Need Help Accessing Raspberry Pi Webserver by Name on WiFi Devices

[isabasu]

Hello fellow network enthusiasts,

I've encountered a bit of a conundrum with my local home network, and I'm hoping to get some advice on how to solve it. Here's the situation:

1. I have a Raspberry Pi set up as a web server, hosting a website.
2. My goal is to access this website with a user-friendly name (e.g., "raspi/mywebsite") from all devices connected to my home network.
3. I can already access the website using the NetBIOS name of the server (e.g., "raspi/mywebsite") on devices connected via Ethernet cables, but not on devices connected via WiFi.
4. WiFi-connected devices can access the website using the Pi's IP address, but this is not the user-friendly solution I'm looking for.

Unfortunately, my router doesn't allow me to define an alternative DNS address, and it doesn't offer an option to connect NetBIOS names from Ethernet to WiFi.

I'm seeking advice on how to achieve the desired outcome without setting up another server or Raspberry Pi as a DNS server. The reason for this is that I'd like to ensure network continuity; if the Raspberry Pi acting as the DNS server goes down, I don't want to lose internet connectivity (unless the new solution allows for primary and secondary DNS addresses).

So, here are my questions:

1. Is there a router available on the market that comes with an integrated DNS server? If so, can you recommend a specific product that provides this feature?
2. Alternatively, are there any other creative solutions or workarounds that could help me achieve my goal of accessing the Raspberry Pi webserver by a user-friendly name on WiFi devices without the need for an additional DNS server?

I appreciate any insights, suggestions, or experiences you can share to help me resolve this issue. Thank you in advance for your assistance!

 

[ColinTaylor]

1. Is there a router available on the market that comes with an integrated DNS server? If so, can you recommend a specific product that provides this feature?

I think every home router I've owned in the last 20 years from various manufacturers have had this ability. It would probably be easier to make a list of routers that didn't support this. Pick a router you like the look of and then confirm it's abilities in its online manual.

 

[sfx2000]

The Raspberry Pi OS - it has avahi installed out of the box - so...

You should be able to login directly over ssh as something.local to get local access...

Going in from the WAN - should be the registered domain name from your router...

I fail to see a problem here...

 

[glens]

When your computer associates with the router and gets an IP address via DHCP, it /should/ be declaring it's hostname, and your router should be resolving the local names to addresses. Is this really an issue of just not being aware that one doesn't need to use Microsoft's self-standard methods when /actual/ standards are in place?

 

[isabasu]

When your computer associates with the router and gets an IP address via DHCP, it /should/ be declaring it's hostname, and your router should be resolving the local names to addresses. Is this really an issue of just not being aware that one doesn't need to use Microsoft's self-standard methods when /actual/ standards are in place?

I appreciate your response, and I understand your point about DHCP handling hostname resolution. However, it's not always the case that all routers or network setups manage this seamlessly or consistently.

In my situation, I'm looking for a straightforward and reliable way to ensure that all devices in my home network can access the Raspberry Pi web server by a user-friendly hostname. While NetBIOS and DHCP can work well in certain environments, they might not offer the level of universal compatibility and consistency I'm aiming for.

If there's a router with a built-in DNS server or other suggestions that can help me achieve this, I'd be grateful for any advice or recommendations. I'm simply looking for a convenient and trouble-free solution to ensure all devices on my network can access the website without any platform-specific standards getting in the way.

Thank you for your insights, and I'm open to any further suggestions you may have.

 

[isabasu]

The Raspberry Pi OS - it has avahi installed out of the box - so...

You should be able to login directly over ssh as something.local to get local access...

Going in from the WAN - should be the registered domain name from your router...

I fail to see a problem here...

Hi there

Thanks for providing me with the hint of avahi. I didn't know that existed and indeed I can access my Raspberry Pi through raspi.local/mywebsite across all my devices, which is absolutely amazing and exactly what I was looking for.

Thanks to everyone for all your responses, you guys are amazing