All StarDot network video products include a CD-ROM with the StarDot Tools software. The StarDot Tools software is a small convenient application primarily designed to discover and list the IP addresses of all StarDot products on the local network. There are a number of other functions in the StarDot Tools software, which will be addressed in this section.
Device List
Double-clicking any device found in StarDot Tools will launch a web browser with the live image page. You can also highlight the device and click either the View Device or Configure Device button. In either case, a web browser is launched and will bring you to the live page or the config page.
Once you know the device’s IP, you do not need the StarDot Tools software – you can simply type the IP address into a browser address bar. In most cases, we recommend that you do not leave a StarDot device in DHCP mode but rather assign it a permanent address outside of the router’s DHCP range.
Right-Click Menu
The majority of functions in StarDot Tools can be found in the right-click menu. Right-click on the device in the list and the following menu appears:
- View Device [ launches browser to live video page ]
- Configure Device [ launches browser to configuration page ]
- Telnet [ launches telnet client ]
- View ► - [ displays list view options ]
- Arrange Items By ► [ displays list of arrangement options ]
- Refresh [ refreshes list ]
- Advanced [ displays advanced options, described below ]
- About StarDot Tools... [ displays version information ]
Advanced Menu
- Add Device... [ manually add StarDot device to list ]
- Set Time... [ set date/time of device from PC ]
- Erase Configuration... [ Erases settings, reboots with defaults ]
- Upgrade Firmware... [ upgrades device firmware ]
- Reboot... [ reboots device ]
- Status Page... [ launches browser to device status page ]
- System Log File... [ displays contents of device syslog ]
- Debug Log File... [ displays contents of device debug log ]
- View All Devices (Webpage) [ displays contents of device debug log ]
Setup Wizard
If the StarDot device is listed in the software, you simply double-click the IP to access it. You do not need the Setup Wizard to configure the device – you simply click the camera’s config link under the live image and configure the device with a web browser.
Here are some situations when the Setup Wizard is useful:
- The network has no DHCP server and you need to manually assign the StarDot device an IP address.
- There is no network available and you need to pre-configure the device before it’s deployed in the field.
- The StarDot device will be connecting to a serial modem.
- The customer does not understand networking, FTP, etc. and needs a step-by-step guide to walk them through configuration.
Usually the Setup Wizard talks to the camera via an included null modem serial cable. You will need a PC or laptop with an available serial port to use the Setup Wizard. Many PCs do not include a serial port but a USB to RS-232 adapter can be used in its place.
The Setup Wizard can also be used through a network connection. But if you can already communicate with the device via the network, we recommend using a web browser to configure the camera, not the Setup Wizard.
