PC networking question

[Daz1969]

Hi all, Excuse my lack of knowlege in this matter but iam not too sure if what i want to do actually works. Here goes..

I have an old pc in the obsy which looks after telescope control and a laptop which i plan to use for imaging with.

I recently discoverd 'Log me In ' which is a little program that allows me to control my lap top with my main house pc and vice versa over the net. My laptop is wifi and shares my house pc broadband.

O.k ,my question is - when my laptop is in the obsy taking pics (which i can control from the house) is there anyway i can connect the obsy pc to the lap top and thus control the scope from indoors as well as the imaging.

Do i buy one of those wifi dongle thingys and stick it in the obsy pc - would this enable the obsy pc to join the laptop which is being controlled from the house. Clear as mud iam sure.

Help - Iam going insane trying to work out if this is poss.

Thanks in advance.

Daz:icon_salut:

[Glider]

I've got an old laptop that I take down the garden to directly control my mount and run the webcam.

It's networked to the fast desktop and the broadband router in the house.

I can certainly sit in the house and copy captured avi files from the laptop and then process them quickly on the desktop in the warm.

I never thought of trying to run the mount and camera software 'on' the laptop 'from' the desktop. I think this is what you are asking.

Next time I have the chance I'll give it a go.

[Beyond_Vision]

If you have XP pro version on the machine in the garden and any version of XP on the indoor machine you can use the Microsoft remote desktop function. This will allow you to see your laptops desktop on your indoor machine.

If you dont have xp pro then you can use free programs like TightVNC or RealVNC which are quite easy to set up. Install the server version on the laptop and the viewer version on the indoor machine.

TightVNC: VNC-Compatible Free Remote Control Software

Regards

Kevin

[brendant]

Another option is a free program called TeamViewer, I use it to remotely control my old Guiding laptop from the house wirelessly. You just get a screen up on your main PC of the Laptop and you can just use the mouse to view / open / close and run applications, can also transfer files, a very easy setup.

Brendan

[Daz1969]

Yeah thanks for that guys but i can already control the laptop from the house pc ,what iam wondering is can i link the old obsy pc to the laptop and than control them both from indoors? ( the obsy pc is old and just used for goto/guiding)It does have a network socket ,i wonder is it a case of pluging the obsy pc network socket to the network socket on the lap top.If so then because i can control the laptop from indoors would i be able to control the obsy pc aswell?

Daz:icon_salut:

[Beyond_Vision]

Why cant you run all the apps on the laptop? I have an old pentium iv machine with 512mb ram it runs Maxim for capture, phd for guiding, Starry night 5 pro+ and EQmod with no problems.

[NickH]

RDP or tight VNC will work and are both free (you can hack RDP into Windows XP home easily too, no need for the pro version)..

Mesh (microsoft) will give you 5GB online free storage and remote desktop as well

#

I am using Tight VNC for some jobs, RDP for others and Mesh for storage when needs be...all work well, Tight vnc easiest to set up...Mesh easiest UI

[Beyond_Vision]

The only thing with Mesh and similar programs is you are remotely controlling a machine in your obsy from a machine in your house via a server possibly in another country. Why risk have your desktop open to control by someone over the internet. Keep the data flow within your local network.

Regards

Kevin

[Daz1969]

My old obsy pc has a serial socket which the heq5 plugs direct into and runs nice n steady .i use sky 6 for planetarium and maxim for guiding. Cos the pc is old and only usb1 i can not run my imaging cam at the same time(way too slow) and when i tried to run everything from the laptop it struggled aswel so thought i would use laptop just for imaging and old desk top for guiding etc.Which works fine

Because i can control the laptop from the house i thought it would be cool to be able to control the desktop in the obsy aswell? Mmmm

Thanks for all your help and advice. Iam learning all the time

Because

[Daz1969]

The only thing with Mesh and similar programs is you are remotely controlling a machine in your obsy from a machine in your house via a server possibly in another country. Why risk have your desktop open to control by someone over the internet. Keep the data flow within your local network.

Regards

Kevin

How do i do that Kev without using such software. The one iam using(logmein) is just as you described

Daz

[NickH]

Kevin has a good point. Mesh is useful when you are doing exactly that...i.e controlling it very remotely...hence all three are installed.

Tight VNC is direct, just a switcher box or twisted ethernet cable between the machines and you're away..

I am running two netbooks in the obsy (one imaging, and filter wheel duty, with one port spare for focus control...and one guide/eqmod with the third port for a keypad when sitting outside..). 100baseT switch box, 10m ethernet uplink cable, to 2 shorter ethernet cables in the obs

[Beyond_Vision]

You could link the laptop to the old obsy PC by a lan cable then bridge the laptops network controller to it's wireless controller this is a matter of a software setting. You could then have tightvnc server on both machines which you can flick between receiving and viewing on your main pc by swapping two instances of TightVNC viewer running on it.

Regards

Kevin

[Daz1969]

Ah ! Many thanks Kev.

Thats the way to go. I thought it could be done.

Cheers again

Daz:headbang:

[RobH]

Hello Daz.

In my observatory I have 2 laptops. One does all the guiding, and sometimes some imaging, and the other cointrols the scope, focuser, planetaium program, and images with a second camera.

These are both plugged in, using CAT5 cables, to a Belkin wired ethernet switch, which is also connected, via a 100ft CAT5 cable, to the house computer whch can then control the whole lot.

I use real VNC to control it all, and it was easy to set up and works fine.

Cheers

Rob

[Beyond_Vision]

You could link the laptop to the old obsy PC by a lan cable then bridge the laptops network controller to it's wireless controller this is a matter of a software setting. You could then have tightvnc server on both machines which you can flick between receiving and viewing on your main pc by swapping two instances of TightVNC viewer running on it.

Regards

Kevin

Just to add to that the LAN cable will need to be a crossover version.

[Daz1969]

Kev , You mention i will need a crossover cable, is that to link to 2 computers together or the cable that runs back to the main pc in the house?

Cheers

Daz

[Beyond_Vision]

You need a crossover cable to link the two machines in the obsy. I assume you are using a wireless connection from the laptop to the router in the house.

Regards

Kevin

[arad85]

I reckon the easiest way would be to get the obsy PC wireless and just set it up as a separate machine. Either with a PCI card (I assume it has some spare slots) or a USB stick.

[Beyond_Vision]

I reckon the easiest way would be to get the obsy PC wireless and just set it up as a separate machine. Either with a PCI card (I assume it has some spare slots) or a USB stick.

There are 2 PC's in the obsy Arad linking the two together by a crossover cable would be the cheapest method. I believe Daz has the laptop in the obsy already wirelessly connected to the house network.

[SteveL]

Daz uses the Homeplug ethernet-over-mains adapters

(Opps, wrong Daz, sorry )

[arad85]

There are 2 PC's in the obsy Arad linking the two together by a crossover cable would be the cheapest method. I believe Daz has the laptop in the obsy already wirelessly connected to the house network.

Yes, but he has already said the lappy is straining which is why there are two PCs there. Also, I'm not sure how you'd allocate an IP address to the obsy PC and access it from the house - it may be simple, but just more to worry about and potentially more configuration hassles.

Having just seen Steves post, if the obs is connected with ethernet over mains, I think the best way of connecting them would be with a ethernet switch like: Tenda 5-Port 10/100 Switch - Ebuyer Only an extra £10

[Beyond_Vision]

To bridge the wireless connection and the wired network port on the laptop it is easy, just click on Start/Control Panel/Network Connections and highlight both the wireless controller and the wired network controller and right click on one of them. Select bridge connections which should make them share the same network. If you have each machine set to automatically obtain IP address (which is the default setting) then it should be no problem. If you want to set static addresses and feel comfortable doing that it would be the better option.

[Daz1969]

Cheers for that Kev. That sounds like the way to go!

Easyer the better and cheap too.

Many many thanks:icon_salut:

Daz