DLNA without internet

I recently just moved and setup a Comcast internet for my wi-fi. The house I moved from also had Comcast and we used the Serviio DLNA with no problem. This came in especially handy during an internet blackout where I could still stream movies to my Sony BluRay Player from my computer without the internet. In my new home I installed a Windows 7 64Bit computer, downloaded and installed Serviio using the default options, (like I do in my old home) but now when the internet goes down so does my serviio connection. What am I doing wrong? Is there anyway I can have Serviio talk from computer to my bluray player without it interfacing with my router and internet? I am not super technically inclined but can follow instructions pretty well. I live in South Florida where we have hurricanes and internet blackouts fairly often and I want to use Serviio during those times. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. (*By the way - my brother who also installed Serviio using the default options has the same identical problems I do - No internet - no access to Serviio DLNA)

[atc98092]

Yes, it's certainly possible. Most likely when your Internet goes down, the router you use no longer is doing what we would expect it to do. First, are you using WiFi or a wired connection between everything? Do you have a static IP address set on your Serviio computer? Exactly how are you getting your Internet, and what sort of router hardware is there?

There's no reason you must have Internet access for Serviio to work. In fact, DLNA specifically will not pass over the public Internet. It's designed for internal networks only and is actually blocked from being routed on the Internet.

Thanks for the reply atc98082

Everything in my house is done wirelessly. I have a Motorola 3.1 cable modem going into a a Netgear ORB router and the system works very well and feeds multiple computers, ROKU streaming, etc. I just want to isolate Serviio from the wi-fi internet system (which works fine) in case we lose the internet during a hurricane or thunderstorm. All Comcast Internet customers have a dynamic IP address. How do I check what kind of IP address is working with the Serviio. Sorry for my limited technical knowledge. I simply used the Serviio defaults when I installed and did nothing special

[atc98092]

No problem. if the Netgear router is your primary network hub, I can't see any reason for your Serviio computer to be impacted by Internet access. It should be providing your internal network IP addresses, regardless of the status of the Motorola modem.

Since you have a network router inside the Motorola, it doesn't matter what IP address your provider offers. Everything inside your network should be controlled by the Netgear. I have to admit I have no knowledge on the Netgear ORBI system (I believe this is what you were referring to, the Netgear Orbi RBK50). I don't know if there's something specific to its mesh network that is looking for an Internet connection. But I suggest looking through your Netgear documentation to see if there's some setting that would tell it to ignore the Internet status. If you can confirm the Netgear model number, perhaps I can find a manual online and give it a once-over.

The static IP I was referring to would be entered into your Serviio computer. Windows, Linux, Mac, it doesn't matter. You can enter a static address in any operating system. I can't tell you what address to use without knowing more details about your network structure and the settings within the Netgear for the DHCP service.

No problem. if the Netgear router is your primary network hub, I can't see any reason for your Serviio computer to be impacted by Internet access. It should be providing your internal network IP addresses, regardless of the status of the Motorola modem.

Since you have a network router inside the Motorola, it doesn't matter what IP address your provider offers. Everything inside your network should be controlled by the Netgear. I have to admit I have no knowledge on the Netgear ORBI system (I believe this is what you were referring to, the Netgear Orbi RBK50). I don't know if there's something specific to its mesh network that is looking for an Internet connection. But I suggest looking through your Netgear documentation to see if there's some setting that would tell it to ignore the Internet status. If you can confirm the Netgear model number, perhaps I can find a manual online and give it a once-over.

The static IP I was referring to would be entered into your Serviio computer. Windows, Linux, Mac, it doesn't matter. You can enter a static address in any operating system. I can't tell you what address to use without knowing more details about your network structure and the settings within the Netgear for the DHCP service.

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Technically I would think I should be able to shut off the router and modem and Serviio should still work - Correct? But that isn't the case at all. If I shut off the router or modem I lose my DLNA from Serviio on my Bluray player and have no idea how to address this problem.

[atc98092]

No, you can't shut off the router, as that is acting as your network switch. That's a required element of an Ethernet network. It is completely possible to have a functioning network with only a switch and cables to each device, but that requires entering the IP address information into every device. And some devices have no ability to enter that manually, so that requires a DHCP server function. All routers contain a DHCP server, and it will work regardless if there's an Internet connection available. Setting up a network without a DHCP server is a bit involved, and beyond what is easily discussed here.

Please confirm the model number of your Netgear router, so I can look for a manual online.