Allowing Ruskin through the Windows firewall

If you can successfully connect your Windows computer to an instrument’s Wi-Fi network, but Ruskin still doesn’t detect the instrument, then the most likely problem is that a software firewall is blocking Ruskin’s access to the network. Assuming that your computer is running Windows 10 and using the built-in software firewall, the steps for whitelisting Ruskin are as follows:

  1. Open the Windows (née Start) menu, and click the gear icon (Settings) on the left side.

  2. In the Windows Settings window which opens, click the Update & Security tile (two cycling arrows icon).

  3. From the left sidebar, open Windows Security (shield icon).

  4. Under the Protection areas heading, open Firewall & network protection (antenna icon).

  5. In the Windows Security window which opens, click the Allow an app through firewall text link in the bottom-half of the main area of the window.

  6. In the Allowed apps window which opens, click the Change settings button. If the user doesn’t have administrative control over their machine, they won’t be able to do this without coordination with their IT department.

  7. Try to locate ruskin or ruskin.exe in the list of Allowed apps and features. If it’s there, confirm that there are check marks for the row in all three of the Domain, Private, and Public columns. (There may not be a column for Domain; if not, that’s okay. If it is present, though, it should contain a check mark for the Ruskin row.)

  8. If there is a row for Ruskin, and it’s missing a check mark in any of the two/three columns:

    1. Select the row.

    2. Click the Details button below the list.

    3. In the Edit an app window which opens, click the Network types button in the bottom-left corner.

    4. In the Choose Network Types window which opens, ensure that all three of the Domain, Private, and Public check boxes are checked. (Again, there may or may not be a check box for Domain; if not, that’s okay, but if it is present, ensure that it’s checked.)

    5. Click the OK button to close the Choose Network Types window.

    6. Click the OK button to close the Edit an app window.

  9. If there is no row for Ruskin:

    1. Click the Allow another app button below the list.

    2. In the Add an app window which opens, click the Browse button next to the Path: text box.

    3. In the Browse window which opens, navigate to This PC, then C:\RBR\Ruskin\x86. Select Ruskin.exe, and click the Open button to close the Browse window.

    4. Click the Network types button in the bottom-left corner.

    5. In the Choose Network Types window which opens, ensure that all three of the Domain, Private, and Public check boxes are checked. (As above, if there is a check box for Domain, ensure that it’s checked.)

    6. Click the OK button to close the Choose Network Types window.

    7. Click the Add button to close the Add an app window.

  10. Click the OK button to close the Allowed apps window.

  11. Close the Windows Security and Windows Settings windows.

  12. Close Ruskin, if it was open.

  13. Ensure you’re connected to the instrument’s Wi-Fi network.

  14. Restart Ruskin, and see if it can now detect the instrument.

As a troubleshooting measure, you may prefer to disable the firewall entirely. While this is an easy way to quickly identify whether the firewall is causing a problem, we do not recommend it as a final solution. Your computer’s firewall is an important security mechanism and should remain enabled generally.