Networking Manual
Setting up Searchlight to work on your local network is very easy. If your iPhone has a wifi connection on the same local network, it will automatically find the Searchlight server via Bonjour, making setup near automatic. See Steps 1 and 2 below.
You may have to change your network setup to allow you to access Searchlight over the internet, such as accessing Searchlight via your iPhone while away from the home/office over 3G. This can be quite difficult for people that have never done anything like this before. See Steps 3 and 4 below to learn more about how to set this up.
Step 2: Connecting with the iPhone on the local network
If your iPhone and your Mac (that has Searchlight installed and running) are located on the same local network, you should be able to connect with the iPhone App with ease. After starting the Searchlight iPhone App, it should automatically find the Searchlight server via Bonjour. All you have to do is select the server from the list, and enter your Mac's user name and password to log in.
If this does not work, you can always manually enter the server's IP address to log in.
Step 4: Port Forwarding
Download Port Map and set it up to forward the correct ports. See the screenshot on the left for the correct settings. Make sure you enter the Reference String as https://[IP]:[PORT]
If port forwarding with Port Map fails, please see the troubleshooting section at the bottom of this page.
Download Port Map and set it up to forward the correct ports. See the screenshot on the left for the correct settings. Make sure you enter the Reference String as https://[IP]:[PORT]
If port forwarding with Port Map fails, please see the troubleshooting section at the bottom of this page.
Troubleshooting: Port
Forwarding
Depending on your network setup (what kind of modem, router etc. you have) you may have to do some manual port forwarding. This can be a challenge. Fortunately there is a good website which walks you through this process step by step: www.portforward.com
Remember, if Searchlight is in its default configuration (ssl activated), it will be running on port 443 (the standard port) for https on your mac. So this is the port you will want to access from the outside when you are setting up port forwarding.
Depending on your network setup (what kind of modem, router etc. you have) you may have to do some manual port forwarding. This can be a challenge. Fortunately there is a good website which walks you through this process step by step: www.portforward.com
Remember, if Searchlight is in its default configuration (ssl activated), it will be running on port 443 (the standard port) for https on your mac. So this is the port you will want to access from the outside when you are setting up port forwarding.
Step 1: Accessing Searchlight on the local network
By default Searchlight is configured to have SSL activated. The default Searchlight URL is https://"computer name" and can be found at the very top of the main Searchlight preference window. See the example image on the left where the Searchlight URL is: https://CoreBook.local, in your case it will be a different URL. Click the URL. If your browser opens up and you are asked to authenticate with your username and password, Searchlight is properly configured on your Mac. You can enter your username and password to log in (these are the same username and password that you also use to log in to your Mac).
If everything is set up properly, you will also be able to access Searchlight from all other machines on the Local network, simply enter the same URL in the browser of another machine on the local network.
Step 3: Enable NAT Port Mapping
Protocol
Once you have Searchlight set up to work locally you can now go ahead and setup your network to allow you to connect to it via the internet. This is necessary if you want to access your files via Searchlight when away from your local network (home or office).
Enable NAT Port Mapping Protocol first. This may already be enabled on your network. If you have an Apple Airport Extreme or Express router, you can find easy instructions from Apple here.
Once you have Searchlight set up to work locally you can now go ahead and setup your network to allow you to connect to it via the internet. This is necessary if you want to access your files via Searchlight when away from your local network (home or office).
Enable NAT Port Mapping Protocol first. This may already be enabled on your network. If you have an Apple Airport Extreme or Express router, you can find easy instructions from Apple here.
Step 5: Static IP or Dynamic DNS
Your public IP address is shown at the very top when you launch the Port Mapper. This is the IP address that will allow you to access searchlight over the internet. If you have a dynamic IP address from your ISP, we recommend you set up a dynamic dns service, which will allow you to create a URL that points to your computer even when the IP changes. We recommend you have a look at no-ip.com and use their free service.
Your public IP address is shown at the very top when you launch the Port Mapper. This is the IP address that will allow you to access searchlight over the internet. If you have a dynamic IP address from your ISP, we recommend you set up a dynamic dns service, which will allow you to create a URL that points to your computer even when the IP changes. We recommend you have a look at no-ip.com and use their free service.
