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Network Configuration

Robot Connection IP Addresses

To ensure two-way communication between MP Studio and our robot, we will need to configure the IP addresses under Setup > Robot > Device Configuration > Robot Connection. Depending on the robot brand or type, we will have 1 or 2 robot IP addresses, as well as an IP address for our computer for MP Studio (the "listen" address), which should be updated based on the robot's IP address but can be configured manually as well.

  • Robot IP Address: This should be address marked on the robot controller, and is the address on which the robot will listen for communications. Enter the IP address on the controller exactly in this field. It is typically something like 192.168.2.XXX.
  • Computer IP Address: Earlier, we should have set up a network service on your PC or Mac machine. This creates a new wired/ethernet network interface, with the IP address similar to the robot's IP address but not exactly -- it should be the same in the first three entries (or octets) and differ in the fourth. For example, if our robot's controller has an IP address of 192.168.2.201, we should set up a network service with an IP of 192.168.2.100.
  • The Computer IP address can be derived from the Robot IP address field and our known network interfaces. If the Robot IP address field is correct, and the network service was created properly, then MP Studio will check when the Robot IP Address field is updated, find a matching network interface in which that IP address is in the feasible range for, and automatically set the computer IP address to that network interface's address. This is why, as a default, the Computer IP Address field is read-only, as we want to be able to let it be derived automatically from Robot IP address (assuming proper network interface setup).
  • If, however, for some reason we need to manually change the Computer IP Address, we can do this by clicking the Pencil icon to the right of the Computer IP Address input field. This will make the Computer IP Address input field editable. Set the computer IP address field to the desired address -- when in edit mode the Pencil icon will change to the word UPDATE, when IP address is as desired click the UPDATE button to set the IP and return to read-only mode, and click the SAVE button to persist the changes.
Status Icons

Each IP address field will have a status icon:

  • Red (x) for error: The IP entered does not match any known network interface, and communication to that address is not possible, or an attempt to ping this address failed. The error message underneath the input may have further information, but in this case will need to check network settings or robot IP to troubleshoot.
  • Yellow (!) for caution: The entered IP is in the network range of a known networking interface, and communication may be possible. For a robot IP address, ensure that MP Studio can make an outbound connection by clicking the PING button to the right of the IP input.
  • Green (checkmark) for success: The IP address is valid and communication checks have passed, the connection should be configured correctly. Whenever a change is made to the configuration in this section, always click SAVE to persist the changes to local storage, otherwise settings will revert the next time MP Studio is restarted.
Connection Status

As mentioned above, the outbound/robot IP addresses can be pinged to ensure that addresses are reachable by MP Studio. The Connection Status section will display any status messages for a ping attempt to the listed address. If we can successfully ping the robot address, connection status should say No Connection issues detected. If for some reason a ping fails and gives an error message, it will appear here.

Network Interfaces

Here is a reference for all of the known network interfaces on our system. It should list all wired/ethernet and wireless/wi-fi interfaces that are listed as UP on our system, and includes that interface's IP address, as well as the interface name included for reference purposes. As the robot communication will almost certainly be over wired/ethernet, we prioritize these interfaces, but list wireless/wi-fi interfaces as well, again just for references purposes. Check that the IP address listed in Computer IP Address is one of the IP addresses for a listed wired/ethernet interface in this dropdown panel.

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