PhotoRobot Network Setup
Instructor-only material. Not published to academy.photorobot.io public site.
Delivery context
Networking is the topic where audience knowledge variance is widest. In one cohort you’ll have a CCNA-certified network engineer and a complete beginner sitting next to each other.
Calibration is everything. Spend the first 3-5 minutes asking each participant their networking comfort level. Adapt depth accordingly:
- Network-naive students (operators, sometimes studio managers): focus on what and why, skip detailed protocol mechanics. Goal: they can recognize symptoms and know whom to call.
- Network-aware students (Network Specialist track, some Integrators): assume basics, focus on PhotoRobot-specific quirks (UDP broadcast discovery, dedicated lights Wi-Fi, Control Unit generations). Goal: they can configure from scratch.
- Mixed cohorts: teach to the middle, offer optional deep-dive office hour for advanced students.
Critical for credibility: as instructor, you must be able to run network triage live in front of the class. If you can’t open Terminal / Command Prompt, run ping and ipconfig, and interpret the output — students lose trust. Practice the demo flow before the session.
Time allocation (60-min textbook + 30-min workbook standard)
Textbook block (60 min)
| Min | Topic | Format |
|---|---|---|
| 0-5 | Calibration: ask the cohort about network background | Conversation |
| 5-12 | Standard delivery (preconfigured router) — show actual router | Talk + show device |
| 12-22 | PhotoRobot as network device + Control Unit generations | Talk + show CU |
| 22-30 | Wired vs Wi-Fi (with lights nuance) | Talk + draw topology |
| 30-40 | Subnet layout — the most important concept | Talk + whiteboard diagram |
| 40-50 | Ports & protocols (skim quickly for naive, deep-dive for specialists) | Talk + handout the table |
| 50-58 | Diagnostic tools (live demo of CAPP locator + frfind) | Live demo |
| 58-60 | Q&A pickup | Discussion |
Workbook block (30 min)
| Min | Exercise | Format |
|---|---|---|
| 0-5 | Exercise 1 (wired vs Wi-Fi) — quick check | Group discussion |
| 5-10 | Exercise 2 (subnet math) — most important; takes time for naive students | Individual + walk-through |
| 10-15 | Exercise 3 (port checklist) — naive students refer to textbook, specialists do from memory | Independent |
| 15-25 | Exercise 4 (triage order) — discuss disagreements about ordering | Group discussion |
| 25-30 | Exercise 6 (pre-flight checklist) — diagnostic | Quick check |
Exercise 5 (configure from scratch) is homework / deep-dive for Network Specialist track. Skip in mixed-cohort textbook session, assign overnight.
Live demo points
Critical demos for credibility — do these in front of class:
-
(at minute 5-12) Bring the physical preconfigured router to class (or photo if remote). Show: LAN ports for Control Units, WAN port for customer uplink, dedicated lights Wi-Fi SSID. “This is what arrives with most installs — your job is to recognize it.”
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(at minute 12-22) Open the back panel of a Control Unit (G7 if possible). Show the RJ45 port, the link LED, the CAT cable plugged in. “When the link LED is off — it’s a cable issue. Before doing anything else, swap the cable.”
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(at minute 30-40) Whiteboard diagram of the subnet layout. Draw: router with WAN to customer LAN, LAN ports to Control Units + computer, dedicated SSID to lights. Mark where UDP broadcast goes (within subnet only). Mark where firewall sits (between subnet and customer LAN). This visualization sticks.
-
(at minute 50-58) Live diagnostic demo on the lab computer:
- Open CAPP → Settings → Robots / Control units. Show the list. Click Identify on one CU — show the LED blinking.
- Open Terminal. Run
ipconfig(orifconfig). Identify the subnet. - Run
ping <CU IP>. Show success. - Then deliberately unplug a CU’s network cable. Re-run the locator. Show the unit disappear. “This is what happens when cable fails. Now you know what to look for in CAPP.”
- Plug the cable back, re-run the locator. Unit reappears. “And this is what recovery looks like.”
If delivering online without lab access:
- Use prerecorded screencasts of the above demos
- Or share screen of an actual studio’s CAPP if you have remote access (with permission)
Common mistakes / misunderstandings to anticipate
“Wi-Fi is fine — we have great Wi-Fi”
Customer (or student) pushes back on the wired requirement, citing their excellent Wi-Fi setup. Reframe: it’s not about Wi-Fi quality in the moment, it’s about predictability under load. A 36-frame capture sequence stresses the network for ~10 seconds. Even small Wi-Fi hiccups during that window corrupt the sequence. Wired = predictable. Show the example of strobe misfire diagnostic from B01 → many of those are Wi-Fi dropouts in disguise.
“Why one subnet? Our network team prefers segmentation”
Customer’s IT wants to segment Control Units onto different VLANs / subnets for security reasons. Reframe: PhotoRobot’s discovery uses UDP broadcast, which does not cross subnet boundaries by default. If their IT wants segmentation, they need to set up a single L2 broadcast domain for PhotoRobot equipment, even if it’s a separate VLAN from the rest of the office. The router / switch can isolate that VLAN from other VLANs at L3.
“I’ll just use static IPs — it’s more deterministic”
Student or customer IT prefers fixed IP per Control Unit. Reframe: PhotoRobot is designed for DHCP. Fixed IPs require manual configuration per Control Unit’s web interface, which becomes maintenance burden. Each replacement Control Unit needs to be re-configured. PhotoRobot Support sometimes accommodates fixed IPs, but it’s a special case — not the default.
“Bandwidth is fine — we have gigabit”
Customer cites gigabit LAN. Reframe: LAN bandwidth is not the issue (PhotoRobot’s local traffic is modest). Internet bandwidth is what matters for Cloud and Hybrid subscriptions. Verify with a speedtest from the PhotoRobot subnet, not from the customer’s main office network. If the router does SNAT, the speedtest from the subnet is what counts.
“Air-gapped — we can’t connect to the internet”
Some industrial customers genuinely cannot allow internet access to the PhotoRobot subnet (regulated industries, defense contractors). Don’t improvise. Always contact PhotoRobot Support for air-gapped configurations. There are documented patterns (local-only mode, periodic batch upload, custom activation server) — but they require coordination with PhotoRobot’s enterprise team.
“DNS works for me but not for the Control Unit”
Sometimes the computer resolves account.photorobot.com fine, but the Control Unit can’t reach the activation server. Check: does the Control Unit’s web interface show successful callhome? Different machines on the same subnet can have different network configurations (e.g., the computer uses a different DNS server because Mac DHCP override). Verify the Control Unit’s network settings via its web interface.
Q&A anticipation
-
“How do I know what subnet I’m on?” Answer:
ipconfig(Windows) orifconfig(macOS) shows current IP + netmask. The combination defines your subnet. Example: 10.1.2.55 with 255.255.255.0 = you’re on 10.1.2.0/24, which means any IP from 10.1.2.0 to 10.1.2.255 is on your subnet. -
“What if the customer needs both the corporate LAN and the PhotoRobot subnet on the same computer?” Answer: Dual NIC. Computer has wired Ethernet to PhotoRobot subnet AND Wi-Fi to corporate LAN (or two wired NICs). OS handles routing. This is common in real installs.
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“How do I know if the router is the preconfigured one or a customer-supplied one?” Answer: PhotoRobot’s preconfigured routers have a label / sticker. Also: their default SSID for lights typically follows a pattern. If unsure, contact distributor with router model number.
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“Can I upgrade Control Unit firmware over the network?” Answer: Yes — via the Control Unit’s web interface or via CAPP. Procedure differs slightly per CU generation. B04 (Locator app) covers this in operational detail; for now, know it exists and is network-dependent.
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“What if I’m on a Mac and need to share my internet to a Control Unit on a custom subnet?” Answer: Possible but tricky — Mac’s Internet Sharing service NATs but doesn’t always forward UDP broadcast cleanly. Not recommended for production. Use a real router.
Workbook discussion plan
| Min | Exercise | Format | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-5 | Exercise 1 (wired vs Wi-Fi) | Round-robin | Catch any “lights should be wired” misconception |
| 5-10 | Exercise 2 (subnet math) | Individual + group discussion | Naive students struggle with /24 — explain the math briefly |
| 10-15 | Exercise 3 (port list) | Quick verbal | Catch errors on direction (inbound vs outbound) |
| 15-25 | Exercise 4 (triage order) | Group discussion | Disagreements OK — discuss why “cable first” is the convention |
| 25-30 | Exercise 6 (pre-flight) | Diagnostic | Identify students not ready for B04/B05/B25 |
Exercise 5 (configure from scratch) — assign overnight for Network Specialist track. Review in next session before B04.
Diagnostic — is the student ready for B04 / B05 / B25?
Before the student moves on, check Exercise 6’s seven checkboxes plus their performance on Exercises 2 and 4. The diagnostic signal:
- Can do Exercise 2 confidently: student internalized subnet concept → ready
- Hesitant on Exercise 2: schedule 15-min office hour to drill subnet math before B04
- Confident on Exercise 4 triage: they think systematically → operationally ready
- Random ordering on Exercise 4: they panic when network breaks → drill triage flow with two more scenarios in 1:1
Notes for refresh / repeat delivery
Refresh after 2 years (Operator) or 1 year (Network Specialist for higher precision):
- Skip Sections 1, 2 (preconfigured router + CU generations — assumed retained)
- Focus on Section 5 (ports / protocols) and Section 9 (triage) — these slip in memory
- Cover any new Control Unit generation since last training (currently G7; future generations as they ship)
- Re-do Exercise 4 (triage) live — best diagnostic of whether they still triage systematically or have drifted to “restart everything”
Refresh delivery time: 30 min for Operators, 60 min for Network Specialists (more depth on edge cases + recent product changes).