Network configuration

Blickfeld devices use an Ethernet port as a connection interface. It can be configured to use Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) to retrieve an IP address from the network. If used in an unmanaged network, a static IP address and a subnet can be configured in the WebGUI. If a connection cannot be established, or if the network mode is unclear, the fallback IP address can always be used for a reconfiguration.

Automatic discovery

The sensors use mDNS to broadcast their services to the connected network. It can be used to automatically discover and connect to Blickfeld devices. The main broadcasted service is ‘blickfeld-lidar,’ which can be searched for using common mDNS or zero-conf libraries. This works in managed, un-managed, and link-local networks. Depending on the operating system and the applications installed, it is also possible to use the hostname with a ‘.local’ extension to connect to a device.

Fall-back IP address

All Blickfeld devices have a preconfigured fallback IP address, which is 192.168.26.26 in the 255.255.255.0 (=`/24`) subnet. If there are any connectivity issues or a possibly incorrect configuration, the address can be used for a reconfiguration. To successfully establish a connection, the client requires an IP address in the same address and subnet, e.g., 192.168.26.25/24.

It is not recommended to use the fallback IP address in production environments, as it causes conflicts in networks with multiple devices. Use the static IP configuration if DHCP is not available. The configuration can be changed in the WebGUI.

Note: Firmware versions below v1.3 used 169.254.26.3 in the 255.255.0.0 (=`/16`) subnet as a fallback IP address.