For an index to all my stories click this text
A short story here because I have a lot of work at hand.
I just transferred to a new internet provider. The reason is money. Not that I was not satisfied with my old provider but it was getting expensive. I had a separate telephone landline, an internet connection and a television subscription. Each with a different provider.
I switched to one provider that supplies all. Their combined services are a lot cheaper. And they provide faster internet access for a combined lower price. A drawback is of course that when the connection dies I loose all: telephone, internet and television.
Migrating from one internet provider to another means re-programming all your devices. Not only do you get a different router with new login codes, but all your network devices get new IP numbers.
So I have to reprogram our mobile phones and my Google Home Assistant. But I also have to re-program the internet connections in each of my ESP's and Raspberry Pico's.
Then I realised that I not only have to re-program their internet connections. I also have to re-program all the programs that connect to my Domoticz home automation system. Why ?? Well because the programs in the microcontroller point to the internal IP address of my Domoticz system and that had of course changed.
This means getting physical access to the controllers. Attaching them to my PC through USB and re-programming their settings. And believe me: this is a lot easier when your microcontrollers run MicroPython then when they are programmed with the Arduino IDE (C++). The latter means editing the programs, recompiling and sending them to the ESP's.
When your micro's are programmed with MicroPython you just connect them to your PC, load the program from the controller into your PC with Thonny, edit the IP numbers and credentials, and write them back. Done in no-time !!!
And I have to re-program my Domoticz system. As the Microcontrollers get new IP addresses Domoticz is sending commands to non-existant IP numbers.
And then there is that other matter.
My new provider (Ziggo) does not provide a fixed IP address for my router. To the outside world I have a dynamic IP address..............
This means that my IP address to the outside world might change any minute.
No problem ??? Well yes !!!
I want to access my Domoticz system (and some other devices) when I am not at home. And for that I need to know my routers IP-Address.
So this story is actually just a small warning.
Think real good before you migrate from one internet provider to another......There is a lot of work involved.
I am also thinking about migrating from Domoticz to Home Assistant.
So a few stories coming up:
- How to handle a dynamic IP address
- Migrating from Domoticz to Home Assistant or not ???
Till next time
have fun
Luc Volders
