hotspots. For systems like this having consistent setup makes it much easier to manage multiple sites.

The ideal situation is a pre-configured system like a kit where everything is preconfigured to work together. If a device fails, replacing the device will not require any configuration.
 
Mixtel90

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Joined: 05/10/2019
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 6798
Posted: 05:31am 14 Jun 2023
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I've not used one, but I think I spotted an earlier question about this and the answer was no. The suggestion was made to let DHCP issue the address and/or assign a fixed address in the router. A search of the forum  revealed this post:

  Quote  "Is it possible to impose your own IP ADDRESS, mask(, gateway and DNS)?
And makes them permanent."

No. The PicoMiteWeb expects to be on a local network with a router providing all services. If you need a FIXED IP ADDRESS then just allocate it to the MAC ADDRESS in the router.

And, for the avoidance of doubt, The PicoMiteWeb will always be in station mode


and this:

  Quote  "May I ask again for the boring feature of FIXED IP ADDRESSes ?"

No: sorry. Easy enough to set in your router so work for the sake of it and none-trivial in the firmware - there isn't any example code


So your reply is No, sorry.
Edited 2023-06-14 15:36 by Mixtel90
Mick

Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini
Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs
 
matherp
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Joined: 11/12/2012
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 9129
Posted: 09:24am 14 Jun 2023
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UPDATE

A clever person on the Pico forum has now found how to do this so I will be adding the functionality to both specify a fixed IP address and uniquely specify the name for the Pico_W in a future release
 
Mixtel90

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Joined: 05/10/2019
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Posted: 09:37am 14 Jun 2023
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Woo!  
Mick

Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini
Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs
 
damos
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Joined: 15/04/2016
Location: Australia
Posts: 63
Posted: 09:56pm 14 Jun 2023
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Thanks a lot Peter. This is really appreciated.

DHCP works great at home but in a corporate environment it is quite common to use static addresses, not because the devices can't use DHCP but because they are managed by a system that needs to be configured and expects them to never change. In a previous job in a scale company all the scales were configured with static addresses and if a technician repaired or replaced a scale the configuration did not need to be changed as long as the new device had the same address.

Quite often devices need to be added to someone else's network where you are given the SSID and password and can figure out the IP range but have no access to the router. Often the routers can have a block of addresses set aside for static use to prevent DHCP from using them.

In my current role it is interesting to see how other companies handle IP addresses for devices that have no screens or buttons at all. They are pre-configured with static addresses (eg 192.168.1.2) requiring you to change your computer's network configuration to see that subnet, and one device suggests this approach:

sudo arp -s <ip address> <mac address of device>

In this case the serial number of the device is the MAC address.

You then log into the device using a browser and change the address.
 
Grogster

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Joined: 31/12/2012
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 9308
Posted: 12:56am 15 Jun 2023
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  matherp said  UPDATE

A clever person on the Pico forum has now found how to do this so I will be adding the functionality to both specify a fixed IP address and uniquely specify the name for the Pico_W in a future release


NOW the WEBmite has become very interesting to me.

  damos said  DHCP works great at home but in a corporate environment it is quite common to use static addresses, not because the devices can't use DHCP but because they are managed by a system that needs to be configured and expects them to never change. In a previous job in a scale company all the scales were configured with static addresses and if a technician repaired or replaced a scale the configuration did not need to be changed as long as the new device had the same address.

Quite often devices need to be added to someone else's network where you are given the SSID and password and can figure out the IP range but have no access to the router. Often the routers can have a block of addresses set aside for static use to prevent DHCP from using them.


My thoughts exactly.  The WEBmite is extremely clever using DHCP, but for embedded stuff, a static IP address is preferred, which is why I have only been casually following the development, as it was(up until now) never going to support static IP addresses.

If you want to have something setup for remote access, port-forwarding to a static IP is the normal and preferred way to do it, as the administrator will EXPECT that device to respond on the static IP they have assigned to it during setup.  Only the admin knows that information.

Just like NAS servers, for example.  They sit on a static IP and never move, and the router is told never to try to assign DHCP IP addresses to the range you have set aside for your servers or other static IP stuff.

This makes the WEBmite MUCH more interesting to me now, so I will be following future developments a bit more closely.
Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops!
 
matherp
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Joined: 11/12/2012
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 9129
Posted: 06:59am 15 Jun 2023
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Static IPs now in latest beta
 
aFox
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Joined: 28/02/2023
Location: Germany
Posts: 76
Posted: 01:25pm 20 Jun 2023
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