Enable UDP broadcast for PLC discovery

4 Nov 2026
Knowledge

Description

Supported hardware

UDP broadcast	UDP broadcast to 255.255.255.255
SecureEdge and SecureEdge Pro, firmware 2026.09 and up (upgrade) IXrouter3, firmware 3.14 and up (upgrade)	SecureEdge and SecureEdge Pro, firmware 2026.09 and up (upgrade) ~~IXrouter3~~ (not supported) Broadcast address 255.255.255.255 can generally only be used in local networks, as described in the internet standard RFC 919. As a result, software using this broadcast address can generally not discover devices over a VPN connection, unless specified otherwise.

When you establish a VPN connection to an edge gateway, you'll be able to connect to your machine without needing to make any adjustments in the edge gateway. However, some software programs use what is called a UDP broadcast relay feature, which requires a setting in the edge gateway to work.

Notes

UDP broadcast relay can only be used for PLC discovery. It cannot be used for a continuous UDP broadcast data stream.
UDP broadcasts to the VPN interface’s broadcast address or limited broadcast address (255.255.255.255) will be relayed to all LAN networks. UDP broadcasts to a LAN network’s broadcast address will be relayed to only that LAN network.
- This only applies to supported edge gateways (see the top of this article) that have multiple LAN networks configured.

Configuration

Select one of the configuration methods below.

IXON Cloud
Local web interface

IXON Cloud

The steps below explain how to configure UDP broadcast relay ports via the IXON Cloud.

Before you start, check the top of this article to see if you meet the requirements.
Go to Fleet Manager > Devices and click on your device name.
Go to Network > LAN.
At UDP broadcast relay port, enter the required port for your software. If you are unsure which port number(s) to enter, please contact the developer of your software program.
Developer Software program UDP broadcast port
Rockwell Automation RSLinx Classic and FactoryTalk Linx 44818
SICK Safety Designer 30718

Developer	Software program	UDP broadcast port
Rockwell Automation	RSLinx Classic and FactoryTalk Linx	44818
SICK	Safety Designer	30718

You have now made the changes in the IXON Cloud, but these are not yet active in your device. You will need to push your changes to your device for them to take effect.

Temporary disconnect

After this next step, the config push, the device may temporarily disconnect and LAN communication may be temporarily interrupted while it's applying the new settings. This only takes a moment.

Click on Push config to device in the top right corner.

Local web interface

Supported hardware

~~SecureEdge and SecureEdge Pro~~ (not supported)
IXrouter3, firmware 3.19 and up (upgrade)

To configure UDP broadcast relay ports via the local web interface, select your edge gateway model:

IXrouter3

Connect your computer to one of the LAN ports.
- The local web interface is not accessible from the WAN side (Internet port).
Open a new browser tab and go to the edge gateway's LAN IP address.
- The default LAN IP address is 192.168.27.1.
- Make sure that your laptop has an IP address in the same range. You may need to configure this manually. There are many online guides on this if you need a step by step guide.
Go to Configuration and log in.
- The default password (PW) is printed on the side of the edge gateway.
- If there is no password printed on the side, this edge gateway was manufactured before the local web interface was created. That means it does not have a password and you cannot proceed using this method. Instead, use the IXON Cloud method. Additionally, once the edge gateway is online and has a VPN connection, we can configure a password for you. Please then contact us by granting us support access at Fleet Manager > Tools and tell us the serial number of the edge gateway.
- If you enter an incorrect password multiple times in a row, you'll need to wait roughly 5 minutes before you can try again. The number of attempts is limited to 5 attempts per 5 minutes.
- You can change the password by logging in and going to Account in the bottom left corner.
Go to Miscellaneous > UDP Broadcast Relay.
Enter the required port for your software. If you are unsure which port number(s) to enter, please contact the developer of your software program.
Developer Software program UDP broadcast port
Rockwell Automation RSLinx Classic and FactoryTalk Linx 44818
SICK Safety Designer 30718
If you haven't already, Apply your settings.

Developer	Software program	UDP broadcast port
Rockwell Automation	RSLinx Classic and FactoryTalk Linx	44818
SICK	Safety Designer	30718

You have now made the changes in the edge gateway, but these are not yet present in the IXON Cloud. You will need to import these changes to the IXON Cloud to avoid unwanted configuration changes later on.

Wait a moment for the edge gateway to report its new configuration to the IXON Cloud. This usually takes less than a minute.
Go to Fleet Manager > Devices and click on your device name.
Open the sync optionsand select Import config from device.

Title

Enable UDP broadcast for PLC discovery

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Enable-UDP-broadcast-for-PLC-discovery

Enable UDP broadcast for PLC discovery

Configuration

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Enable UDP broadcast for PLC discovery

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