Default IP Address in lieu of Hostname

Would like to see the Groov come with Default IP addresses setup as opposed to Hostname linking.

I have multiple customers (including ourselves) that have never been able to get the Hostname to work on initial power up of the groov.

On system without Routers we have to get a router to initially setup the groov.

Getting into the system initially should be easy and nothing is easier than having a preset IP address that can be changed once we can get in.

If I’m missing something, please let me know (especially if you can setup on a Network that only has switches).

Hello Lou, and thank you for your feedback on groov’s network addressing.

In my opinion, the easiest method for setting up a new groov Box is our groov Find utility. This free software makes it easy to discover groov Boxes on any network, including those without DHCP/DNS services. You’ll never need to use the default Hostname, either (default hostnames are only available for use on DHCP/DNS enabled networks). The only caveat to groov Find is it only works on Windows operating systems.

In the absence of DHCP (dynamic host configuration protocol), your groov Box will assign itself a private, non-routable IP address in the 169.259.x.x address space. groov Find will recognize this address, connect to it, and allow you to assign it any IP address you desire.

The advantages of DHCP (when available) combined with DNS (which most routers offer) are numerous. You’ll never have to worry about the correct configuration of IP addresses, including subnet masks, gateways, DNS servers and more. These setting are all handled by DCHP services. Furthermore, when combined with DNS, you can reach your groov Box with an easy to remember name rather than an IP address.

The primary issue with default IP addresses is you must configure your own PC in the same network space as the default IP address a given vendor preselected, and these vary widely. This is a task that can only be configured manually, and one that varies with operating systems. Our experience is this can result in user configuration errors that cause more trouble with the user’s own PC.

I recognize not all networks offer DHCP and/or DNS services, particularly if you’re on a completely private network and that’s your use case. Again, in these cases, consider groov Find.

I hope this helps. -Benson