NETA Level III
Changing the Ethernet IP address on the EATON PX-2000 almost requires you to be an “xpert” at computer networking. Configuring the IP address cannot be made using a regular serial connection, in this guide I will show you how to set up your computer so you can connect to the PX meter via Ethernet to make the necessary change.
Note: The following writeup was done with a Windows 7 laptop but the procedure should be similar for Windows 10 or older Windows XP machines.
Step 1. Verify the active PXM 2000 IP address
Press the blue "menu" button on the face of the meter, then use the red "down arrow" button to scroll through the available options until “IP” appears on the top display line and hit enter. The current IP address will be displayed on the meter screen, completely jumbled between the three screens, the factory default is 192.168.001.001
Step 2. Configure Windows Network Adapter Settings
Disable all other network adapters except the one being used to connect to the meter. This will prevent your web browser from defaulting to any other active connections. Access your network adapters by navigating to the Windows Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change Adapter Settings. Right click any other network card, such as a wireless card, and click on "Disable".
For the network card being used to connect to the meter, enter the properties window for the adapter by right clicking on the device and selecting properties. Disable the IPv6 protocol with the associated check box, then select the IPv4 protocol and click on the properties button.
In the IPv4 properties window, select “Use the following IP address” and enter an IP address on the same subnet as the meter, for example, 192.168.001.100 will work just fine. Notice that the first three parts of the computer IP address matches the meter IP address.
Step 3. Configure Java Security Settings
Depending on what version of Java you are using, there will be a few security settings to modify. This is where most people get hung up. Open the Java configuration on your computer by navigating to the Windows Start Menu and typing “Java” into the search bar, or by navigating to Control Panel > Java. From the Java configuration, click the General tab and click the settings button under Temporary Internet Files and uncheck the box next to Keep Temporary Files on My Computer.
Under the Security tab, add the IP address of the meter you wish to connect with under the Exception Site List. Applications from these sites will be allowed to run, even if they are considered “unsecure”.
To add the IP address to the exceptions list, click the “Edit Site List” button to launch the site editor and then click on the "Add" button. Type the full internet IP address in the prompt using the IP address from Step 1 (i.e. http://192.168.1.1). After clicking add, confirm that you wish to add this exception to the list, when prompted. Ensure that the “Enable Java content in browser” box is also checked, under the security tab.
If this critical step is not followed, the java application will block the EATON software from running.
Step 4. Access the Meter Configuration using a Web Browser
If configured correctly, you should now be able to access the EATON Power Xpert Software from your web browser by typing the full internet IP into the address bar.
You will be prompted by a Java security warning before continuing, check the box next to “I accept the risk and want to run this application” and click Run. You should now be prompted to log in with a username and password, the factory default is simply “admin” (without quotes) for both boxes.
Note: Any modern web browser should work but additional security settings within the browser may prevent you from proceeding further. It’s recommended that you use Windows Internet Explorer if you still have a copy.
Step 5. Changing the IP Address in Power Xpert
Once logged into the control panel home screen in Power Xpert, select “Setup” from the row of control buttons underneath the page header, or on the lower right hand side of the window. Expand the Quick Setup folder on the configuration tree and click the Network folder to enter the Ethernet/LAN setup. From this setup page, click the "Edit" button located in the upper right hand portion of the window to change the IP address.
Note: In my experience, changing anything other than the IP address by itself may not save your new configuration. If you wish to add a location or asset ID it’s recommended that you save those changes before changing the IP address.
The new address will take effect after clicking the "OK" button. The application will reload and redirect you to the new IP address. Now that the IP address has been changed, you must repeat Steps 1-4 to re-connect with the meter, otherwise repeat Step 1 to verify the change then connect the meter into the existing power network.
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