PhotoRobot Network Setup

Networking is one of those topics where you either internalize the model (subnet, broadcast, ports) or you stay scared of it forever. These exercises drill the model with realistic studio scenarios. If you can complete all six on paper, you’ll diagnose live in a few minutes.

Exercise 1 — Wired vs. Wi-Fi decision

For each PhotoRobot component below, decide: Wired Ethernet (preferred) or Wi-Fi (acceptable in this case).

Tip: re-read Section 3 of textbook. Default for Control Units = wired. Lights = dedicated Wi-Fi acceptable. Computer = wired preferred.

Exercise 2 — Subnet match scenarios

A studio computer running CAPP has the IP 10.1.2.55 with netmask 255.255.255.0 (a /24 subnet). For each Control Unit IP below, decide: Will CAPP discover it via UDP broadcast? (yes / no, and why).

2.1. Control Unit at 10.1.2.42

Discoverable? Reason:

2.2. Control Unit at 10.1.3.42

Discoverable? Reason:

2.3. Control Unit at 10.1.2.255

Discoverable? Reason (think carefully — this is a special address):

2.4. Control Unit at 192.168.0.42 (different subnet, but the customer’s router routes between subnets)

Discoverable? Reason:

Exercise 3 — Port + protocol checklist

The customer’s IT department asks you for the list of network rules they need to open for PhotoRobot to function on their network.

Fill in the table from memory (then verify against Section 5 of textbook):

Plus list the two server domain names that must be reachable on the internet:

Server 1: Server 2:

Exercise 4 — Triage practice

A new operator arrives at the studio in the morning. CAPP shows “no Control Units found”. What’s the systematic diagnostic order they should follow? Number these steps 1-7 in the correct order:

Tip: Section 9 of textbook lists the canonical order. Get the order from cheap-to-expensive (cable check is fastest, DNS test is most diagnostic).

Exercise 5 — Configure from scratch

Scenario: a new customer in a corporate office insists their IT department configures the network themselves — no preconfigured PhotoRobot router. They want a PhotoRobot Centerless Table + a Robotic Arm V8 + one camera + two lights, all on their existing LAN. You’re the PhotoRobot authority on-site preparing the IT briefing.

5.1. What is the minimum subnet structure you’ll require? (Single subnet for all PhotoRobot devices? A separate VLAN? Why?)

5.2. What DHCP behavior must their server provide for PhotoRobot equipment?

5.3. What’s your recommendation for the lights — should they share the PhotoRobot subnet, sit on a dedicated SSID, or join the customer’s office Wi-Fi?

5.4. What’s the single most likely point of failure when an IT department configures PhotoRobot from scratch for the first time? (Hint: think about UDP broadcast.)

5.5. Draft the one-page network requirements document you’d hand to the IT team (bullet-list ok — what they need to know without your textbook open).

Exercise 6 — Pre-flight checklist

Before your first hands-on session in the next module (B04 Locator app, B05 Workspace config, or B25 Troubleshooting), make sure you can answer “yes” to all of these:

• I can explain why all PhotoRobot Control Units and the control computer must be on the same subnet.
• I know the four key local-subnet ports/protocols (TCP 7777, TCP 7778, UDP 6666, UDP 6660) and what each is for.
• I know the two external server domains PhotoRobot needs to reach (*.photorobot.com and as-unirobot.azurewebsites.net).
• I can list at least three reasons why wired Ethernet is preferred over Wi-Fi for Control Units.
• I know the first three steps in network triage when “no Control Units found” appears in CAPP.
• I know the minimum hardware spec for a CAPP control computer (RAM, GPU, monitor, storage, USB).
• I know what to do in air-gapped / no-internet environments (contact PhotoRobot Support, don’t improvise).

If you can’t tick all seven, re-read the relevant section of textbook.md and / or the Networking manual on photorobot.com before moving on.

Solutions

Don’t look here until you’ve finished the exercises.

Exercise 1 — Wired vs. Wi-Fi

• 1.1 — Wired Ethernet (Control Unit, always wired)
• 1.2 — Wi-Fi on dedicated SSID (lights’ minimal traffic tolerates Wi-Fi; dedicated SSID isolates from other traffic)
• 1.3 — Wired Ethernet (computer should be wired, especially in heavy production)
• 1.4 — Wi-Fi (iPhone Touch app is inherently mobile, Wi-Fi is the design — but stable AP placement matters)
• 1.5 — Wired Ethernet (Cube V6 has a Control Unit — even if it moves, wire it each time it’s used; movable patch cable is fine)
• 1.6 — Wired Ethernet (Control Units always wired; ceiling-mounted just means cable run is harder, not optional)

Exercise 2 — Subnet match

• 2.1 — Yes. Both in 10.1.2.0/24, broadcast 10.1.2.255 reaches both.
• 2.2 — No. Different subnet (/24 = 256-address block, 10.1.2.x and 10.1.3.x are different). UDP broadcast doesn’t cross subnets.
• 2.3 — No (or technically: this is not a device IP). 10.1.2.255 is the broadcast address of the 10.1.2.0/24 subnet. A Control Unit should never be assigned the broadcast address. If you see this, the DHCP is misconfigured.
• 2.4 — No. Routing between subnets is independent of UDP broadcast. Routers normally do NOT forward broadcast traffic across subnets. Even if TCP connections would work, discovery via UDP 6666 broadcast will fail.

Exercise 3 — Port + protocol checklist

Server domains:

1. *.photorobot.com (PhotoRobot Cloud services)
2. as-unirobot.azurewebsites.net (Activation server + callhome)

Exercise 4 — Triage order

Canonical order from Section 9:

1. Check RJ45 link LEDs (cheapest, fastest — cable / physical fault)
2. Verify same subnet (ipconfig / ifconfig)
3. Power-cycle the router (DHCP refresh)
4. Check Windows Defender / macOS firewall (UDP 6666 broadcast may be blocked)
5. Test outbound HTTPS (customer-network firewall may block *.photorobot.com)
6. Test DNS (resolution vs. connectivity)
7. Restart CAPP and re-scan (sometimes simplest fix — discovery cache stale)

Some operators do (7) first because it’s lowest-effort. Pragmatic — but the canonical “cheapest physical check first” order surfaces real problems faster.

Exercise 5 — Configure from scratch

5.1. Single subnet for all PhotoRobot equipment. A separate VLAN inside the customer’s switch is acceptable if their IT prefers it for isolation. But all PhotoRobot Control Units + control computer must end up on the SAME logical subnet, otherwise UDP broadcast discovery fails.

5.2. DHCP server must:

• Be on the local PhotoRobot subnet
• Allow UDP broadcast to ports 6666, 67, 53
• Accept broadcasts to 255.255.255.255 and to subnet broadcast (e.g., 10.1.2.255)
• Not require manual fixed IP assignment per Control Unit (unless explicitly required — escalate)

5.3. Dedicated SSID is the canonical approach. Lights on the PhotoRobot subnet share the broadcast traffic with Control Units; on customer Wi-Fi they compete for airtime with all other clients. Dedicated SSID is the lights’ own wireless space — minimal contention, no security entanglement with customer guest / corporate Wi-Fi.

5.4. UDP broadcast misconfiguration. Corporate IT departments often disable UDP broadcast forwarding by default (they think it’s noise). Without UDP 6666 broadcast working, no Control Unit discovery. This is the single most common failure mode in customer-IT-configured installs.

5.5. (Open answer — your handoff document should include at minimum: subnet requirement, DHCP behavior, port list, server access list, recommended bandwidth, contact for PhotoRobot Support. Aim for one A4 page so the IT department actually reads it.)

Done?

When you’ve worked through all exercises and reviewed the solutions, ask your instructor (or self-administer) the module knowledge check: 5 questions drawn from a pool of 12.

Knowledge check is not graded for certification — it’s diagnostic. If you score low, re-read the relevant textbook section and try again. Then proceed to module B04 — Locator app, B05 — Workspace configuration, or B25 — Troubleshooting, depending on your certification path.