AnyDesk remote access

[Nigella Bryant]

Hi all, I've successfully used AnyDesk software to remote access my laptop and used it to remote sharpcap and ASC. I'm wondering if AnyDesk could control the laptop in my observatory and use this to control the telescope and associated equipment. All this can be done sitting in the dome with the laptop and I can't see any reason why this can't be done remotely from the house. Anyone used this method?

[Dr_Ju_ju]

Personally, I just use the in-built default "Windows Remote Desktop", connecting to to multiple Windows Workstations & Servers & even Ubuntu Mate devices, most of which are headless i.e. no keyboard\screens, with no problems.  

It usually makes it easier, if all the connected devices are on the same network subnet, so I see no reason why AnyDesk should be any different, so just give it a go...

[Kinch]

This is exactly how I control my scope in the Obs. Laptop out there connected to everything and I use either AnyDesk or Teamviewer to work the Obs computer from the house. I recently upgraded my house desktop monitor......but still have the old monitor sde by side with the new one.  When I connect via WiFi to the Obs laptop....its screen now takes over the old monitor screen in front of me in the house......thus I continue to work my house computer but keep an eye all the time on the what is happening on my observatory computer.

[Nigella Bryant]

40 minutes ago, Kinch said:

This is exactly how I control my scope in the Obs. Laptop out there connected to everything and I use either AnyDesk or Teamviewer to work the Obs computer from the house. I recently upgraded my house desktop monitor......but still have the old monitor sde by side with the new one.  When I connect via WiFi to the Obs laptop....its screen now takes over the old monitor screen in front of me in the house......thus I continue to work my house computer but keep an eye all the time on the what is happening on my observatory computer.

Many thanks all, I'll give a go. Something to try while it's raining, lol. 

[bottletopburly]

That’s how I control my mini pc in shed  that controls mount/telescope from my laptop in house , just check firewall has permissions my kept dropping out windows firewall was the culprit.

[Nigella Bryant]

15 minutes ago, bottletopburly said:

That’s how I control my mini pc in shed  that controls mount/telescope from my laptop in house , just check firewall has permissions my kept dropping out windows firewall was the culprit.

Hi, I was thinking of getting a mini pc for the obs, are they easy to set up remotely?

[bottletopburly]

Easy using  Anydesk I use my sons old Alienware alpha pc runs on windows 10 , 

[Nigella Bryant]

Sorry for all the questions. Do you monitor the telescope and mount using a webcam so you can see what's happening in the dome? Or do you just let it do it's stuff blind?. If you use a webcam, what's the recommendation? I managed to get AnyDesk to control the telescope from the house this afternoon but I wasn't confident to do this without monitoring it with an old webcam which isn't brilliant in the lowlight of the closed dome. Many thanks Nigella.

Edited August 24, 2020 by Nigella Bryant
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[bottletopburly]

I have cctv which I can use  monitor  If required, scopes outdoors in the garden, I have a monitor and keyboard  in shed should I need to use pc in shed .

Edited August 24, 2020 by bottletopburly

[Kinch]

12 minutes ago, Nigella Bryant said:

Do you monitor the telescope and mount using a webcam so you can see what's happening in the dome?

I have a camera in the dome - but I shut that down during photography sessions. At night, the IR lights of the camera are no addition to NB photography. I use the camera mostly just to check that everything has shut down properly - after the fact.....i.e. that the scope has parked and that the dome shutter has closed. when working, I can "see" all OK by keeping an eye on the software just doing its thing.

[carastro]

I use Teamviewer to control and watch the software and downloads etc and control it all from indoors once it is all up and running.  But tonight I have also installed Anydesk and tried this out from one computer to the other (not imaging) and that also works fine, so I am sure that would work just as well as Teamviewer.

I wanted an alternative to TV as they have cut a few people off saying they are using TV for business purposes and trying to make them pay, I only had this happen once but didn't get cut off, so thought it would be a good idea to have a back up.

I'd love to be able to utilise my inbuilt webcam to watch what is happening on the mount, but can't seem to get it to work unless I am using it for a video chat, any-one any ideas how I can get it to work independently of Skype. Whatsapp etc. 

Carole   

[wimvb]

A friend of mine has his gear in my obsy. He controls it from his apartment in downtown Stockholm using microsoft remote desktop on a mac. The obsy computer is a windows machine that has remote desktop server installed. So far, he does it blindly, but he wants to install a web cam to see the mount, just to be safe. Anydesk should be able to do all this also.

I use a single board computer, running linux, and connect to it using ms remote desktop from my windows laptop. No web cam, but I do have a security camera installed that shows part of the pier and mount.

[carastro]

So if l have a separate webcam, how do l run it just for watching the rig or as a security camera? 

carole

 

[Kinch]

I can't answer that directly Carole. I use a Foscam camera  - it has its own software.

[wimvb]

1 hour ago, carastro said:

So if l have a separate webcam, how do l run it just for watching the rig or as a security camera? 

carole

 

My security camera (D-Link) is connected to wifi and has its own app, completely separated from the astro software.

You can do the same with a web cam, have it active in its own app. If it’s on the obsy computer you can connect to that computer’s desktop and run the app from there.

[carastro]

Da Da, I have done it using Zoom.  

I just want to be able to watch my mount when it is running, for things like pier clash and meridian flips instead of having to go outside and have a look.

Hope this won't affect my band width for Teamviewer or Anydesk, and need to see how efficient it would be in the dark.

Carole

[Kinch]

5 minutes ago, carastro said:

I have done it using Zoom. 

Thinking outside the box there Carole 👍 - sounds good/interesting.

Edited August 27, 2020 by Kinch

[Nigella Bryant]

11 minutes ago, carastro said:

Da Da, I have done it using Zoom.  

I just want to be able to watch my mount when it is running, for things like pier clash and meridian flips instead of having to go outside and have a look.

Carole

This is my worry too, I want to know what's going on in the dome, but also for security with the dome open.

[Tenor Viol]

I'm reading with interest as I am thinking about how my rig will operate when it eventually gets going. I've already bought the RPi and installed Astroberry on it. Plan is to have a USB hub on the mount and have drive, camera, guide cam, and RPi powered from that (and yes, I will add dew heaters...). I was planning to remote in to the RPi from my Mac.

My mate over in Liverpool (we've known each other a long time) is taking a similar route.  

[carastro]

Quote

also for security with the dome open.

I know what you mean.  I lock the door when I leave the rig, of course you can still get into the dome by climbing over the walls, but it makes life more difficult for the intruder.  

Carole 

[Tenor Viol]

Security concerns me too as I don't have a dome and it's probably not na option here for various reasons, despite having a decent sized garden. I am contemplating getting CCTV installed. 

[Nigella Bryant]

16 minutes ago, Tenor Viol said:

Security concerns me too as I don't have a dome and it's probably not na option here for various reasons, despite having a decent sized garden. I am contemplating getting CCTV installed. 

Since relocation of my dome and thieves lifting the dome at my previous address I've gone overboard with security camera, I've one pointing at the dome, one at my front gates, one in the dome pointing towards the dome doors. Unfortunately the inside dome one has a narrow field of view so not particularly great for monitoring the telescope plus it's infrared so has to be turned off during imaging. 

[wimvb]

5 hours ago, carastro said:

Da Da, I have done it using Zoom.  

I just want to be able to watch my mount when it is running, for things like pier clash and meridian flips instead of having to go outside and have a look.

Hope this won't affect my band width for Teamviewer or Anydesk, and need to see how efficient it would be in the dark.

Carole

Don’t stream 4k quality 😉. With a lower resolution and frame rate you should be fine. And you only need the camera when there is an actual risk for collision, so not all the time. Security cams should have better night vision, but they often use IR LEDs, which can interfere with AP. My camera is mounted on the South wall, looking at the door. It just covers about half of each pier& mount. So I can see the mounts slewing, but not whether they hit the pier. Most security cameras have motion detection and sometimes sound detection. You can program them to start recording or take stills, on motion or sound. Good to take images of the local night life.

[Nigella Bryant]

I've decided to lay some cat6 cables, should have done this during the dome build. It will plug into my router and security camera inside the dome and give better response than the current WiFi signal. Pic of what the security camera see's at present so should be ok for monitoring the scope. Need to probably lay a separate power cable so the security camera can be switched off during imaging. Also the cat6 cables will enable better remote of the mount with AnyDesk.

Edited August 29, 2020 by Nigella Bryant

[Dr_Ju_ju]

Running cable ethernet is more reliable, get faster throughput etc. & is the way I run all my gear, even out to the shed at the bottom of the garden, for the skycam & future weather station.

For me, Wifi is for toys i.e. phones etc.