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The interface can be accessed by using an internet browser on any PC, Mac, tablet or smartphone.
The easiest way to connect to the interface is to have a wired Ethernet connection from your router to the MDA. When the MDA is switched on, it will automatically configure itself for your network and you can then access the MDA’s interface by entering the following link into your browser: http://mda/
The MDA also acts as a WIFI-hotspot, with default network name (network SSID) mda-hotspot. With a WIFI capable PC, Mac, tablet or smartphone, you can search for this WIFI network and connect to it, using the default WIFI password 12345678. When the connection is established you can again access the MDA-interface from a browser on the link: http://mda/ . If you have modified the name of the MDA, and have forgotten this new name, you can always establish the connection using the MDA’s hotspot IP-address, and use http://192.168.50.5
(Note on WIFI hotspot use, if your device is connected to a different WIFI network, this connection will be terminated, as your device is only able to connect to one WIFI-network at the time, meaning you will lose your internet connection as well).
Through the interface, you can also setup the MDA to connect to your own WIFI-network. When this connection is established, on the interface is once again accessible at: http://mda/
Note that the default name of the MDA is “mda”, however, in the interface you can change this name. If you change the name, you have to access the MDA under the new name http://newname/
Potential problems and the associated solutions:
If you have connected to the MDA earlier through another connection, like for instance through a wired connection with a router before using the MDA-hotspot, there is a possibility that your computer/smart device remembers the MDA on the previous old connection (technical term for this is that the DNS records are cached).
In that case, the connection to http://mda will not be established (although the connection to http://192.168.50.5 always will result in a connection).
In order to clear the cache of your computer of smart device and to connect using the name again, the following action should be taken:
- On an Android device, iPad or iPhone, before establishing the WIFI connection, switch “Airplane mode” on (in the Settings app), keep “Airplane mode” on for approx. 10 seconds and then switch “Airplane mode” off. Thereafter, establish the WIFI connection.
- On a Windows PC: open a command prompt window, by pressing the Windows Key or the search symbol, type “Command Prompt”, right-click the Command Prompt application and select “Run as Administrator”. Type the following command in the command line and hit enter: ipconfig /flushdns
- On a Mac, open a terminal window. Type the following command and hit enter: sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder; sleep 2; . You might be prompted to enter your administrator password.
Another problem can occur when there are too many WIFI networks in the direct surroundings (and potentially transmitting on the same WIFI channel). The connection might then drop or might be unstable. Only remedy is to try to rearrange the MDA and PC or smart device setup, trying to find a place with less disturbance. When the MDA has dropped its hotspot connection, due to whatever reason, your PC or smart device will most likely automatically reconnect to another known network if in range, like your home or school network. When the MDA hotspot is back again, you need to manually reconnect to the MDA hotspot again. For a Mac, alternatively you can setup the order for automatic reconnects, and if so preferred, you can put the MDA-hotspot on top of the list (System Preferences-Network-WIFI-Advanced settings).
Alternative method for network connections:
In case you cannot find the MDA on your network using the MDA name (in technical terms, your router does not support local DNS services), you can either connect to the MDA using the IP address of the MDA, which for the hotspot is 192.168.50.5. However, for the MDA connected through the wired connection or through your own WIFI network, you need to obtain the IP address from the router (if you login to your router, you normally will find an overview with all connected devices with their IP-addresses).
Instead of using IP-addresses, a much easier way is to connect to the MDA with the so-called Bonjour service, in that case, enter http://mda.local in your browser, and the connection to the MDA will be established. This Bonjour service is standard on iPad, iPhone and Mac, but needs to be installed (once) on a Windows PC. Installation can be done by using Edge as a browser (not IE), goto https://support.apple.com/kb/DL999?locale=en_US and download and install the application. The name is a bit confusing, called Bonjour Print Service, but this is the application working with the MDA to find the name mda.local (not mda) on the network.