This document describes the Pixelink Camera IP Address Assignment Tool (PxLIpAddress.exe) which is used with network based cameras to manage the IP address assignment.  The document has the following sections:


  • Pixelink Cameras and IP addresses






Pixelink Cameras and IP addresses


Network based Pixelink cameras (currently, only cameras with a Gigabit Ethernet interface) must have a valid IP address assigned to it in order to function correctly.  This tool can be used to manage the IP address assignment for these cameras.  The program has two operational modes; dialog based interactive mode, and command line based mode.  Both modes of operation will allow you to manage IP address assignment using either dynamic (or automatic) IP address assignment, or static IP address assignment.


Static vs. Dynamic IP Address Assignment


Dynamic IP Address Assignment, or what Microsoft Windows refers to as automatic, is the technique used by the camera by default.  That is, the camera will query the network to which it is attached to try to assign itself an IP address appropriate for the network.  Should your network have a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server, then the camera will receive IP configuration information from the server.  In the absence of a DHCP server, the camera will use LLA (Link-Local Address) to assign itself an IP address.  It’s noteworthy that the LLA process can take up to a minute to resolve an IP address, so DHCP is generally the preferred technique for dynamic IP address assignment.  A camera which has used LLA to determine its network address, can be identified by having an address on the 169.254.0.0/16 IP subnet (having an IP address of 169.254.ddd.ddd and a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0).


Static IP Address Assignment requires the user to assign the IP configuration to the camera (using this tool).  This technique requires more network knowledge, and is typically only used in point-to-point connections, or in very small networks.


If you are unclear on what IP address assignment technique to use, or what IP address to assign, looking at the "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties" page within Windows is a good place to start (found under Start->ControlPanel->Network Connections->Properties of your NIC->Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties).  




If your NIC is set to "Obtain an IP address automatically", then your camera should be usable without any further configuration, as it too will use Dynamic IP address assignment.  However, if your NIC is set to "Use the following IP address" (as shown in the figure above), then you will have to use static IP address assignment for your camera.  Choose an IP address which is not being used by any other device on the network. Choosing an IP address which is one greater than the NIC IP address, is often a good choice (EG. NIC IP Address: 192.168.1.10 --> IP Engine IP Address: 192.168.1.11).  You should set the camera subnet mask and default gateway to the same values used by the NIC (the defaults used by this program).



If you have any questions about using the IP Address tool, please contact Pixelink Support by email at pixelink.support@ametek.com.