Opening Tesria by name

Once Tesria is running on a computer in your home or office, other devices reach it by that computer’s name, such as studio.local, or by its address, a number such as 192.168.1.50. This page explains why the name is the one to use, how to find it, and what to do if the name sometimes takes a few tries to open.

Why a name and not a number

• The secure connection needs it. Tesria’s certificate is issued for a name. Opened by its number, the browser keeps saying “Not secure”, even on a device that trusts the server. See Trusting the local certificate.

• Numbers change. Your router hands out addresses and can give the computer a different one after a restart. The name stays the same.

Finding the server’s name

On the computer that runs Tesria:

• Mac: System Settings, General, Sharing. The name is under Local hostname, for example studio.local.

• Windows: Settings, System, About. Take the Device name and add .local, for example office-pc.local.

• Linux: run hostname in a terminal and add .local.

Then open https://that-name on another device. Tesria makes a certificate for whichever name it is opened by, so a device that already trusts the server needs nothing more.

Why it sometimes takes a few tries

A name ending in .local is not looked up in your router’s list of names. Instead the device calls out to the whole network, “who is studio?”, and waits for that computer to answer. It works without any setup, which is why every Mac and most other computers use it, but it is not always quick:

• Wi-Fi drops some of these calls. Many routers treat messages sent to everyone as low priority, and some filter them.

• Windows asks your router first. It waits for the router to say it has never heard of the name, and only then calls out on the network, so the first try can time out.

• A sleeping computer answers late. A laptop that has dimmed its Wi-Fi to save power may miss the call entirely.

So the name might fail once or twice and then work. None of this is Tesria: it is how the name is found. The fixes below make it instant, from the easiest to the most thorough.

Making it reliable

Keep the server awake, and wired if you can

Stop the server computer from sleeping (on a Mac, System Settings, Energy, Prevent automatic sleeping when the display is off), and plug it into the router with a network cable if you can. A wired, awake computer answers every call at once.

Check your router’s settings

Two settings on most routers affect those network-wide calls. Their names and places differ from router to router; on TP-Link Archer routers they are under Advanced.

• AP isolation (sometimes “client isolation”) stops devices on Wi-Fi from talking to each other at all. Make sure it is off for the network your devices use. It is often on for guest networks, which is one reason Tesria cannot be reached from a guest network.

• IGMP snooping (usually under Network, IPTV or Multicast) decides which devices hear messages sent to everyone. If names are unreliable, try switching it the other way, test for a day, and keep whichever works better.

Give the server a fixed address

Ask the router to always give the server computer the same number. The setting is usually called Address Reservation or DHCP reservation; on a TP-Link Archer it is under Advanced, Network, DHCP Server. Choose the server computer from the list of connected devices and save. This does not change how the name is found, but it is needed for the next two fixes, which point a name at a number.

Write the name into a computer’s own list

Every computer keeps a small list of names and numbers, called the hosts file, which it checks before anything else. A line in it makes the name open instantly on that computer. Phones and tablets do not let you change theirs.

On Windows:

1. Press the Windows key, type Notepad, right-click it and choose Run as administrator.

2. Choose File, Open, go to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc, change the file type from Text Documents to All Files, and open hosts.

3. Add a line at the end with the server’s fixed address and its name, then save:

192.168.1.50   studio.local

On a Mac or Linux: open Terminal and run sudo nano /etc/hosts. Type your password, add the same line at the end, then press Control-O, Return and Control-X to save and close.

Run a name server for your whole network

The most thorough fix, and the one that also works on phones: a small program on an always-on device, such as a Raspberry Pi, that answers name lookups for everyone. Pi-hole and AdGuard Home are free and popular, and both block ads as well.

1. Install one of them and give its device a fixed address.

2. Add a local name for the server, pointing at the server’s fixed address. Use a name ending in .home.arpa, such as wiki.home.arpa: that ending is set aside for home networks. Avoid .local, which belongs to the network-wide calls above and confuses both methods.

3. In the router’s DHCP settings, set the DNS server to the address of the Pi-hole or AdGuard device, so every device on the network uses it.

4. Open https://wiki.home.arpa. Tesria makes a certificate for the new name, and devices that trust the server trust it for this name too.

Once you have settled on a name

• Put it in Admin, Settings, Public address, such as https://wiki.home.arpa. Links in emails use it, and the Trust this device guide suggests it to anyone who opens Tesria by number.

• Tell everyone the new address, and bookmark it on each device.