Connection mysteries?

[Boomzilla]

I hate to bother the Lounge with yet another stupid question, but this will be my last for awhile - PROMISE!

The usual system ignition procedure is as follows:

1. Boot the music server laptop - Let all the AV & anti-spyware programs update - no problems here
2. Ensure that the server sees the local network/internet - no problems here
3. Go turn on the Oppo BDP-105 - no problems here
4. Go back to the server & start JRiver Media Center - normal start - no issues
5. Ensure that JRiver server sees the Oppo - No problem - Oppo shows up in JRiver's device list
6. Start the iPad & make sure that it sees the network & is logged on to Wi-Fi - good connection
7. Start the J-Remote program on the iPad - HERE's where the trouble begins - Even though I've got a good Wi-Fi signal, and even though everything appears to work, the J-Remote program sometimes (but not always) can't find the J-River server! The other evening, I fought this to a standstill for 4 hours - starting & restarting everything. The following morning, and without changing a thing, the system came up & worked perfectly.

So my question is - Why isn't the J-Remote program consistently connecting to the J-River server, despite ALL connections (Wi-Fi and Ethernet) being good. I can surf the web from the iPad, so it IS connected to the modem (in the computer room next to the music server). I can surf the web from the music server computer, so it's connected to the home network & the cable modem as well.

It's a mystery to me.

Any ideas?

Thanks - Boomzilla

[mm]

I'm not familiar with j-river, but one thing that might help would be to change dynamic ip addressing on your router for both the laptop and the iPad to static ip, based on their individual MAC id's. This way the devices should find each other easier.
In addition (I do not know if you have this option within j-river remote or the server) I would try to assign a different port for the two to communicate on (I assume they communicate on port 80 by default).

[geebo]

Firewall maybe? Just grabbing at straws because I've never once had an issue with jRemote finding the jRiver server. jRemote is on my iPad mini and jRiver is running on my Windows 10 laptop.

[Boomzilla]

What's killing me is the intermittent nature of the problem. As I said - one time, everything works perfectly, the next, no connection at all - and NOTHING has changed in the mix at all.

I will definitely try to change the dynamic to static IP addressing, and set up a dedicated port for the two. I'll also double-check the firewall settings. THANKS for the ideas. If you have any more, please let me know. This is frustrating.

Boomzilla