Enhancing Network Device Discovery and Management

[GreenWizard2015]

Project Tea currently supports both static and dynamic (DHCP) IP configurations for its Arduino-based system. However, each method presents its own challenges, impacting the reliability and flexibility of the network setup.

Static IP Approach:

• Pro: Simplified network setup and predictable device addressing.
• Con: Risk of IP address conflicts, especially in networks with DHCP. For example, if a router is reset or a new device is introduced, the static IP might conflict with a dynamically assigned IP, leading to connectivity issues.

Dynamic IP (DHCP) Approach:

• Pro: Automatically assigns IP addresses, reducing the risk of conflicts.
• Con: Inconsistent device accessibility. For instance, if a device frequently disconnects and reconnects, it may receive a different IP each time, complicating remote access or consistent communication with other networked devices.

Proposed Solutions:

1. mDNS (Multicast DNS):

   • Discovers devices by name rather than IP in local networks.
   • Resolves the issue of tracking changing IP addresses in DHCP without risking conflicts (Source: MegunoLink).

2. Pluggable Discovery in Arduino IDE:

   • Supports non-traditional communication protocols.
   • Can provide a more adaptable discovery mechanism for various network types (Source: Omzlo).

3. NetDiscovery Library for ESP8266:

   • Implements UDP multicast discovery protocol on WiFi networks.
   • Suitable for discovering and managing devices dynamically in a WiFi setup (Source: GitHub - NetDiscovery).