When connecting a PC or mobile device to a Compass network, you cannot directly connect to the Compass controllers. Instead you will need to connect to the Compass gateway. Typically, you will have one Compass gateway for an entire Compass network. Check out the article Where should all the Ethernet cables go to ensure that your network cabling is correct.
Let’s figure out how you want to connect your PC or device to the Compass gateway. Look at the four figures and see which one most closely resembles your situation.
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PC directly connected to Compass gateway via Ethernet cable
In this situation, your PC is directly connected to the Compass gateway using an Ethernet cable. To connect this way, you will need to modify the configuration of the network adapter on your PC.
Let’s start off with a bit of background about networking. Each device in a network needs to have a unique IP (Internet Protocol) address. The IP address consists of four numbers separated by dots.
The static IP addresses of the devices you want to connect must be in the same network range. Older Compass gateways have the address[1] of 192.168.1.2. The first three digits (192.168.1) identify the network and the last digit (.2) identifies the device. Newer Compass gateways have the address[1] of 172.16.1.1. The first three digits (172.16.1) identify the network and the last digit (.1) identifies the device.
To connect your PC to the Compass gateway, you will need to set a static IP address on your PC. You will need to choose an address with the same network identifier and a different device identifier. If you have an older gateway, you can use 192.168.1.100. If you have an newer gateway, you can use 172.16.1.100. When setting up the IP address, it will also ask for a subnet mask. You will need to set this to 255.255.255.0
Depending on your device, there are different ways of setting a static IP address, so your best option is to search the internet for directions. For instance, if you are using Windows 10, you can search for “assign IP address windows 10” and follow those instructions. If you do not feel comfortable doing this, please contact your IT department.
Once the static IP address is set you should be able to connect. Open a web browser window and enter the gateway's IP address ([1] usually 192.168.1.2 or 172.16.1.1) to access your Compass gateway.
PC or device directly connected to Compass gateway via WiFi dongle
In this situation, you are connecting directly to the Compass gateway with the Compass gateway’s service WiFi access.
To start, search for available WiFi networks using your device. The name of the network is the name of the Compass gateway. The name usually[2] is in the format PRIVADA-XXXXXX with XXXXXX representing a unique combination of letters and numbers.
When the gateway first starts up, it takes about 3 minutes for the WiFi to become active. So, you might not see the WiFi network right away if you just started the Compass gateway.
Once you find the WiFi network, you can connect. The password is welcome@priva and must be entered before you can connect to the network.
After you connect to the WiFi network, you can access the system. Open a web browser on your device and type http://192.168.137.1 in your browser address bar.[4]
PC and devices and Compass gateway connected to office network
In this situation, all your devices are connected to an office network via a router. The router usually uses the “Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol". DHCP is a protocol that automatically assigns a unique IP address to each device that connects to a network. When you connect your Compass gateway to your office network, DHCP will assign a unique IP address to the gateway[3].
To log into your Compass gateway, you will need to know the name of the gateway. In order to figure out the name, take a mobile device and stand close to the gateway. Use your device to search for available WiFi networks. One of the available networks will be the Compass gateway network. The name usually[2] is in the format PRIVADA-XXXXXX with XXXXXX representing a unique combination of letters and numbers.
Once you know the Compass gateway name, you can use it to log in to your system. Open a web browser and type the name of the Compass gateway. For instance, if the Compass gateway name is PRIVADA-123456, you would type in http://PRIVADA-123456/
PC and devices and Compass gateway connected to office network via multiple routers
In this situation, you have multiple routers in your network. The router’s configuration program usually uses the “Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol." DHCP is a protocol that automatically assigns a unique IP address to each device that connects to a network. When you connect your Compass gateway to your office network, DHCP will assign a unique IP address to the gateway[3].
To log into your Compass gateway, you will need to know the name of the gateway. In order to figure out the name, take a mobile device and stand close to the gateway. Use your device to search for available WiFi networks. One of the available networks will be the Compass gateway network. The name usually[2] is in the format PRIVADA-XXXXXX with XXXXXX representing a unique combination of letters and numbers.
Once you know the Compass gateway name, you can use it to log in to your system. Open a web browser and type the name of the Compass gateway. For instance, if the Compass gateway name is PRIVADA-123456, you would type in http://PRIVADA-123456/
However this may not always work. The Compass gateway is relying on a network broadcast to resolve the name to an IP address. The network broadcast only works if your PC and the Compass Gateway are on the same network segment. If you are on a different network segment, it will not be able to resolve the name. At this point, you should talk to your IT department to resolve this issue.
See also:
How do I set up my Compass networks?
Footnotes
1 The IP address (192.168.1.2) is the default one for the gateway. It is possible that your installer has changed the IP address. If that is the case, contact your installer for the correct IP address.
2 The name PRIVADA-XXXXXX is the default one for the gateway. It is possible that your installer has changed the name. If you do not recognize the name of your gateway in your list of WiFi networks, contact your installer for the correct name.
3. By default, the Compass gateway is set up to obtain an IP address via DHCP. It is also possible that your installer has assigned a static IP address to your gateway. If that is the case, contact your installer for the correct IP address.
4 The wifi IP address (192.168.137.1) is the default one for the gateway. It is possible that your installer has changed the IP address. If that is the case, contact your installer for the correct IP address.