Back to Setting Up the Tracking System Unit
Introduction
One of the most common issues people experience during the early stages of setting up a tracking system is that their computer doesn't receive any data from the tracking device, despite everything being properly bound and every related system running well.
This document discusses how your computer's firewall settings could interfere with your tracking system, causing such problems, and how you can solve them.
How Tracking Systems Report Data Over the Network
Most tracking systems communicate through Local Area Networks (LAN) to report their data to a computer/software. UDP (User Datagram Protocol) is one of the most frequently used network protocols for this type of communication.
Each network device needs
- a network (can be wired or wireless, although wired networks are considered more reliable),
- IP address (each network device needs a different IP address on the same network),
- a port to communicate through (typically consists of a type of protocol (e.g., UDP) and a port number).
NOTE: A metaphor for this could be commuting in a neighborhood, where the streets represent the network, the houses represent the network devices (e.g computers, which have unique (IP) addresses), and the entrance doors (windows and pipes too) of the houses represent ports through which things can enter/exit the house.
NOTE: A UDP port is a software abstraction that interconnects computers. It is not a physical thing like a USB port.
There are many ports in use in a simple home network because many protocols have their own officially dedicated ports. Because of this, when you set up the port your tracking system will use, we recommend using the factory default UDP port number the tracking system comes with to avoid collisions with other ports that may be in use.
After finishing the Setting Up the Tracking System Unit (and after thoroughly checking all the physical connections and network settings), if your computer still cannot receive data from the tracking system, we recommend proceeding with adding an exception to your computer's firewall settings to ensure that communication (e.g. receiving data) on the selected port number is allowed.
Using Multiple Tracking Systems on the Same Network
In cases where multiple tracking systems are used on the same network, each tracking system must use a distinct port number.
How to Permit a Port on Windows Firewall
Windows Firewall is a network security application. Its main purpose is to block ports to prevent illegal penetrations from the Internet. Although some general ports are open (TCP, SSL, SNMP, FTP, etc), you may have to open your UDP ports manually by adding an exception to the Firewall.
Navigate to Control Panel/System and Security/Windows Defender Firewall in Windows:
Go to Advanced Settings, then right-click on the Inbound Rules category in the upper-left corner of this window. Select "New Rule...".
The following GIF goes through this process:
NOTE: If you use a separate Local Area Network that doesn't connect to the Internet, you can switch off the Firewall for this VLAN.
