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How to check if your asset is reachable on the local network

Use this guide to verify that your asset is reachable on the network — a requirement for the scanner to find it and for commissioning to succeed.

Written by Tim Fremuth

Connecting your energy asset to the local network and commissioning it on-site is the installer's responsibility. gridX support begins only once the asset is already connected to the same subnet as the gridBox and is actively reachable on the network. Use this guide to verify that yourself — before reaching out to support.

gridX can only assist with scan issues if the affected asset is connected to the same local network (subnet) as the gridBox and is reachable via ping. If the asset fails the reachability check, the issue must be resolved on the network side before you contacting support.

Step 1: Find the asset's IP address

You can find the IP address of your asset either through your router's web interface or via the command line. Choose whichever method is easier for you.

Option A: Via your router's web interface

Most routers show a list of all connected devices along with their IP and MAC addresses. Open the relevant section for your router model below.

AVM FRITZ!Box

  1. Open your browser and go to http://fritz.box or http://192.168.178.1

  2. Log in with your FRITZ!Box password (printed on the device label if not changed)

  3. In the top menu, click Heimnetz (Home Network)

  4. Then click Netzwerk (Network)

  5. The Netzwerkverbindungen (Network connections) tab shows all connected devices with their name, IP address, and MAC address

  6. Find your energy asset in the list (use the device name or MAC address on the type plate to identify it)

💡 Tip: The FRITZ!Box also shows the IP address of each device if you click on its name in the list. Look for the field labelled IPv4-Adresse.

Telekom Speedport

  1. Open your browser and go to http://speedport.ip or http://192.168.2.1

  2. Log in with your Speedport password (printed on the device label if not changed)

  3. In the navigation, click Heimnetz (or similar — the label may vary by firmware version)

  4. Select Geräte im Heimnetz (Devices in the home network)

  5. The table shows all connected devices. Locate your energy device and note its IP address

💡 Tip: If your Speedport shows device names only (no IP), click on the device name to open its detail view — the IP address is displayed there.

Vodafone Station

  1. Open your browser and go to http://192.168.0.1

  2. Log in with your Vodafone Station password (printed on the device label if not changed)

  3. Navigate to Heimnetz or Verbundene Geräte (Connected devices) — the exact label depends on your firmware version

  4. The list shows all devices connected to your network. Find your energy device and note its IP address and MAC address

💡 Tip: If you cannot find your asset in the list, make sure it is powered on and connected via Ethernet — Wi-Fi-only devices may appear under a separate section.

Option B: Via the command line (ARP scan)

If you don't have access to your router's web interface, you can use the ARP command on your computer to check whether your energy asset is known on the local network. The ARP table lists devices that your computer has recently communicated with. Identify your energy asset using the MAC address printed on its type plate — this gives you the corresponding IP address. If you need to share the output with support, provide only the single line that belongs to the energy asset. Do not forward the full ARP table — it may contain information about other devices on the network.

Windows

  1. Press the Windows key + R, type cmd, and press Enter to open the Command Prompt

  2. Type the following command and press Enter:

arp -a

The output lists all devices the computer has recently communicated with, grouped by network interface. Look for your asset by its MAC address (printed on the type plate). The corresponding IP address is shown in the Internet Address column.

💡 Tip: If your asset does not appear, try running arp -a shortly after powering the asset on, or ping the network's broadcast address first (e.g. ping 192.168.178.255) to force the ARP table to populate.

macOS

  1. Open the Terminal app (Applications → Utilities → Terminal, or search with Spotlight)

  2. Type the following command and press Enter:

arp -a

The output shows all locally known hosts with their IP address and MAC address. Match the MAC address from the asset's type plate to find its IP.

Linux

  1. Open a terminal

  2. Run either of these commands:

arp -a

# or, on modern systems:

ip neigh show

Both commands list active network neighbours with their IP and MAC addresses. Use the MAC address from the asset's type plate to identify the correct entry.

Step 2: Run a ping test

Once you have the asset's IP address, run a ping test to verify it is actively reachable on the network. Replace 192.168.1.100 in the examples below with your asset's actual IP address.

Windows

  1. Open the Command Prompt (Windows key + R → type cmd → Enter)

  2. Run the following command. The -n flag sets the number of packets to send (Windows default is 4, which is too few for a reliable result — we recommend 20):

ping -n 20 192.168.1.100

macOS

  1. Open the Terminal app

  2. Run the following command. The -c flag sets the number of packets to send — without it, ping runs indefinitely. We recommend 20 for a reliable result:

ping -c 20 192.168.1.100

Linux

  1. Open a terminal

  2. Run the following command. The -c flag sets the number of packets to send — without it, ping runs indefinitely on Linux too. We recommend 20 for a reliable result:

ping -c 20 192.168.1.100

Step 3: Interpret the results

Here is what the ping output tells you:

Result

What it means

Action

✅ Reply from [IP]: time < 5 ms, 0% packet loss

Asset is reachable and responding normally

Good — proceed to protocol configuration check

⚠️ Reply from [IP]: time > 50 ms or intermittent replies

Asset is reachable but the connection is unstable or slow — may cause scan failures

Check for network congestion, long cable runs, or Wi-Fi interference

⚠️ Packet loss > 0%

Some packets are not arriving — the connection is unstable

Check cable connections, switch quality, or Wi-Fi signal strength

❌ Request timed out / no reply

Asset is not responding — either it is unreachable, powered off, or a firewall is blocking ICMP

Verify the asset is powered on, check subnet settings, and disable any firewall rules blocking ICMP

❌ Destination host unreachable

The asset is on a different subnet or not connected to the network at all

Ensure the asset and gridBox are on the same subnet (same network range, no VLAN separation)

What to do next

Once you have confirmed that the asset is reachable (0% packet loss, response time below 5 ms), proceed with the protocol configuration check for your specific asset model. You can find the relevant commissioning guide in the Supported Assets List (SAL) in the Help Center.

If the asset is not reachable, resolve the network issue first. Only after a successful ping can gridX support effectively investigate scan failures on our end.

Still stuck? When contacting our support, please share only the ping output for your energy asset (copy-paste the terminal output), plus the asset model, IP address and MAC address. Please do not send full ARP tables or complete device lists from your router — only the data for the asset in question is needed and appropriate.

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