IT: Finding the IP address and MAC address of a BuildBee CloudDock

If you are troubleshooting the Internet connection of a BuildBee CloudDock, knowing the IP or MAC address of the device may help you out:

Getting the CloudDock IP address

Method 1: BuildBee enterprise tools

This method is only available to users with an Enterprise subscription.

- Go to enterprise tools.

- Click on the printers page.

- Select the printer of interest. If that printers CloudDock has connected to the Internet before, you will able to see its IP address:

Method 2: Direct device access

If you are on a Free or Pro subscription, we can obtain the IP address directly from the BuildBee CloudDock.

- Disconnect the power supply from the BuildBee CloudDock.

- Connect the CloudDock to a monitor via HDMI.

- Plug the power supply back into the CloudDock. If the BuildBee is able to connect to the Internet, it will show its IP address on the screen. If no IP address is displayed then the CloudDock is not currently connected to a network. In this case, it is likely that the CloudDock has not been configured correctly or a network issue is present. 

 

Getting the CloudDock MAC address

Method 1: Direct lookup method

If the BuildBee CloudDock is connected to your network and you know the IP address of the CloudDock (see above), the MAC address can be quickly found using a computer on the same network:

- Open a terminal on your machine (on Windows use Command-Line, on Mac use Terminal).

- Type ping "IP_ADDRESS" (e.g. ping 192.168.66.137) and press enter. This command will make a test connection to the machine.

- After a few seconds press Ctrl+C (or Cmd+C) to stop pinging the BuildBee CloudDock.

- Type arp -a and press enter. This command will list all the MAC addresses of known devices on your current network.

- Look for the line which matches the IP address of the BuildBee CloudDock and the MAC address will be nearby on the line. For example, here we get the MAC address "b8:27:eb:99:8c:60":

 

Method 2: Scan the entire network

If you have a comprehensive enterprise network solution, have connected your BuildBee CloudDock to the network, but know the device does not have Internet access without the MAC address being whitelisted; the following method is recommended:

- Use either your internal network tools or some IP Scanning software (such as Angry IP scanner) to do a sweep of all the devices in your network.

- Find all devices whose MAC addresses starts with b8:27:eb. This is the MAC vendor lookup code associated with the BuildBee hardware platform, the Raspberry Pi.

- White-list all matching addresses.

- Reboot your BuildBee CloudDocks and they should connect to BuildBee online. Find the IP address of your BuildBee CloudDock (see above)

- Go back over your network scan and make sure that no non-BuildBee Raspberry Pi-based devices were whitelisted by accident.

 

If the CloudDock is not present on your network, or if the IP address is not valid, the device is either powered down or otherwise unable to connect to the Internet. In this case, the user should ensure that the CloudDock is powered and configured correctly. If the CloudDock still cannot reach the internet, it may be connected but unable to dial out of the school network. In this case, IT staff at the school may be able to determine the device IP address locally.

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