Controlling Device with Dynamic IP Address

[jon00]

There is no relationship between a MAC address and IP Address on a network until a Router/PC builds an ARP lookup table to map the two. Therefore to find out what has been assigned to a particular MAC Address, you would need to read the ARP table and enumerate though that. This is not a few lines of code.....

[avpman]

Wow, this is really going off the rails.
This project started as an exercise to test my programming skills. I was hoping for a way to track a dynamic IP via some programming method.

Thanks for the input.

I understand the issue and I could use a script like this as well. PM me to share if you like Thanks in advance!

[paul]

Wow, this is really going off the rails.
This project started as an exercise to test my programming skills. I was hoping for a way to track a dynamic IP via some programming method.

Thanks for the input.

Ahhhh.... ok. I think the issue here is clarity of question. You didn't say in your question that you want to do this as programming exercise, you asked how people are coping with the problem. Most people cope with it by using a DHCP reservation instead of getting into scripting.

That being said, if the goal is a programming exercise, i can definitely see the value in that. So next question is, do you have any ideas how you're hoping to code this? ie. as a vb script that runs from a HS event, or as an external script written in either vb or perhaps python or something else?

[donstephens]

Ahhhh.... ok. I think the issue here is clarity of question. You didn't say in your question that you want to do this as programming exercise, you asked how people are coping with the problem. Most people cope with it by using a DHCP reservation instead of getting into scripting.

That being said, if the goal is a programming exercise, i can definitely see the value in that. So next question is, do you have any ideas how you're hoping to code this? ie. as a vb script that runs from a HS event, or as an external script written in either vb or perhaps python or something else?

My bad. I have cobbled up a simple script that will change channels, apps and navigate. I had started with the ROKU control api to allow HomeSeer to call up a particular securiy camera, and it got completely out of hand. For the most part, the script does it's job; until one of the ROKU's IP address changes. There is a PlugIn that works pretty well, but I decieded to go off the road and try and control my ROKUs from a script.

[jon00]

Don,

You seem to be avoiding all the advice people are giving you. Trying to use a MAC Address to obtain its IP Address is a lot of coding work. Is there a reason why you can't fix your ROKU's MAC Addresses to fixed IP Addresses using your router's IP reservation methods? It really is the most sensible thing to do.

[donstephens]

Don,

You seem to be avoiding all the advice people are giving you. Trying to use a MAC Address to obtain its IP Address is a lot of coding work. Is there a reason why you can't fix your ROKU's MAC Addresses to fixed IP Addresses using your router's IP reservation methods? It really is the most sensible thing to do.

Good point. When I started this, I had assumed that there was an easy way to follow a device. Had I had my act together I would have done as suggested above. It just snowballed.

Thank you all for the advice.

[randy]

Tell that to Apple

True and frustrating.

[kenm]

True and frustrating.

You can turn this off on a per network basis. I have it disabled for my home network but on for outside networks.

[vasrc]

You can do this without MDM? How so, as I could definitely use that function.

[kenm]

You can do this without MDM? How so, as I could definitely use that function.

Was this for me? What's MDM?

[kenm]

To disable private WiFi Address on a per network basis, do the following:

1. Tap on Settings
2. Tap on Wi-Fi
3. On the right side of the current network or below it in "My Networks", tap the blue "I".
4. Scroll down to "Private Wi-Fi Address" and tap the switch to disable it.
5. You should see your device's "real" MAC Address next to "Wi-Fi Address" when disabled.

[vasrc]

Sorry.... Bad board etiquette
kenm
Yes, MDM is Apples Mobile Device Management system where you can access that capability to ignore Private MAC when on a know network.
Didn't know it was available outside of MDM

Z

[vasrc]

Selectable by network, what a concept
Probably why they put the selection in each individual network, Duh....

Thanks

[kenm]

Selectable by network, what a concept
Probably why they put the selection in each individual network, Duh....

Thanks

From a discussion I had with an Apple IT guy, it came out of the BYOD trend. The first line of defense in an IDS/IPS is MAC filtering. Granted, not very secure but also very easy to implement. Unrecognized MACs get ignored.

[vasrc]

From a discussion I had with an Apple IT guy, it came out of the BYOD trend. The first line of defense in an IDS/IPS is MAC filtering. Granted, not very secure but also very easy to implement. Unrecognized MACs get ignored.

Agreed, MAC's work OK for the front line, but you better have something after that since they're so easy to spoof.

Thanks for the Apple pointer..