Setting up an ethernet connection between PC and HD24

Computers communicate with each other using a network standard called TCP/IP. For the network stuff to work, you'll need to understand how TCP/IP deals with assigning addresses. This short manual attempts to explain what's needed to get communication between a computer and the HD24 recorder working.

The long and short of it is:

Run winipcfg to see what the IP address of your computer is
Make sure that the HD24 has an IP address starting with the same 2 or 3 numbers*, but having a different last number- this last number should not be in use by any other computer on your network.

* The netmask indicates which devices are considered to be on the same logical network:

If your net mask is 255.0.0.0, the first number of the IP address is considered to be the logical network ID, and the last three numbers the device ID. Usually this netmask is used in conjunction with IP addresses in the 10.x.x.x range.
If your net mask is 255.255.0.0, the first two numbers of the IP address are considered the network ID, and the last two numbers the device ID. This netmask is the most common, and is most commonly used for logical networks in the 192.168.x.x and 169.254.x.x range.
If your net mask is 255.255.255.0, the first three numbers of the IP address are considered the network ID, and the last number the device ID.

Note that although other netmasks are possible, usually you won't need to worry about then.

To communicate between computer and HD24 (or any two network devices), they must be on the same logical network (i.e. first few numbers of the IP address must be equal) and they must have different device IDs. Netmask settings of the two devices must be identical.

By default, Windows assigns a network ID of 169.254.x.x to computers; this means that for the HD24 have a connection to your computer, the IP address of the HD24 should also start with those two numbers. (Based on the explanation above, if the first numbers of your IP address are different for your computer, you should be able to figure out what settings work best for you).

Rather than messing around with the networking settings of your computer, I'd suggest adapting the network settings of the HD24 to make sure are compatible with the settings of your computer.

Once (logically speaking) everything is set up correctly, you need to make sure that there is a proper phyiscal connection between your computer and the HD24. If you're connecting the network of the HD24 directly to your computer, you'll need a crossover cable; if you're using a switch or router, both cables need to be regular network cables. It does seem that the more components are between the computer and the HD24, however, the more flaky the connection is- for best results, just use a crossover cable.

Testing the connection

To test if the connection works, you'll need to start up a DOS box on your computer. If your HD24 has IP address 169.254.12.34, you should now be able to type

ping 169.254.12.34

This sends an "echo request" message to the HD24 recorder. If it receives this request, it will answer this echo request with "pong" - showing that the network connection works fine in two directions. So if all is set up correctly, you should get a reply along the lines of:

PING 169.254.12.34 (169.254.12.34) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 169.254.12.34: icmp_seq=1 ttl=51 time=15.7 ms
64 bytes from 169.254.12.34: icmp_seq=2 ttl=51 time=17.4 ms
64 bytes from 169.254.12.34: icmp_seq=3 ttl=51 time=18.5 ms
64 bytes from 169.254.12.34: icmp_seq=3 ttl=51 time=14.2 ms

This means all is working as it should. If, instead, you get "Request timed out" or something similar, something is still not working- most likely the replies are being blocked by your firewall software.

You'll now need to find a suitable file transfer program. Some people have reported good success with WSFTP. It does seem that the more components are between the computer and the HD24, however, the more flaky the connection is. Also, after all that complex setup, expect transfers to be slow. (This is probably why most people recommend HD24tools over ethernet: the setup generally requires less technical knowledge and transfer rates are considerably higher).

Should you have any further questions or if I have been unclear about anything, feel free to ask.