Wire-Lists #53 – 7 Steps to Setting Up Wireless Designer and Dante® Using a Network Switch and a DSQD

Back in Wire List #42,we discussed connecting to Wireless Designer over a network. Since then, we have received several calls and questions regarding network switch connections with Dante and Wireless Designer.

The first thing to remember is that Dante configures itself; it is literally plug and play. The following instructions, which are the same for Mac and PC, configure Dante to interface through the switch and communicate with Wireless Designer. We use a DSQD for our example, but you can set up other Dante-enabled receivers with this process as well:

1. First, set your computer network connection to DHCP. DHCP is the default factory setting, so unless you have changed this for some reason*, you shouldn’t have to do this. For our purposes, we used a Dante Virtual Sound Card on a Mac, which worked well. If it does not work for you, you might have to set up a static IP. See Step 3 below.
   * Leaving the computer in DHCP will allow Dante to configure correctly. All units should populate in Dante Controller.
2. Connect your DSQD’s ethernet and Dante ports to the switch. Dante ports should be the upper port. If using multiple DSQDs in a rack, you can also daisy chain them if you want one cable going to the switch (i.e., the switch hooked to a DSQD upper port and that DSQD’s lower port to the next DSQD’s upper port, etc.).
3. Turn off DCHP on the DSQD(s) and set the DSQD’s IP address to 169.254.1.1, the second one to 169.254.1.2 and subsequently increase the last digit as necessary (i.e., 1.3, 1.4, etc.).
4. Set the net mask to 255.255.0.0 and set the ports to 4080. These settings are identical for each connected unit.
5. Back out of the Network Settings menu on the DSQD. The unit will indicate that it will reboot.
6. Reboot the unit. You should be able to use the address that you set for the DSQD to connect via Wireless Designer.
7. In Wireless Designer, you will need to connect each DSQD individually by entering their IP addresses. Once that is done, however, you can save to a Connection List. The next time you open a session, you can populate all frames by loading a previously saved Connection List.
   
   

Please note that connecting control ports and Dante ports of the same units to the same ethernet switch is recommended only when there is very little traffic on the network you are working with. Otherwise, two separate switches - one for Dante and the other for control via Wireless Designer - are recommended.

Many thanks to Phillip W. Palmer, CAS and IATSE Local 695, for experimenting with us and breaking this exercise down into an easy-to-understand process.

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