Firewall Requirements
Incoming Firewall Ports: No incoming firewall ports need to be opened.
Outgoing Firewall Ports: If outgoing ports are blocked, the following outgoing ports need to be opened for each uniquely identifiable BoxCaster (using the MAC ID found on the bottom of the BoxCaster).
- TCP Ports 80 and 443 (for low-volume control protocols).
- UDP Port 53 (for DNS), unless a network-local DNS server is provided in the DHCP reply.
- UDP Port 123 (for NTP), unless a network-local NTP server is provided in the DHCP reply.
- TCP and UDP Ports 10,000 - 65,535 (for high-volume stream data).
IP Adress Requirements
IP Address. DHCP is required for IP Address assignment. Networks that are configured to reject non-authorized devices will require that the MAC ID of the BoxCaster be added to the list of authorized devices. The MAC ID can be found on the under-side sticker.
BoxCast currently sends data to IPs in the AWS East Coast region. For the list of possible ranges follow the link provided and click "Download".
Can I Assign a Static IP Address to the BoxCaster?
Not directly. The BoxCaster itself requires DHCP to access our media servers so assigning a static IP to the device itself will not work but you can handle this from the network side by adding the MAC ID (found on the bottom of the BoxCaster or in the sources area of the dashboard) to the DHCP server and then creating an IP reservation in your network for that MAC ID. This way, when your network sees the BoxCaster online it can give a specific IP, no problem.
There is also a work around if the above fails for you. Bear in mind that this isn't the recommended first option. You can plug the network into a router and then plug the router into your BoxCaster. You can assign a static IP to the router while still allowing the BoxCaster to request DHCP. It is never ideal to add an extra piece of equipment between the network and the BoxCaster as this increases the chance of latency but it can work in a pinch.
To find your Mac ID address of the BoxCaster, go to the sources tab and click on the BoxCaster.
How and why does the BoxCaster use DNS (Domain Name Service)?
How:
The BoxCaster uses the Domain Name Service (DNS) to locate services it needs to use on the internet (e.g. the BoxCast website). If your network provides a network-local DNS server, the BoxCaster will utilize it. If a network-local DNS server is not present or is misconfigured, the BoxCaster will utilize Google's public DNS.
Why:
We fall back to external DNS in case a local DNS service is not present, compromised, or misconfigured. If you have a strict IT policy regarding external communications, we recommend you allow the BoxCaster to communicate with Google Public DNS servers (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4); however, if you have a properly configured local DNS server that is provided in the DHCP reply, this is not necessary.
If you have any other network questions please reach out to questions@boxcast.com.