Network troubleshooting

If you're having trouble connecting to your DeviceFreedom, start with Connecting to your DeviceFreedom for the basics. This article covers deeper network issues.

Hostname changed after a restart or update

Sometimes your DeviceFreedom's hostname can change after a restart or update — for example, devicefreedom.local may become devicefreedom-2.local. This happens when your network still has a stale record of the old hostname. Restarting your DeviceFreedom or your router can help clear it.

You can always use your DeviceFreedom's IP address instead. See finding your IP address below.

IP address changed / setting a static IP

Your router assigns your DeviceFreedom an IP address using DHCP, and this address can change — for example, after a router reboot or if the DHCP lease expires. This doesn't affect devicefreedom.local, but if you were using an IP address to access your DeviceFreedom and it stops working, you'll need to find the new one.

To prevent this, you can assign a fixed IP address to your DeviceFreedom from your router's settings. Look for "DHCP reservation" or "static IP" in your router's admin page and assign a fixed address to your DeviceFreedom. Doing this on the router is the recommended approach for any device on your network. It's also more reliable on devicefreedom-os since OS-level network changes are reset on restart.

Finding your IP address

If devicefreedom.local isn't working, you can connect using your DeviceFreedom's IP address instead. Here are a few ways to find it:

• Check Settings. If you can already access your DeviceFreedom, your local IP address is shown in Settings.
• Check your router's app. If you have a modern router like Eero, Google Wifi, or Orbi, open its companion app and look for a device named "devicefreedom" in the list of connected devices.
• Use the Fing app. Fing is a free app that scans your network and shows all connected devices. Look for "devicefreedom" in the list.
• Check your router's admin page. Open 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 in your browser (check your router's documentation for the exact address), log in, and look for a connected device named "devicefreedom".

Cloudflare DNS

By default, devicefreedom-os uses Cloudflare DNS (1.1.1.1) for reliable and fast domain name resolution. This means your DeviceFreedom resolves domain names through Cloudflare rather than your router's DNS.

You can disable this in Settings > Advanced settings > Cloudflare DNS if you want your DeviceFreedom to use your router's DNS settings instead, or if Cloudflare is blocked on your network.

Apps can't connect to the internet

If your apps are having trouble reaching the internet:

• Check your DeviceFreedom's internet connection. Make sure the ethernet cable is plugged in and your router has internet access.
• Try disabling and re-enabling Cloudflare DNS in Settings > Advanced settings. If Cloudflare is blocked on your network, disable it to use your router's DNS.
• Restart your DeviceFreedom from Settings > Restart.