Skip to main content

Network tools: ping, port test, address scanner

Updated
⚡ Reduxi Configurator · User manual

Network tools: ping, port test, address scanner

Test from the controller itself whether a device or server is reachable, and find devices on the local network.

⏱ approx. 5 minutes
📍 Settings → System → Tools
👤 Installer
← Open VPN☰ Manual contentsAudit log →
📋 In this article
  1. Overview
  2. Ping a host
  3. Test a TCP port
  4. Scan the local network
  5. Checklist

→ Overview

The three tools under Settings → System → Tools run on the controller, not on your computer. They show what the controller itself can reach, which is what matters when a device does not communicate or a connector does not connect.

  • Ping test — does a host answer at all?
  • TCP port test — does a host accept connections on a given port, for example Modbus TCP on 502?
  • Address scanner — which devices are on the controller's local network, and is a port open on them?

All three are read-only: they do not change any setting.

💡

Which tool first

To check a Modbus TCP device before you add it, run the TCP port test on its IP address and port. Ping alone is not enough: many devices do not answer ping but do accept Modbus connections, and the other way round.

1 Ping a host

1
Open the tool
In the left menu, click Settings, System, Tools, then Ping test.
2
Enter the host
Type an IP address or host name in Host. The field starts with 8.8.8.8 (a public server, useful to test internet access).
3
Run the test
Click Test. After a few seconds Result shows the output of two pings.
Ping test page with Host 127.0.0.1, the Test button and a Result box: 2 packets transmitted, 2 received, 0% packet loss
Ping test with host 127.0.0.1 and the result of two successful pings
Parameter What it does Unit / default
Host IP address or host name to ping. default 8.8.8.8
Test Sends two pings, half a second apart, and waits up to 2 seconds for each answer. —
Result Raw output of the ping command. 2 received, 0% packet loss = the host answers; 100% packet loss = no answer; unknown host or Name or service not known = the name cannot be resolved (check DNS on Settings → Network). text

2 Test a TCP port

1
Open the tool
Click Settings, System, Tools, then TCP port test.
2
Enter host and port
Type the device's IP address or host name in Host and the port in Port, for example 502 for Modbus TCP.
3
Run the test
Click Test. Result shows whether the port is open. The test waits up to 5 seconds.
TCP port test page with Host 127.0.0.1, Port 8080, the Test button and a green Result line: Port 8080 is opened.
TCP port test with host 127.0.0.1, port 8080 and the result "Port 8080 is opened."
Parameter What it does Unit / default
Host IP address or host name to test. —
Port TCP port to test. Common ports: 502 Modbus TCP, 443 HTTPS, 8883 MQTT over TLS, 1883 MQTT. —
Test Tries to open a TCP connection to the host and port. Changing Host or Port clears the last result. —
Result / before the first test. Port … is opened. (green) = the connection was accepted. Port … is closed. (red) = refused, no answer within 5 seconds, or the host name cannot be resolved. —

ℹ️

"Opened" is not "working"

An open port proves that something accepts connections, not that it is the right device or speaks the right protocol. If the port is open but the device still shows communication errors, check the Modbus unit ID and the register settings of the device.

3 Scan the local network

1
Open the tool
Click Settings, System, Tools, then Address scanner.
2
Set the port
Enter the port to test on each device found in Port (default 502).
3
Choose the scan type
Leave Extended scan for IP on No for a quick scan. Switch it to Yes to also find devices that do not announce themselves.
4
Scan
Click Scan. A quick scan takes a few seconds, an extended scan considerably longer. The table appears below the button.
Address scanner page after a scan on port 502 with Extended scan for IP set to No: a table with columns IP address, MAC address, Vendor and Port status listing three addresses, followed by a legend explaining OPEN, CLOSED, FILTERED, UNFILTERED, OPEN_FILTERED and CLOSED_FILTERED
Address scanner results: three addresses with MAC address, vendor Unknown and port status CLOSED, and the legend of port states
Parameter What it does Unit / default
Port TCP port tested on every address found. default 502
Extended scan for IP No = quick scan: devices that announce themselves on the network (mDNS) and devices the controller has recently exchanged data with. Yes = additionally pings every address in the controller's local network (the /24 range of each interface) and runs a network scan, which finds silent devices but takes longer. Yes / No · default No
Scan Starts the scan. —
IP address Address of a device found. The list is sorted by address. —
MAC address Hardware address of the device, when known. —
Vendor Manufacturer derived from the MAC address. Unknown = not in the vendor list. —
Port status Result of a connection attempt to Port (1 second per address). OPEN = accepts connections, CLOSED = refused, UNKNOWN = no answer in time or not tested. —
Legend Explains the port states. —

💡

Finding a device after its IP address changed

Note the device's MAC address (often on its label). Run the scanner with the device's port and look for that MAC address: the IP address next to it is the new one.

4 Checklist

  • The TCP port test shows the device's port as opened from the controller.
  • The device's IP address and MAC address appear in the Address scanner.
  • The IP address and port you enter when adding the device are the ones tested here.
  • For cloud, MQTT or Flex problems, the server's host and port were tested with the TCP port test.
← Open VPN☰ Manual contentsAudit log →