Remote control of Asiair 100m away ?

[Coriorda]

On 22/05/2022 at 12:51, Space Oddities said:

I setup my ASIAIR on my terrace, which luckily isn't 100m away from my bed  but still, the Wi-Fi signal isn't very strong here. Not to mention that the Wi-Fi signal of the ASIAIR Pro is really bad, even when I'm standing next to it.

I basically had 2 needs, I suppose you have the same (just with a little more range):

1. Have a fast Wi-Fi connection from the ipad to the ASIAIR while doing the polar alignment, focusing, etc.
2. Have a fast connection from the house, so I can control it from my bed, computer, etc.

So what I did is that I run an Ethernet cable through the walls, from my home router to a wall socket, next to the terrace door. From here an ethernet cable to a box, under my astro setup, in which lives a small travel router (as well as the electric stuff). From the travel router, I run a 3rd ethernet cable to the ASIAIR. 

This works great for me, because when connected to the travel router's Wi-Fi outside, I can control the ASIAIR on my iPad. It's really fast and there's no connection issue like with the ASIAIR. My 26 megapixels image download in just a second.

When I'm back inside, the travel router is connected to my home network via Ethernet. So my PC, phone, iPad, connected to the home Wi-Fi, are therefore also connected to my ASIAIR. And everything is fast thanks to Ethernet, as if I were standing next to the mount. I only have to switch my iPad from the travel router's Wi-Fi to the home Wi-Fi, but usually it does it automatically due to the better signal.

Ethernet is great because it works on long distances. The maximum range of Ethernet cable is ~100m, so that could work for you. You can also use a range extender somewhere in the middle, or a small router, if the range/speed isn't enough.

I powerline adapters, but I got mixed results. The download speed wasn't great, sometimes it dropped. Upload speed was terrible for some reason. I guess it really depends on your electrical installation. 

If you were to reproduce what I did, you would need:

1. A Wi-Fi repeater, in or very close to your house, that will be used as some kind of antenna: it connects to your home Wi-Fi and broadcasts its signal to the ethernet port.
2. A 100m cable, preferably one that is designed for outdoor use (example: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mr-Tronic-Ethernet-Network-Weatherproof-Black/dp/B0816GP5FC/ref=sr_1_3). You connect the 100m cable to the Wi-Fi repeater's Ethernet port.
3. A Wi-Fi router near your telescope, to which you connect the 100m cable (WAN port), and when you connect to its Wi-Fi, you should be connected to your home network. Any Wi-Fi router would work really, even a cheap 2nd hand one. I went for a small travel router, powered via USB, because it takes less space and I only have 3 power plugs.
4. A 2nd Ethernet cable from the small router near your telescope, to the ASIAIR. This way you discard the ASIAIR's Wi-Fi completely, and everything is much faster. It's optional of course, but since you already run a power cable to the ASIAIR, why not add an ethernet cable.

Hope that helps  

 

 

 

 

Thank you for your detailed consideration and response it’s been really helpful, and seems a simple solution, I am on the Ethernet limit but do have the ability to boost signal half way. Thank you