The Comlite LAN4000 is a product that makes extensive use of the capabilities of .Net 4 and the Windows Communication Foundation (WCF). Because of this, there may be problems getting the Administrative station to communicate with all of the Client stations. When problems occur, check your Windows Firewall configuration first.

Button response is delayed

The primary reason for a significant (more than 5 seconds) delay is usually because a PC has suddenly disconnected from the Admin station (by crashing or being turned off by shutting down because of a low battery).  The LAN4000 Admin will detect this disconnect and drop the PC from the Connection list, but this process may take up to 20 seconds.   Once the PC is removed, button response times should return to normal.

NOTE: If the offending PC reboots and reloads the LAN4000 software before a button is pressed, there may be two entries for the same PC in the Connection list.  This is normal. One of these entries will be removed after a button is pressed (but it may take up to 20 seconds).

Intermittent Connectivity - Administrative station drops client stations

First, verify that the Administrative station can communicate with the network. The Connection light should be on and the status should indicate that the admin station is connected to the network. Second, launch a client station and verify that the station connects to the admin station. The client station name should appear in the admin station status screen. Third, press a button on the client station. If a communication error occurs, verify that a firewall exception has been created for the client (see the section on firewall exceptions below).

If no communication error occurs, press a button on the admin station. If a communication error occurs then the admin station may need a firewall exception.

NOTE: It is recommended that the Administrative station be installed on a Windows 7 PC. The networking is more complicated than on a Windows XP PC, but it is also much more stable - especialy with .Net 4.0 installed.

No Connection light

The LAN4000 should always launch and display the main screen with the connection light on. The image on the left is what is expected to be displayed. When the program launches with the connection light off (the image on the right), there has been a problem communicating with the network.

The LAN4000 Client displays its status as it launches. Check this status for error messages. The LAN4000 Administrative Station displays its status on a separate status screen. If the LAN4000 Administrative Station starts up without turning on the connection light, press the Status button. If there was a problem connecting to .Net 4 there should be a description of the problem on the screen.

If no problem is displayed, check your Windows Firewall to determine if the program is being blocked. There should be an "exception" for "LAN4000.exe". See the next section for instructions on how to create an exception manually.

Normally, the first time the LAN4000 software is launched, a screen like the one shown below is displayed:

You must press "Allow access" for the software to function properly. By allowing the LAN4000 access to your network, it can locate the other stations and communicate with them.

Windows Firewall "Exceptions"

Windows XP

1. Press the "Start" menu button and then select "Control Panel".

2. Select "Windows Firewall".

3. Click on the "Exceptions" tab.

4. Press the "Add Program..." button.

5. A list of installed programs is displayed. Scroll down until you reach "LAN4000 Client.exe" or "LAN4000 Admin.exe" and select it.

6. Press "OK".

Windows 7

1. Press the "Start" menu button and then select "Control Panel".

2. Select "Windows Firewall".

3. Click on the "Advanced Settings" tab.

3. Select "Inbound Rules" from the left side of the dialog.

4. Select "New Rule..." from the "Inbound Rules" area on the right side of the dialog.

5. Select "Program" and then "Next"

6. Select "This program path:" and press the "Browse" button. The default location of the LAN4000 software is "C:\Program Files\Comlite\LAN4000" or "C:\Program Files (x86)\Comlite\LAN4000" if you are running a 64-bit version of Windows.

7. Press "Next".

8. Select the "Allow the connection" radio button and press "Next".

9. Select the appropriate checkboxes (Domain, Private, Public) for "When does this rule apply?". The default is for all of the entries to be checked.

10.Press "Next".

11. Enter a name and description for this exception, like "Comlite LAN4000".

12. Press "Finish".

Once the rule is created, it can be edited by selecting it from the list of inbound rules. Once selected, a list of options for this rule is displayed on the right side of the dialog. Select "Properties" to edit the rule.