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SerVision
Embedded Video Gateway System Guide
Appendix B: LAN Settings
237
Appendix B: LAN Settings
All Video Gateways can connect to a local network (LAN) via an Ethernet cable. When a Video Gateway unit is
connected to a LAN, it can connect to other networks through the LAN. For example, if the LAN is connected to
the internet, the Video Gateway can connect to the internet through the LAN. This connection enables to Video
Gateway to send video and other data to client devices over the internet. Some Video Gateway models can connect
to cellular and WiFi networks as well as LANs.
When a Video Gateway unit is connected to a network, it is assigned a
local
IP address within that network. Units
that are connected to more than one network simultaneously can have more than one IP address at a time – one on
each network to which they are connected. The IP of the unit on each network must conform to the requirements of
that network.
In order to connect
to
a Video Gateway unit from a client application that is not on the same local network, you
must use the
public
IP address of the unit – the address that is assigned to the network’s gateway (router) on the
external network. In addition, port forwarding for the unit must be set up on the network gateway in order for a
connection to be established.
About the Local IP Address of the Unit
The local IP address of the unit identifies it within the LAN. It can be static – a fixed address that is assigned
manually in the unit’s configuration – or
dynamic
– assigned by a DHCP server on the LAN (see
page 38). If the primary local IP used by the Video Gateway is dynamic, this means that it may be assigned a
different IP address each time it is turned on and connects to the local network. Whenever possible, it is
recommended to assign a static IP to the Video Gateway.
Every unit has a factory-configured default static IP address, which appears on the sticker on the underside of the
unit. Normally, this address is
192.168.1.210
. You can assign a different static IP address to the unit during the
configuration process, or opt to use a dynamic IP address.
If the unit has a static IP address, a second IP address is also assigned to it automatically by the system; this address
serves as a backup address through which the unit can be accessed if problems arise with the first IP address. The
address is assigned using the
ZeroConf
protocol, and begins with
169.254
(for example,
169.254.2.56
); the last
two values in the address vary depending on which ZeroConf addresses are available in the network.
About the Public IP Address of the Unit
The network gateway that connects the LAN to an external network such as the internet has two IP addresses: an
internal IP address by which it is identified in the LAN, and an external IP address by which it is identified on the
external network. If the external network is the internet, the IP is called a
public
IP. The public IP address of the
network gateway is assigned to it by the internet service provider (ISP). To connect to the unit remotely – either
using a client application or the configuration utility – you must connect using the gateway’s public IP address and
the port that was defined for the purpose on the gateway (see
In some cases, it is problematic to connect remotely to a network gateway because it either does not have a public
IP address at all or the public IP address is dynamic. To ascertain whether your network gateway has a public IP
address, and whether it is static or dynamic, contact your ISP. If the ISP cannot allocate a public IP to the gateway,
you must use a SerVision proxy service to connect to the unit remotely. If the ISP allocates a dynamic public IP
address to the unit, you can use a
dynamic DNS
(DDNS) service to facilitate internet connections to the gateway.
For additional information, see