We are having an issue with the ipad occasionally getting a 'host not found'.

The 'external data sources' have the proper IP address of the host computer, but even with the ipad right next to it, the 'host not found' message occurs.

 

Is there a way to make a hard connection between the ipad and the host for filemaker-sharing?

You might be having networking issues. You could have it on either side. It's always difficult to troubleshoot intermittent issues.

Here are some ideas that might help:

Can other machines access the server consistently?

Check when your host cannot be found whether you can access another machine on the network, the Internet. Download an app that can ping the fm host and see if you can ping the FM host's IP address.

Also, you might want to reset the networking preferences on the iPad.