What is my IP Address?

Solution

In order for two devices to communicate over Ethernet, each device must have a unique IP address that is on the same subnet. Typically, this means that the first three octets of the IP address are the same and the last octet is unique and different.

When developing programs for a PLC and HMI, the PC will need to connect to both the PLC and the HMI for programming, so you might have the following IP addresses assigned to each device:

HMI: 192.168.1.10
PLC: 192.168.1.20
PC: 192.168.1.30

The subnet mask should be 255.255.255.0 for each device. This allows devices beginning with the same first three octets (in this case an IP address of 192.168.1.xxx) to communicate with one another.

HMI IP Address

The IP address for the HMI is configured in the System Settings window in the HMI. When you first receive your HMI, it is running the demo project for that particular model. For our HMI5000 series units, you will see an arrow in the bottom-right corner of the screen that gives you access to the System Toolbar when you touch it. For our cMT Series units, there will be an orange circle in the top left corner.

HMI5000 series: Touch the arrow, then touch the “gear” icon to enter the System Settings window (the default system password is 111111).

cMT series: Touch the circle, followed by the lock icon, then enter the password (default is 111111) to gain access to the full list of System Settings.

The first tab in the System Settings window is the network tab, or 4^th on the list for the cMT series, which is where you configure the IP address of the HMI.

The HMI is configured to “Obtain an IP Address Automatically” when it is shipped from the factory. This is used if the HMI will be connected to a network with a DHCP server that can assign and manage all the IP addresses on the network.

Select the “IP address get from below” radio button to assign a static IP address to the HMI or, tap the slider on your cMT series device so that the IP address field is no longer greyed out.

If you do not see the arrow in the bottom-right corner of the screen, or the orange circle in the top left, it may have been disabled in the project that was downloaded to the HMI. There are options to “Hide system setting bar” for a HMI5000 series and “Hide start button” for a cMT series in the System Parameters > System Settings tab in EBPro. Uncheck this option and redownload your project to the HMI to enable the System Setting button on the device.

Alternatively, on a cMT series device you can try holding the top left corner of the screen, where the circle normally would be, for 1.5 seconds. If the button is hidden, then this will open the menu and you can adjust your settings as needed, but if it is disabled then you will need to follow the instructions above for changing this setting in EBPro.

If the HMI has four DIP switches in the back under a rubber cover, DIP switch #2 can also be used to hide the System Setting arrow (UP = Hidden; DOWN = Visible).

PLC IP Address

The IP address for the PLC is configured according to the instructions provided by the PLC manufacturer. In your project, the IP address of the PLC is entered when you configure the device in the System Parameters. Navigating to the System Parameters differs slightly, depending on which version of the software you are using.

In EBPro, navigate to Home tab > System Parameters > Device List > Device Properties.

PC IP Address

In EBpro, you can click on “What’s my IP?” in the upper-right corner of the System Parameter Settings window to find the IP address of your PC’s Ethernet port(s).

If you want to change the IP address of your PC, open the Control Panel and select “Network and Sharing Center,” click the “Local Area Connection” and navigate to the “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties.”