DavideStevens

Q: Creating new Locations in Network

I just spent most of today recovering from my last attempt at this, so I thought I'd better ask for a bit of advice before I try again...

 

Most of the time my macBookPro is connected via Wifi to either my home network, or to a wifi network where I'm working. And the Automatic Location works just fine.

 

However, I also use the MBP in a performance setup, and use an iPad as a remote control (using OSC over wifi). In the past I've just created a network from the Mac and connected to that. The problem is that the IP address is different every time so I have to keep changing the settings in the app I'm using on the iPad (usually under time pressure!).

It would make more sense if, when i do this, I could switch to a different location in Networks prefs, one that uses a fixed (i.e. manually set) IP address.

I may have gone about this the wrong way...

First I created a new location and switched to that. Then I selected WiFI in the left hand pane and switched to Configure IPv4 manually (/Advanced/TCP/IP). Then entered the IP address I wanted to use, OK'd the change and closed the Advanced window. At which point the Network pane slowed waaaay down, and when I tried to switch back to automatic, the laptop wouldn't connect to the home router. I seem to have (somehow) fixed that now (or it sorted itself out), but I'd rather avoid that happening again.

So - was I going about this the right way, or have I misunderstood something about the way this works?

 

thanks for any help!

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Mavericks (10.9.2)

Posted on Sep 4, 2016 1:46 PM

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Q: Creating new Locations in Network

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  • by ivansky,Helpful

    ivansky ivansky Sep 6, 2016 3:10 AM in response to DavideStevens
    Level 2 (279 points)
    Sep 6, 2016 3:10 AM in response to DavideStevens

    Hi David, it sounds like you are definitely on the right track.  I think where you had your biggest problem is when you "OK'd the change" as it sounds like you applied the new settings while still on your home network?  Not working would then be pretty normal behaviour as the laptop would set itself to the new network address you gave it.  If this address is not valid for your home network, e.g. it's a 192.168.1 address and you use 192.168.0 addresses at home, the network will stop working.

     

    If you switch back to Automatic, I think it should then contact the router and ask for an address (this is called DHCP) and you should be back working again.  I don't use Automatic much as I've never looked closely into it and it's always a bit mysterious.  Instead I have my own network Location for home, and just use Automatic occasionally when trying to get on to a new network.  This might be a good idea for you too, so you can confidently switch from your home network to your performance set up.

     

    Hope that helps.

  • by DavideStevens,

    DavideStevens DavideStevens Sep 6, 2016 3:20 AM in response to DavideStevens
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 6, 2016 3:20 AM in response to DavideStevens

    Yes, thanks, that helps me be a bit clearer about this! So, is this right? ...

    1. While connected to the home wifi, create a new Home location, set it to manual IP & enter an appropriate IP address (presumably I can just use the same one that the Automatic location was using).

    2. (And this is what I'm not sure about). Create another new Location (Performance), which initially inherits the existing settings. Apply.

    While I'm still in that location, create an ad hoc network on the Mac, switch to Manual in IPv4 then enter a new fixed IP address for that Location. Apply.

    3. Switch back to the Home location for now.

    Question - do I switch the Location before or after switching back to the home wifi network?

    Similarly, when I want to use the ad hoc network, should I switch to the Performance location before or after  switching the wifi to ad hoc?

  • by ivansky,Helpful

    ivansky ivansky Sep 6, 2016 4:23 AM in response to DavideStevens
    Level 2 (279 points)
    Sep 6, 2016 4:23 AM in response to DavideStevens

    Hmm, I'm not going to pretend that I have ever needed to create an ad hoc network, but the concepts should all be pretty much the same...so...firstly, I wouldn't use a manual IP for my home network, "Using DHCP" is usually the best way to go.  That way your MBP will be assigned an address by your router that shouldn't conflict with any other devices on your home network, like, e.g. your smartphone.

     

    Then, yes, create a new Location, definitely.  You should be able to use Manually in this case, I'm assuming you are using your MBP with no Internet connection, and you just need one or more devices in the performance space to talk to you and possibly each other using your ad hoc network, is that right?  However, I'm not sure what addressing it will need in this case, the articles I've found are unhelpfully vague.  In an ad hoc network, your Mac is meant to perform some of the roles of your home router, assigning addresses to devices that join the network, but I'm not sure what range.

     

    If you are actually creating an ad hoc network to share some form of Internet connection from your Mac, I think you need a network Location that is set up to match your Internet settings.  If you just want to join the devices together, I wouldn't try to set a manual address, just set "Using DHCP" because I suspect creating the ad hoc network takes over addressing.

     

    Again, hope that helps, please do reply back with what you find out, as someone down the track may have a similar problem and may be helped by your solution.

     

    P.S.  Just found this article which is moderately helpful, although not specifically addressing your question it does have an important security warning for ad hoc networks:

     

     

    http://www.delora.com/advice/networking_guide/adhoc_wifi2/

  • by DavideStevens,

    DavideStevens DavideStevens Sep 6, 2016 4:28 AM in response to DavideStevens
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 6, 2016 4:28 AM in response to DavideStevens

    Hmm - I guess I'll give it another go and see what happens. Though I might well wait until next week as I have a performance on Sunday, and I definitely don't want to screw up my networking at this point! You're right about the ad hoc network not requiring internet access - I just need to connect my iPad & iPhone controllers to my main software.

    And yes, I'll post back about it once I've figured out the correct process.

  • by Luis Sequeira1,

    Luis Sequeira1 Luis Sequeira1 Sep 6, 2016 4:56 AM in response to ivansky
    Level 6 (11,819 points)
    Sep 6, 2016 4:56 AM in response to ivansky

    I am not sure I understand. If you are creating a network from your mac, and connecting your iPad to this network, you need not even mess with any IP addresses. All you should have to do is go to Settings->Wifi in your iPad and select the appropriate network.

  • by DavideStevens,

    DavideStevens DavideStevens Sep 6, 2016 5:36 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 6, 2016 5:36 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

    Well, that's pretty much what I've been doing. It means that as part of the setting up of a performance I have to find out what the IP address of the Mac is on the ad hoc network, then go into the software I'm using and set the udp send object to the correct address for the iPad, and then if it's not connecting, double check the Mac IP address and change that in the iPad app (TouchOSC) and then hopefully it's working (sometimes I have to dis-/re-connect the iPad to the mac's network too). But that's a lot of extra things to do in what is generally a very short set up time.

    The other guy I work with in this performance  has set up a fixed IP address for when he uses an ad hoc network, and everything just connects. That makes more sense, and so I was trying to set up something similar (see OP at top), which is when it all went wrong and my user account wouldn't connect to my home wifi any more. I somehow managed to sort that out eventually, but I didn't want to just dive in again without checking out if i was going about things the right way.

  • by Luis Sequeira1,

    Luis Sequeira1 Luis Sequeira1 Sep 6, 2016 5:52 AM in response to DavideStevens
    Level 6 (11,819 points)
    Sep 6, 2016 5:52 AM in response to DavideStevens

    Ok, I didn't think that the application required the specific IP.

    It makes sense and it seems to me that you were doing things right.

    I tried it on my mac and was able to create a location with only wifi service and set it to a manual IP. It worked without problems.

  • by DavideStevens,

    DavideStevens DavideStevens Sep 6, 2016 6:02 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 6, 2016 6:02 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

    Thanks  - i'm going to have another go, but probably wait till after the performance on sunday!