internet in obsy - then remote imaging

[nytecam]

Hi - my wireless internet connection to the obsy is flakey at some 120ft from wireless router in the house so yesterday I bought from Argos an AV500 Nano powerline adapter kit as pic - it's plug-and-play and works like a charm via the mains spur to the obsy. Spec @ http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/1397640.htm

The next stage is to use some s/ware like Teamviewer to control the laptop with the camera control s/ware in obsy via a second laptop in the house for remote imaging. This will be more tricky. Any advise on latter appreciated. I have a second wideangle camera on scope as finder. ;-)

[ChrisLX200]

What sort of speed do you get at that distance? Mine is pretty slow and I'm not sure something like TeamViewer would work (although I haven't tried). My speed is good enough for web browsing and transfering a few files but a constant monitor of a hi-res screen (or in my case two screens) would be too much I think. I was thinking I would try leaving the AV500 plug in a conveniently placed socket in the house and running a long ethernet cable out to the obs, that would carry the distance far better I think and provide more speed for the link.

ChrisH

[malc-c]

Just run a cat 6 network cable between the observatory and the router and use windows remote desktop connection

[IanL]

See how you go with teamviewer and the powerline adaptors.  You might be okay, and just get the occasional screen glitch with slow data rates.  Conversely I have found that if the connection is really unreliable that teamviewer can crash out completely at the house end - most times restarting the application and reconnecting works, but a few times it has also caused problems at the imaging laptop end.

Remote Desktop Connection is much more reliable than teamviewer, but unfortunately it is only available in professional/enterprise versions of Windows (it is one of the things that Microsoft know bigger business need on a regular basis, so they can get away with charging a lot more for it).

I'd beware of lightning strikes if using a long outdoor CAT 6 cable.  Doesn't have to be a direct strike (though I did see a green screen terminal on fire once due to a direct strike on an outdoor serial cable installation). Induced current is more than enough to fry the networking gear (again, have personal experience of a whole building's worth of network switches being fried due to induced current in the cabling from a nearby strike).

At minimum put some kind of surge protection on the cabling at both ends.  This applies to the power cabling at the observatory end too, and on anything valuable in the house for that matter - luckily I have only ever lost a couple of cheap power supplies due to current surges, but it can and does happen regularly.

Another option is to look in to making a 'cantenna' for the observatory end (google it).  You need a wireless network card that can be connected to an external antenna though (so may not be suitable for a laptop unless you are willing to purchase a separate add-on wireless card).  You just need an empty Pringles tube and five minutes of bodging to make a directional antenna that can greatly improve the range and data rate on a normal WiFi connection.

You might consider a fibre optic cable as an alternative.  It's not as hard as you think really. You can buy pre-terminated fibre optic patch cables in many lengths, and you just need a couple of fibre to Ethernet media converters to go from normal CAT5 to fibre and back again.  Just check that the media converters and the patch cable have the same terminations (there are two types, SC and ST connectors - both work equally well, but you need the cable and the media converters to match).

[Zakalwe]

Yeah, I use those adapters and they work very, very well.

Teamviewer is slow and the quality is rubbish IMHO. If you are using Windows then investigate Remote Desktop. I use a Win 7 machine in the obsy and a couple of Win 8 machines in the house. Remote Desktop means that I can control any machine from any other and the quality is superb- it really is just like being in front of the controlled machine.

Teamviewer messes about with the quality of the image too much, which makes tasks like focusing on planets very tricky, whereas Remote Desktop doesn't.

There's limits though. If I am planetary imaging then it's unreasonable to expect the link to cope with updating the preview window at 60+ fps. I normally turn the preview off in Firecapture once I've hit the record button.

[pete_l]

Remote Desktop Connection is much more reliable than teamviewer, but unfortunately it is only available in professional/enterprise versions of Windows (it is one of the things that Microsoft know bigger business need on a regular basis, so they can get away with charging a lot more for it).

Can you not run one of the VNC variants on Windows 7 or 8?

I use tightvnc to my XP box (which I have no intention of replacing/upgrading until it won't run my apps any more - despite impending EoL by Microsoft) and it's just fine. You need both a tightvnc server (which runs on the remote box you want to connect to and the client which you run on the local system you are connecting from.

[Horwig]

I'm also using internet over mains boxes from my obsy to the house, then Windows 7 remote desktop. Works like a dream, no problems at all.

Huw

[Psychobilly]

Has teamviewer gone down hill then..?  I used to use Teamviewer 3 and  mains adaptors to connect the house PC to the obs and remote control it and transfer files fromthe remote computer to the house as well while monitoring on a Netbook  or tablet as well...

I did use static IP for everything so that tTeamviewer didn't have to work through their servers...

Maplin used to sell a kit of the TP link adaptor - 3 adaptors one had multiple wired outputs and the other worked as a wireless AP as well...

Peter...

[Macavity]

I found TeamViewer fairly OK? But don't really see it as the "way to go" somehow. Personally, I never really like leaving a "decent" LapTop in the observatory for any length of time. Our "Sea Air" didn't do one of my (rather expensive) monitors much good? Sadly too, my NC10 (Astro Notebook) is known to have a "duff" WiFi adapter - Won't even penetrate the obsy door! lol. But basically I just use an ordinary wired CAT5 directly off the household Hub.  

I do all my remote telescope control "in the hardware" now. The setup is the *same as ever* at the observatory end - USB... driven from a "battle-hardened" Hub. I then drive all of this via an Icron Rover 1850 over 30m of Cat5+ cable. For a mere £80, works Fine! Don't bother with most (all?) other "50m  USB extenders" - They do not correct for USB signal delays and do not work at all reliably.

OF COURSE, you are restricted to USB1.1 speed, but adequate for things like mount / focusser control. N.B. ALL my (Video Astronomy) Cam signals come in over standard 75 Ohm coax! BUT, if you want to run a fast USB 2+ camera, you could try one of their Icron II USB 2 devices (for me)? I concede that £250 is getting "a bit steep" for many (me!). OTOH, I just missed a s/h pair of "II's" on Ebay USA at under £100! Cheaper than (their) fibre optic links anyway...  

Aside: *IF* I need to control of the setup from the observatory, I just take my Notebook (and TeamViewer) and use that to control the *Lounge* PC. TeamViewer takes up about one "notebook" CPU's worth of compute power all by itself. Used THIS way round though, my Notebook need only run TeamViewer and not the entirety of my obsy software. I can even focus (via TeamViewer) on one Window (EQMod etc.) on the desktop - See things at reasonable size too.

You've got me slightly  worried about lightning strike again. But I have survived alongside an

an assortment of external telephone wires, a "long wire" antennae for short wave listening etc. 

Like most Felines I will eventually get around to burying things...

[Nillchill]

Go to B+Q, hey sell cat 5 cable kits and sockets, that will do 100m no problems and it will mean 100 Mbits connection . then using remote desktop or Vnc, teamviewer etc don't ok a PC I. The obey. Also it means that you have a reliable connection to the internet.

As an extra precaution , run the cable in some hose pipe and the bury it, avoidsbthe accidental breaking of the cable .

Means you can also install a free SIP phone on the PC in the Obey, so the missus doesn't have to shout for you hen dinner is ready !! LOL!

[perfrej]

The thing about a computer in the observatory, regardless of where you are is that it is autonomous and keeps your imaging session going even if you lose comm with the obs. I use small computer - definitely NEVER a laptop. My latest tests brought me to this little baby. 240GB SSD, 4GB RAM. Doesn't use much power and runs everything that happens in the observatory; Maxim, ACP, CCD Autopilot - you name it. I use Windows 7 64-bit in it.

/per

[perfrej]

An addition: I never have a screen in the observatory. If I need to do something I use remote desktop from a laptop or from my iPad and fiddle. No screen in the observatory. Never had one, never will.

/per