14.6 Printer local IP address (for connecting to local web interface)

The printer’s local IP address is used when connecting to the printer’s local web interface. The local IP address depends upon what network the printer is on.

If your printer is online to the Polar Cloud – connected through a local network at your site to the Polar Cloud – the Polar Cloud knows the printer’s local IP address. Try hovering over the “LOCAL UI” button¹ from the Polar Cloud’s printer dashboard or printer management screen to have your browser display the IP address the Polar Cloud knows; see the lower left of Figure 14.20. Or try clicking the “LOCAL UI” button as that will cause the Polar Cloud to attempt to open up a new window to the printer’s local IP address. Note that the Polar Cloud’s attempt to connect back to that local IP address from over the Internet may or may not be permitted due to your local network’s security settings; but even if the Polar Cloud connection attempt back from the Internet (hence external to your site) is not permitted, that IP address to which the Polar Cloud attempted to connect is the local IP address which you, on the local network, should be able to use to connect to the printer’s local web interface, should you wish to do so.

However, if a Polar3D printer is not configured to connect to a local network, and is merely running its own WiFi hotspot, then on its own WiFi hotspot the Polar3D printer’s local IP address is 192.168.0.1. For a new Polar3D printer, not connected to any local network, see the discussion of connecting to the printer via the printer’s own WiFi hotspot at step 5 of Section 1.1 in the Polar3D Printer Guide: you will need to get your device onto the printer’s own WiFi hotspot, on which its local IP address is 192.168.0.1. If you are connecting to the Polar3D printer’s local web interface to perform direct printing (printing without using the Polar Cloud), see the further discussion in Section C.1 of the Polar3D Printer Guide.

If your printer is connected to a local network but your site’s Internet connection is down, so that the printer is not connected to the Polar Cloud, then (unless your site uses static IP addresses and you previously made a note of your printer’s static local IP address), you may need to ask your network manager to tell you your printer’s current local IP address. In particular, if your site’s local network uses DHCP (dynamically assigned) IP addresses, your printer’s local IP address may change from time to time. The Polar Cloud notes the IP address your printer had when connecting, so that is why when your printer is online to the Polar Cloud the Polar Cloud can tell you your printer’s current local IP address (regardless of whether your local network allows external connections, such as from the Polar Cloud, back to that local IP address); but when your printer is disconnected from the Polar Cloud, the Polar Cloud will not be aware if your printer’s local IP address happens to have changed.