PhotoRobot Locator App & FRFind
Every PhotoRobot installation has Control Units sitting on the network with their own IP addresses. To work with them, you need to know which IP belongs to which physical machine. PhotoRobot Locator is the tool that answers “which is which” — across mobile phone, desktop CLI, and now built directly into CAPP.
1. The problem Locator solves
You walk into a studio with three Control Units: a Cube V6, a Robotic Arm V8, and a Carousel. Each has a unique IP assigned by the router’s DHCP. You need to:
- Configure CAPP to know about these units (which means knowing each unit’s IP)
- Diagnose a problem (one unit isn’t responding — which physical machine is it?)
- Identify the unit visually before doing maintenance (which Control Unit do I need to power down?)
Locator is the tool that maps IP → physical machine and back. Without it you’d ping ranges, read serial numbers off the device, and guess.
2. Three ways to access Locator
The Locator function exists in three forms — same job, different surfaces.
2.1. Integrated in CAPP (preferred, recent versions)
This is the canonical workflow as of recent CAPP releases. No external app required.
In the local desktop CAPP:
- Open Settings
- Navigate to Robots / Control units
- The list shows all discovered units with columns: Name, Network, Unit (model), Version (firmware), Discovered (timestamp), Identify
- Click the Identify action on any row — the LED light on the physical Control Unit will blink green, so you can locate the physical machine even in a busy studio
- Click the unit field to open its web interface in the browser (for service / diagnostic pages)
Green dot to the left of the name = unit is online. Gray dot = not currently reachable on the network.
Why this is preferred: zero context-switch, single tool, always up-to-date when CAPP updates.
2.2. PhotoRobot Locator mobile app (iOS only)
iOS / iPadOS — available via App Store and through your PhotoRobot Account Downloads page (the latter is the canonical install source for paid PhotoRobot Accounts).
Use cases:
- You don’t have the control computer handy (you’re walking the studio with phone)
- You’re verifying network connectivity from a separate device than the one running CAPP
- You’re triaging on-call from a phone
Android — discontinued. The Android version of PhotoRobot Locator was discontinued; if you need mobile access, use iPhone / iPad. The discontinuation reflects PhotoRobot’s iOS-first mobile strategy (see also PhotoRobot Touch app, which is also iOS-only).
2.3. FRFind command-line utility (macOS + Windows)
FRFind is a small command-line tool that scans the local network for PhotoRobot Control Units. Available for both macOS and Windows via the PhotoRobot Account Downloads page (links also documented in the networking prerequisites manual).
Use cases:
- You’re scripting or automating diagnostics (CI/CD-style health checks)
- CAPP isn’t installed on the diagnostic machine
- You want raw text output for logging / sharing with PhotoRobot Support
Output: list of discovered units with IPs and basic identification. Pair with ping for reachability test, and with the unit’s web interface URL for deeper diagnostics.
3. The “identify” workflow — IP to physical machine
The killer feature across all three Locator surfaces is the identify action — the ability to make a specific Control Unit’s LED blink so you can physically locate it.
The flow:
- Open Locator (in CAPP, mobile app, or via web interface from FRFind output)
- You see a list: “CU-7a2f at 10.1.2.42”, “CU-5d91 at 10.1.2.43”, “CU-c308 at 10.1.2.44”
- Click Identify on the first row
- Walk through the studio; the Control Unit whose LED is blinking green is the one you clicked
- Now you know: “10.1.2.42 = the Cube V6 in the photoshoot bay”
Real-world value: in studios with 3-10 Control Units, this workflow takes seconds. Without it, identification means reading small serial-number stickers on each Control Unit. With cabinets full of CUs in larger installations, this saves hours.
4. What Locator tells you (the columns)
CAPP’s integrated locator (Settings → Robots / Control units) shows:
| Column | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Name | Control Unit’s assigned identifier (e.g., CU-7a2f, or a customer-named label) |
| Network | IP and subnet of the unit (e.g., 10.1.2.42 / 255.255.255.0) |
| Unit | Model identifier — Cube V6, C1300, Carousel 3000, etc. |
| Version | Firmware version on the Control Unit (G6 / G7 internal version) |
| Discovered | When the unit last responded to discovery (timestamp) |
| Identify | Action button — clicks → LED blink on physical unit |
Use the “Discovered” timestamp as a diagnostic: if a unit was discovered hours ago but isn’t responding now, it likely went offline (cable, power, or unit-internal crash). Fresh timestamp = currently online.
Use “Version” to plan upgrades: if you have a mix of firmware versions across units, plan a coordinated upgrade — newer CAPP versions may require minimum firmware.
5. When Locator doesn’t find a unit
Symptoms and typical causes (also see B03 Section 9 triage flow):
| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Unit was visible yesterday, not today | Cable / link issue. Check RJ45 LED on the unit. |
| Unit is plugged in, link LED on, but not in Locator | Subnet mismatch — your computer is on a different subnet than the unit. Verify with ipconfig / ifconfig. |
| All units listed but all show gray (offline) dots | Discovery cache stale, or CAPP needs reconnect. Restart CAPP. |
| List is empty entirely | Computer can’t broadcast UDP 6666 — Windows Defender / macOS firewall may be blocking. |
| One unit shows duplicate / two entries with same IP | DHCP collision during reassignment. Power-cycle one unit to force re-DHCP. |
If none of these match the symptom, escalate to PhotoRobot Support with: CAPP screenshot, ipconfig / ifconfig output from the control computer, ping result for the unit’s expected IP.
6. Locator vs. browser direct access
Once you know a unit’s IP (via Locator), you can also access the Control Unit’s web interface directly in any browser:
http://10.1.2.42
This is the unit’s built-in diagnostic page. Useful for:
- Reading detailed firmware info
- Triggering manual reboots without using CAPP
- Reviewing logs (if you’re debugging)
- Service technician access (PhotoRobot Support may ask you to share a screenshot)
Caution: the web interface gives you operational control. Don’t reboot a unit mid-sequence. Don’t change firmware without coordination with PhotoRobot Support.
7. Integration with the broader workflow
Locator is rarely the destination — it’s a stop on the way to something else:
- Workspace configuration (B05): you use Locator to find units, then add them to a CAPP workspace.
- Troubleshooting (B25): when something fails, Locator is among the first tools to check (after the B03 triage flow).
- Firmware upgrade: Locator shows current versions; the upgrade workflow itself happens in CAPP or in the unit’s web interface.
- Routine maintenance: Locator + Identify lets you confirm “the unit I’m about to power down is THIS one, not its neighbor” before doing anything physical.
8. Quick-reference cheatsheet
| Task | Best tool |
|---|---|
| Daily “find unit on network” | CAPP integrated (Settings → Robots / Control units) |
| Mobile / phone in hand | iOS app from Account Downloads or App Store |
| Scripting / automation / logging | FRFind command-line utility |
| Physical unit identification | Click Identify in any of the three surfaces — LED blinks |
| Direct web access to unit | Browser to http://<unit-ip> (get IP from Locator first) |
9. For full reference
This module is a focused operational guide. The canonical references on photorobot.com / PhotoRobot Account are:
- PhotoRobot Networking Prerequisites & Configuration — Section 2.3 covers locator tools, diagnostic utilities, and CAPP’s integrated unit search in network context.
- PhotoRobot Account Downloads — canonical download source for the iOS Locator app and FRFind command-line utility (both macOS and Windows).
- Per-machine setup manuals (e.g., for Cube V6, Carousel 5000, C1300) consistently reference Locator for IP discovery — Locator pattern is part of every PhotoRobot installation workflow.
Module check
When you’re ready, take the module knowledge check for this module. It’s not graded for certification — it’s for you and your instructor to identify any gaps before moving on.
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