Technical Support

Connecting the device's web interface allows remote configuration of the device’s settings and is a strong indicator that the device is active on the network. The device's web interface can be accessed from any web browser within the same network by entering the device's IP address into the URL field of the web browser.

Networking Basics: Each Ethernet devices on a network requires an unique identifier (IP Address). There are two different methods to provide an Ethernet device with an IP address:
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) automatically configures the IP address for devices on a network, ensuring that each device has a unique IP address. A DHCP network requires one DHCP server, which tracks which IP addresses are in use, and provides a unique IP address to devices connected to a DCHP server while the device is being powered on. An example of this is a home Wi-Fi router, which provides any devices connecting to the Wi-Fi with a unique IP address.
Static IP allows you to assign a particular IP address to a device manually. By using a Static IP address, you do not need a DHCP server (usually a router) on the network. This is also ideal for long-term installations as this will ensure the device continues to receive commands from devices unicasting to it, whereas if you were using DHCP, there is a chance that the IP address could change after a power cycle.
Additionally, the Subnet Mask controls what devices can communicate with each other. The two most common numbers on a Subnet Mask are 0 and 255, representing the lowest and highest values within networking. As with the IP address, the Subnet Masks has four values separated by a decimal. The Subnet Masks value 255 means that the corresponding IP address value is blocked, whereas the Subnet Masks value 0 means the corresponding IP address value is open. For example:
If the device’s IP address is 192.168.0.10 with a subnet of 255.255.255.0, the device can only talk to devices with an IP address of 192.168.0.1 thru to 192.168.0.254, as the first three values of the devices IP address are blocked.
If the device’s IP address is 10.0.0.60 with a subnet of 255.0.0.0, the device can talk to devices with an IP address of 10.0.0.1 thru to 10.254.254.254, as only the first value of the devices IP is blocked.

Over the years there has been some slight differences between ENTTEC products. If your product is not listed below, please see our Networking: Legacy Products article. If your product is listed below the following information in this article applies to your product. 

Default settings (out of the box):

The device is set to DHCP by default. If the DHCP server is slow to respond, or your network does not have a DHCP server, the device will fall back to the default static IP address (see below).

Default static IP address:

The device will fall back to the default Static IP address, 192.168.0.10.

When configuring multiple devices on a Static network, to avoid IP conflicts, ENTTEC recommends connecting one device at a time to the network and configuring an IP.

As long as your device is still set to the default static IP address, then we recommend that your computer is set to the following settings:

• IP Address: 192.168.0.100
• Subnet: 255.255.255.0

Set the computer to be within the same range as the device

Now you should know the IP address of your device, if you are unsure, please read this article from the top. 

With this IP address it is important to set the computers IP address to be within the same range to enable you to access the web interface. It is recommended that you match the IP address of the device whilst only changing the last of the four digits to enable your computer to have a unique IP address. 

Please see our Windows and macOS guides on how to bring your computer’s network settings in line with your device’s network settings.

LCD Screen

The S-Play has an LCD screen built in. This screen will provide information about the device including its current IP address settings. 

Discovering the devices IP address (if DHCP or the Static Address has been changed):

As these devices do not have a screen, it is not automatically obvious what the device’s network settings are; to find the device’s IP address; we need to use one of the following a discovery methods:

• ENTTEC EMU software (Windows and macOS) will Discover ENTTEC devices on Network, display their IP addresses, and allow you to configure them.
• An IP scanning software application (i.e., Angry IP Scanner) can be run on the local network to return a list of active devices on a local network.
• Devices can be discovered using Art Poll (i.e., DMX Workshop if set to use Art-Net).

Once the IP address has been discovered you will need to set the computer to be within the same range as the device.

IGMP Version

IGMP is a communications protocol used by devices and routers on IPv4 networks to establish multicast group memberships. IGMP is an integral part of IP multicast (required for sACN) and allows the network to direct multicast transmissions to the device hosts that have requested them only.

The IGMP communication protocol is backwards compatible.

The versions of IGMP used by ENTTEC network devices are as follows:

• IGMPv3: S-Play / Datagate Mk2 RevC / Pixelator RevC / Storm24 RevC
• IGMPv2: ODE Mk2 / Storm8 / Pixelator Mini / Octo / Ethergate Mk3

Recommended network configuration

ENTTEC recommends devices are configured with a Static IP and DHCP disabled for long-term installations. This ensures the unit continues to receive commands from devices unicasting to it. If DHCP is used, there is a chance the device’s IP address can change following its DHCP lease renewing following a power cycle.

With all devices on your network set to Static IP addresses in the same range, this allows for more predictable management of devices within the installation.

It is strongly advised that a ‘show network’ should not be directly connected to the internet or made to be part of a VPN without a sufficient firewall in place.

A common method to manage the show and other connected devices in the network remotely is to use a ‘Management PC’ with two network adapters. One to remote into the PC using the internet, and the second without an internet connection to show critical data.

• If using DHCP as your IP addressing method, ENTTEC recommends using the sACN protocol or Art-Net Broadcast. This will ensure that your device continues to receive data if the DHCP server changes its IP address.
• ENTTEC does not recommend unicasting data to a device with its IP address set through the DHCP server on long-term installations.

Recommended network distribution equipment

We recommend that all network hardware used with ENTTEC devices has a minimum of 100baseT network speed (10/100).

For the most reliable performance, your installation should be on a separate network or V-LAN or from all other non-Lighting related devices. This will ensure bandwidth usage is minimised and the network traffic is predictable.

DHCP: The default network configuration for ENTTEC devices is to have DHCP enabled. If using a router, you will need to ensure that DHCP is enabled.

If you wish to run your network with all devices statically addressed (by disabling DHCP on the ENTTEC Device), we recommend disable the DHCP option on your router.

WiFi: When transmitting large amounts of data over a network with protocols such as Art-Net and sACN, a wired solution will always be more stable than a wireless one.

If you decide to use a wireless router, we recommend that you purchase a Router with a Wireless Frequency of 5.2ghz if you plan to be close to the router or if the set-up is in a congested area. 5.2ghz provides a much wider network bandwidth but is limited in wireless signal range when compared to a router

A wireless frequency of 2.4ghz is more common in routers, and the Wi-Fi range is further; however, the network speeds are typically slower.

PoE: If you want to use PoE on your installation, you will need network hardware that conforms to the IEEE 802.3af PoE standard. If you wish to use PoE devices and do not have PoE network hardware, you can use a PoE injector to power your ENTTEC PoE device.