Due to my network circumstances (which I don’t know how to solve, but if someone can offer suggestions then Id be grateful for that too…), my WDTV Live is not automatically discovered as a DLNA device in DLNA software of my iPad. It is discovered OK from other devices and software that are on wired connections - it’s just that my iPad is the only thing connected to the wireless port on my router and it’s the only thing that cannot automatically discover UPnP devices.
So I have to set up the device manually in the particular software I’ve got by entering its IP address, or more specifically, the URL of the “Device Description” document.
Although I have my WD TV set up with a static IP, the port number changes from time to time. The URL is http://:/ but in my experiments the port number alternates between 55744, 55194 and 63365.
Each time it changes, I have to re-define the device to my iPad.
Apart from never switching the WD TV Live off, is there anything I can do to stop the port number changing?
The WD TV Live is being used as a DLNA Renderer from the iPad.
If I use DHCP then the IP address itself changes depending on how many devices on my network I’ve got switched on! I don’t want the URL to change at all as I have to define it explicitly to the DLNA software.
No you can’t change this behaviour. When the WD TV receives an M-SEARCH broadcast on the network it will reply with the appropriate URL to the Device Description XML. It will choose a random port number. This is how UPNP/DLNA device discovery works.
You have not mentioned what model your wireless router is, but check the router configuration and make sure it is forwarding all necessary traffic. Look for something like broadcast/passthru SSDP/UPNP/DLNA/UDP.
My router is a Zoom ADSL X6, about 6 years old. I’ve trawled through its configuration pages and there is nothing I can find that is relevant, apart from turning UPnP off or on. There is a firmware update available for it, although there is no indication that this problem would be fixed by the update and I’m wary of bricking the device! But actually I have this week ordered a more up-to-date router, a Billion BiPac 7800N. It hasn’t arrived yet, but I’m pretty sure that this is a decent router that should be able to do this sort of basic functionality. I’ve downloaded its user manual in advance but, again, there is nothing configurable with regard to UPnP, SSDP, discovery etc, only the ability to turn UPnP off or on. Anyway, fingers crossed!
I’m not convinced that randomly changing the port number is an inherent feature of device discovery. None of my other DLNA devices (renderers and servers) change their port numbers, and indeed the WD TV doesn’t change it every time, only every so often. I think what you meant is that IF device discovery is working correctly on your network then changing the port number shouldn’t actually matter.
