Table of Contents
How TetherBox Detects Devices
Your TetherBox automatically discovers Cameras, recorders, and network Devices using multiple scanning techniques. It also detects IP address changes and monitors Devices across multiple VLANs.
Discovery Methods
Your TetherBox employs multiple scanning techniques to locate devices:
- ICMP Pinging - Verify active devices via ping
- ARP Table Analysis - Examine switch and device ARP tables
- Broadcast Discovery - Use methods like WD Discovery
- API Port Scanning - Requests on ports 80, 443, 8080, 553
- SNMP Queries - Simple Network Management Protocol requests
- Port Scanning - Targeted scanning on specific ports
These methods are intelligently scheduled to balance responsiveness with minimal network load.
Network discovery happens automatically on all configured VLANs and subnet ranges.
Automatic IP Address Detection
Devices frequently change IP addresses due to DHCP lease expiration, power outages, or manual reconfiguration. Your TetherBox detects these changes by identifying each device's MAC address (hardware address).
Warning: Some network equipment conceals real MAC addresses, preventing automatic IP change detection.
Scanned Network Ranges
Your TetherBox automatically scans these ranges by default:
| Range | Typical Device |
|---|---|
| 192.168.5.0/24 | Milesight |
| 10.1.1.0/24 | QVIS/Adata |
| 192.168.254.0/24 | Hikvision |
| 192.0.0.0/24 | Older Hikvision/Dahua |
| 10.10.1.0/24 | WiFi equipment |
| 172.16.30.0/24 | WiFi equipment |
| 10.12.5.0/24 | Pelco |
| 192.168.0.0/24, 192.168.1.0/24 | Router defaults |
| 192.168.88.0/24 | TetherX static range |
When you add a camera manually on a non-default range, TetherBox automatically begins scanning that range.
Multi-VLAN Support
Your TetherBox can automatically join multiple VLANs:
- Uses ARP and broadcast scans to discover devices
- Selects unused IP address at random for each VLAN
- View all assigned IPs in Admin > TetherBoxes > [Name] > Network tab
There is no limit to the number of VLANs a TetherBox can join. There's a small chance it may select an IP from a disconnected device (which remains in ARP cache), but this is rare.
Limitations
Hidden MAC Addresses
If your network masks MAC addresses by design, TetherBox cannot:
- Detect IP address changes
- Accurately report device health
- Prevent false "offline" alerts
Solutions depend on your equipment:
- Disable MAC address filtering/cloaking
- Disable (or enable) bridge mode
- Disable virtual MAC address features
- Switch from WET to WDS mode (if applicable)
Check your device's documentation or contact manufacturer support.
Internet-Connected Devices
Devices on the public Internet may prevent automatic detection. Manually add such devices to TetherX.
Related Articles
How to Enable ONVIF - Enable ONVIF for improved device discovery
TetherBox Troubleshooting - Resolve connectivity issues
Tunnelling to Network Devices - Remotely access devices on your network
