very limited WiFI Range (2.4 and 5)

stbkaiser

Been testing out my recently purchased ASIAIR Pro system.

Ran it last night shooting for meteors.

I am interfacing to the ASIAir via my Ipad Pro 11".

I seem to have about the same limited range (approx 10feet) when Connected via the 5ghz WiFi , or the 2.4ghz .

I'm experienced with limited connection range via WiFi while using my Celestron Evolution 9.25 system but it can easily handle 10 feet with 2.4

Any suggestions on why both frequencies would be so limited in range.

Thanks for any help on this.

w7ay

This is a known problem, since ASIAIR Pro is enclosed in a Faraday Cage (read: metal box). The range can be much worse than the 3 meters that you encountered, depending upon the angle between the ASIAIR Pro and your closest router/extender. For this reason it is an especially poor choice to piggy back the ASIAIR on your OTA since the OTA's orientation changes during the night.

For the ASIAIR Pro's directionality, see this topic:

https://bbs.astronomy-imaging-camera.com/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=10846&p=38150#p38150

Because of this, almost everybody have been using a WIFi extender that is placed close to the ASIAIR Pro. I wouldn't be surprised if ZWO developers themselves are resorting to WiFI extenders.

When using an extender, the best and most consistent performance is achieved by connecting the LAN port of ASIAIR to the LAN port of a WiFi extender (with the extender NOT mounted on the OTA, since all WiFi extenders also have directionality), and picking the 5 GHz band to link the extender to your home network. Your ASIAIR app on the tablet can then be connected to the home network, instead of using the ASIAIR or the extender as a WiFi hotspot.

If you have AC power at your telescope, where presumably the ASIAIR Pro is located, there are almost an unlimited choice of WiFi routers or extenders that you can use.

If you are limited to DC power, you can pick a router that uses 12V input. Many of the old Netgear ones do (I don't know about the current generation).

With only DC power available, many people have opted to use the TP-Link Travel Router that is light, compact and sips very little power from a 5V source (microUSB connecter). There are various 12V to 5V converter that you can use, including the converter than came with the original ASIAIR.

For more information about the TP-Link Travel Router, I have links to my past postings here:

https://bbs.astronomy-imaging-camera.com/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=10835&p=38119#p38119

Finally, you will get the best throughput if you connect the ASIAIR LAN port directly to your home router. If you run a Mesh home network, you can also add a Mesh node right next to the ASIAIR and avoid the long Ethernet cable to the main router. The eero (now owned by Amazon) v2 mesh router can work off of 9V USB Power Delivery (PD) for example, and there are 12V to PD converters that you can buy from Amazon, so you can easily add a Mesh node that is powered off DC power.

ZWO has in the past responded by saying they will have a solution (presumably a WiFi dongle of some form), but there has not been any reported progress for some months now. It is perhaps best that you take matters in your own hands and use a WiFi extender if you prefer not to wait an undetermined period. The TP-Link AC750 Travel Router is not especially expensive at Amazon. Do not get the N300 version of the router -- you would be limited to 300 Mbps instead of 430 Mbps (for just a few dollars difference).

Good luck,

Chen

Loupy

w7ay Because of this, almost everybody have been using a WIFi extender that is placed close to the ASIAIR Pro. I wouldn't be surprised if ZWO developers themselves are resorting to WiFI extenders.

Is this the solution you have come up with?, Use a wifi router, where is the customer support gone,
Why didn't your product description, say "you need an additional router to make it work"
I know why, your sales would have dropped drastically, FIX the problem for current users.

WalterT

Loupy Agreed.

Although w7ay, a.k.a Chen, is not ZWO. He is a volunteer user like the rest of us and very often he has good solutions and advice for other users that are having problems with their gear. As you can see from this thread he replied and offered a solution while ZWO, the people that actually got your money, did not.

Tech@ZWO

Loupy
This is a post almost one year ago. We have already address this issue and introduced our ZWO wifi extender:
https://astronomy-imaging-camera.com/product/zwo-wifi-extender

Byrdsfan1948

@tech@zwo#48021

I have resolved this problem by using a CAT 7 Ethernet cable connected directly from the ASIAIR to my home WiFi router. Since I only image from my home this solution, which only cost me a few dollars works perfectly for me. However as someone who spent his entire working career in the consumer products business I must add my comments.
For you to say: "we have already addressed this issue and introduced our WiFi extender", IMHO is hardly an example of good customer support. ZWO created the ASIAIR WiFi problem with the switch to the metal case. To then essentially make your customers have to either pay ZWO for the solution you mention, or as we have seen on various social media groups find their own other solutions, is an unfortunate business decision.
To be totally fair. I am very happy with my ASIAIR PRO. I am even more impressed with the level of support, and the on going updates, and improvements to that product, ZWO provides at no additional fee, so I can easily live with "solution" to this product ZWO has come up with.
But I would certainly urge ZWO going forward to come up with a solution that does not require it's customers to pay for something they were supposed to be getting in the first place.

Ramsay

Whatever you do, if you buy a WiFi extender as I did, make sure you get one with external aerials and this will give you much better signal coverage it's quite easy to lose the signal and then you are back to square one. I have the Vonets VAP11S-5G and I power it off one of the 12V supplies, don't try and supply it from a the USB as it can struggle.

Loupy

Yesterday, I went out and purchased the "ZWO WIFI Extender", As you can see by my posts, And the tech reply,
I had no choice,
How does a company like zwo make a product, knowing it will not perform because of a design issue, and not stating it requires additional hardware to make it work correctly,
So now I have this wifi adapter, which i believe was selected by zwo "Experts" to fix this problem with the Air pro.
Why Is it that the "Experts" who selected this extender did no take into account, that the indicator leds on the vonet/zwo extender, are so bright, To get any kind of quality exposure, is almost impossible

Loupy

@tech@zwo#48021
How Can you say "We have already address this issue",
It hasn't been Addressed,
All you have done is, made a very poor effort, to hide your incompetence
and your lack of support to your customers