Feature Request: New IP/DHCP System

[semaja2]

Hi,

I just got my Air Console and loving it, however with in moments I was fighting a battle with how to connect it... If I leave the default DHCP server mode then I can quickly connect with my phone and enjoy it locally, but if I connect it to the network then there is a DHCP conflict, also I lose the "cloud" components as its IP wont give it internet access.

If I change it to be in "DHCP Client" mode then I lose easy admin access, as I cant easily tell the IP, cloud modes work, but I am unable to see it using "Get Console" on my iPhone/iPad.

What would be best is supporting Multiple IPs, Isolating DHCP to the AP, and enabling DHCP relay should a DHCP server be found in the LAN.

In further explanation this would be;

• If DHCP client mode is enabled, a secondary static IP can be assigned in addition, this allows for integration into to the LAN with internet access, whilst keeping a well known IP on the device
• A option should exist that allows for the DHCP to be isolated to the AP, thus avoiding DHCP conflicts
• When the Air Console boots, it should poll the LAN for a period of time waiting for a DHCP response, if nothing is heard it acts as its own DHCP server (using the above setting) however should it get a DHCP response, it should simply relay the DHCP from the LAN to the AP

The above I believe will make the IP system all round, and require less end user configuration or worrying about IPv6 support which may not be enabled on all networks etc.

Happy to discuss in more detail on the above suggestion


Andrew

[jaimeesc]

This is 5000000% needed. It's cumbersome to use AirConsole because of this. I can EITHER use DHCP Client Mode and Get Console won't work (but bridge traffic will work), or I can use Static Mode/DHCP Server Mode and Get Console will work, but network traffic over the bridge won't.

I need a way to get both working at the same time. NAT would be nice. Give AirConsole's WLAN AP a static IP & DHCP Server that works specifically for the WLAN, and NAT traffic to the configured static WAN address or allow the WAN to be in DHCP client mode and NAT outbound traffic to the assigned IP.

[jaimeesc]

This thing is really pissing me off now. It's so finicky. I can't even change it's IP without it becoming completely unresponsive. It's also not smart enough to change it's DHCP scope when it's IP changes. I keep having to reset it. It seems like it just wants to be 192.168.10.1, and anything else just won't do. I literally spend more time troubleshooting AirConsole than actually making use of it. I usually give up and take my laptop and the cables into the lab and leave the AirConsole at my desk... Sad... /rant.

[simon]

Hi Andrew, Jaimeesc

Airconsole tries to be pretty flexible in the way it can address its interface(s). The permutations become pretty complicated pretty quickly which is why it operates the way it does at the moment. I can however provide a few tips to hopefully help you make it work in a couple of modes that you want it to work in

1) for connecting to corporate WIRED lan - as you suggest you set it in DHCP client mode. This will disable the DHCP server as if your connected to the corporate wired network then you really don't want Airconsole acting as a rouge DHCP server allocating 192.168.10. addresses to anyone. But now the challenge is how the heck to find out what address Airconsole was allocated from the corporate DHCP server so you can actually use it? To solve that problem when Airconsole get's an IP from DHCP server it changes its mDNS / ZeroConf (Bonjour) broadcast announcement to include its updated ip address. Windows and Mac's on the same subnet will hear this announcement. This lets you connect to it via its NAME - i.e. http://airconsole-58.local , rather than http://192.168.10.1

2) If Airconsole is configured as DHCP client, and does not receive an allocated address then the current behaviour is to default back to 192.168.10.1 - this is already in the software

3) Airconsole will always bridge between its Airconsole-XX wireless and wired ethernet interfaces. Think of this as 2 interfaces connected to a single br0 routed port. You CAN however add a second routed Wireless interface to Airconsole - which is the AP Client interface. You can configure this interface to join a WIFI network that has internet access etc so that Airconsole can share its serial port with a internet based Private server. When the AP Client interface (apcli0) is active Airconsole becomes a 2 port router with the br0 interface on one side and the apcli0 interface on the other. Airconsole can route between these and also do NAT, so that users on the wired LAN and Airconsole-XX WIFI network can also get out to the internet using the AP Client interface. There are instructions on how to make this setup in the user manual (see resources section on right hand side of http://www.get-console.com/airconsole.

(cont...)

[simon]

4) in the next month or so we're adding Bluetooth low energy to Airconsole via a replacement USB-Serial cable that has a built in BLE dongle. This means you don't need to even use WIFI at all from your iOS device, Mac, PC etc to auto discover and connect to Airconsole serial port. It means the Airconsole's network interfaces can be uses solely for Airconsole to get external connectivity to Private Server.

Were still actively developing the product to make it better - I appreciate your frustration and thank you for taking the time to let us know about it. If we can make the IP addressing more flexible without needing a CCIE cert to operate then we will!
Thanks
Simon Hope