Domotz Protectli

Domotz and Protectli have worked together to create an easy-to-install, Intel-based solution for Domotz users that want more performance while still having an easy to manage solution. Preinstalled with an Ubuntu OS and associated Domotz collector, this box is ready to monitor your network, while also giving you the flexibility to add more software services as needed.

The Protectli box is designed as a generic, small form-factor PC. With the standard configuration, you will notice that there is a WAN and LAN port. You can use either network interface for Domotz. Domotz will scan either port for devices or cloud connectivity, but the system can be configured to use one port for LAN traffic, while using the second port for connectivity to an ISP. For example, if you need to have an air-gapped solution within a network.

Note:

As compared to the Domotz Box (Model B-12):

• The Protectli solution offers higher throughput for Internet Speed Testing
• The Protectli solution offers better performance for advanced networks that require SNMPv3 monitoring
• The Protectli solution offers the ability to monitor more VLANs and subnets
• The Protectli solution offers users the ability to run 3rd Party software along with the Domotz Agent.
• The Protectli solution performs better on wider networks (e.g. networks with /16 subnets – also called Big Network scans in Domotz)
• For added security and transparency, the Protectli solution uses coreboot as focused on the boot and BIOS process. For more information, please visit this article.

As a matter of fact, the above mentioned features require higher hardware resources which are somehow limited on the Domotz Box (based on an ARM chipset – as opposed to the Protectli one based on an Intel one). For this reason, if you need a more powerful (but still dedicated) hardware for scanning and monitoring your network, we recommend using the Protectli one.

The MAC Address on the bottom of the unit is associated with the WAN port.

To Get Started

1) Connect an ethernet cable to one of the ethernet ports on the Protectli device. Connect the ethernet cable to the network you wish to scan. Ensure your PC/mobile device is on the same network for configuration.

2) The Protectli device is set to DHCP, so should acquire an IP address from your DHCP server. As with any Domotz Collector, go to the host IP address and port 3000.

http://$proteclt_ip_address:3000

3) Use your Domotz Username/Password to associate the Domotz Collector to your account.

Accessing the Domotz Protecli

By Default, the SSH is disabled on the Protectli device.

Should you want to configure the Protectli box in a customized manner, you will need connect a keyboard and monitor to the Protectli device. Upon boot-up, you will notice all the necessary services starting on the box.

The first time you try to login to the Protectli Box, you will be asked to change the default password.

The default is:

Username: domotz
Password: <MAC Address on bottom of Protectli Box, all lowercase digits and numbers>

NOTE: The MAC Address used for the default password is the WAN port MAC address, which is printed on the bottom sticker of the Protectli unit.

Should you wish to enable SSH on the Protectli Box, you will need to run the following commands, which will allow SSH connections to the host:

sudo ufw allow ssh

The same rule can be deleted with:

sudo ufw delete allow ssh

Where to get it

US and all other countries: https://protectli.com/domotz/

Canada: https://ca.protectli.com/domotz/. 

EU: https://eu.protectli.com/domotz/