Network setup for Kyma Control

Question

Hi, I have not yet got Kyma Control because I wanted to make sure the network setup is OK, but I can't get it right.

I have a TimeCapsule Airport (with a drive, 3 LAN connectors, ethernet connector and an USB connector). I do not connect it to the wired network, but it makes its own local wireless network. I connect Pacarana to one of the LAN ports and I connect the iPad to its wireless network.

The problem: the third filed of the IP address in the iPad and the Pacarana (shown in the display panel) is different. According to http://kyma.symbolicsound.com/setup-kyma-control-for-the-ipad/ this means that they are not on the same network.

The question: What settings should I make in the Aiport Utility to ensure that the Pacarana and the iPad gets on the same network?

Cheers and Happy New year, Tibor

Comments

What IP address and mask do you see for the iPad and the Pacarana?

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Hi,

iPad:
IP: 169.254.37.20 , subnet mask: 255.255.0.0

Pacarana:
IP: 169.254.144.150 , subnet mask: 255.255.0.0

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Those IP addresses indicate that your TimeCapsule is not set up to provide IP addresses to other devices (in other words it is not providing DHCP services). Use the AirPort utility to check the setting for "Router Mode" on the Network tab. It should be set to "DHCP and NAT" instead of "OFF".

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That was it! I have just got the Kyma Control app and it works. Excellent.
Thanks!

Answer 1

The Pacarana must be assigned an IP address that is on the same IP subnet as any device that needs to communicate with the Pacarana. It has no way to manually assign its IP address and thus relies on receiving an IP address assignment from a DHCP service that is running on the network. When it does not receive an IP address it "self assigns" what is known as a "link local" IP address. Those are in the subnet range 169.254.XX.YY.

In most home or studio networks the Wi-Fi access point/router provides the DHCP service. Usually that is enabled by default when the access point/router is set up to provide Internet access to the whole network. if you manually configure your router make sure that you enable the DHCP service.

Apple's family of AirPort routers are configured using the AirPort utity application. To enable DHCP select the Network tab, then select "DHCP and NAT" for the "Router Mode" setting.

It is possible for the Pacarana and other devices to communicate on a network without DHCP using only link local, self-assigned IP addresses. Indeed this is how KymaConnect works when the Pacarana is directly connected to the Mac's Ethernet port. However, some routers, like the AirPort series, do not provide proper Wi-Fi routing unless they are also configured to provide DHCP services. This is why the original poster's set up did not initially work, even though the iPad and Pacarana were on the same 169.254.XX.YY subnet. The TimeCapsule was not properly routing the network traffic.

Comments

Thanks for the explanation. It is now working.