Psy1280 Am I missing something (seems too easy).

No, it is really that easy, because the Raspbian OS (the OS that runs in the ASIAIR's Raspberry Pi) handles the Ethernet connection for you in ASIAIR.

Connecting the ASIAIR to your router (or an Ethernet switch) is just like connecting your computer or printer directly using Ethernet to the router. They will recognize each other and do the right thing, using industry standard protocols, established since the days of the ARPANET (and wirelessly in ALOHANET).

A WiFi router will then relay the data to its WiFi antenna, and from there, to your tablet -- i.e., you are using the WiFi ability of the router instead of the WiFi ability of ASIAIR.

If you have an iPad, you can even connect the ASIAIR directly through Ethernet, by using an Ethernet-to-Lightning or Ethernet-to-USB-C dongle (depending on the iPad model) and get blazing image download speeds if you buy the 1000 Mbits/sec dongles. You just need to turn on the Ethernet setting in iOS.

The ASIAIR's WiFi implementation (both hardware and software) is just broken (they need to hire someone who understands networking), that is why WiFi does not work for you.

If you use some other telescope controller, like the INDIGO Sky, the WiFi would "just work" also. And INDIGO even has a HTTP port so you can connect a web browser to it to configure it for WiFi Station mode, etc, and at 5 GHz.

With ASIAIR, I use a hybrid approach myself. I place a (eero) Mesh Router node right next to my ASIAIR, and connect the ASIAIR using a short Ethernet cable to this node. The mesh node joins my network, and thus, the ASIAIR looks like it is attached directly to the network, but using the wireless backhaul of the node.

With INDIGO Sky, I simply use its WiFi capability and skip the eero mesh router.

Chen

wvreeven Am I wrong?

Works fine.

Just tried it on an old Lightning based 9.7 inch iPad Pro. I turned off WiFi just to reduce confusion, since my All-Sky camera is on Station Mode to home WiFi. Also see note at the end.

Ethernet Settings (automatic) shows:

Relaunched ASIAIR app, and got this start page (ASIAIR_2 is the ASIAIR that is connected through Ethernet):

Tapping the Connect button brings up the ASIAIR.

If I turn on WiFi in addition to Ethernet, I see only the All Sky camera, presumably since the iPad is now connected to a different domain (192.168.7.). I didn't try to change the mask to 0.0.0.0 :-).

Works the same way the last time I tried it on the large M1 based iPad pro.

Chen

Psy1280 To be clear, if I connect my router via Ethernet to the ASIAIr Plus (turn off Wifi in iPad settings)...is that all I have to do to start the AA+ app?

The above example is if you want to connect the iPad directly to the ASIAIR; for example when you are out in the field away from your home router. Or if you want ultimate speed between the tablet and the ASIAIR.

If you are at home, just connect an Ethernet cable between the ASIAIR and one of your router's LAN port. Or connecting the ASIAIR to an Ethernet switch that is connected to the router. There is nothing else you need to set it up -- just connect your tablet to the same router through WiFi.

Wth a WiFi router, you should be able to see ASIAIR from your WiFi tablet, unless you have blocked new devices on your router.

For best convenience (for example to access the Samba files server on ASIAIR), once ASIAIR is connected to the router, associate the MAC address of the ASIAIR to a Fixed IP Address on your router. In the future, every time you boot up ASIAIR, it will be given the same IP address. Your desktop computer can then access the Samba file server on the ASIAIR using this fixed address, without having to look for it every time. With MacOS, you can just make an alias of the ASIAIR Samba volume, and in the future, just double click on the icon of the alias on your desktop computer to immediately connect to the ASIAIR.

Chen

Psy1280 Why I would need to access a Samba file server.

To remotely access image files, instead of physically moving a USB drive between the ASIAIR and your desktop computer?

In my case, my ASIAIR is inside a waterproof box that is left outdoors 24/7 together with my semi-permanent tri-pier and mount. When not in use, the mount is under waterproof dry bags.

Instead of opening the waterproof box, etc, to access USB storage, I simply download the image files into my desktop by using the Samba server in ASIAIR.

Chen

Swizerlan where is the ethernet option? II guess maybe this is not visible on iphone

After you plug in an Ethernet adapter, an Ethernet Settings item will appear in between the WiFi Settings and the Bluetooth runes. Otherwise it does not show up.

Tap on Ethernet settings on the left, and expand the details on the right, and you should see this:

Once the adapter is connected to a device (like ASIAIR), the IP Address etc fields wiill be populated for you. This will let you "Connect by IP" on ASIAIR app, in case it is not automatically detected by the app.

Unlike using the ASIAIR WiFi hotspot, this still allows you to still be connected to the internet (through WiFI) and still be directly connected to ASIAIR (through Ethernet).

Some Ethernet adapters that are meant for the iPad and iPhone also have a charging port. This way, you can keep the iPad/iPhone externally powered while using the port (Lightning or USB 3) for Ethernet. So, select the adapter with care. For Lightning adapters, make sure you get one that is capable of Gigabit Ethernet (most of them do not).

When you are at home, I would still suggest connecting the ASIAIR through Ethernet to your home router, as long as the router can pass data at more than 300 or 400 Mbps (ASIAIR becomes the bottleneck at that point). But if you are out in the fields, a direct connection between the ASIAIR and the iPad is the preferred way -- especially when there are other peons at the site running ASIAIR on WiFi and interfering with one another.

Chen

Swizerlan On a sidenote I would like to learn how to use a direct ethernet cable as a backup solution.

Same as if you had used WiFi. I.e., Just connect the Mac to the ASIAIR's Samba server as before, but this time using the Ethernet IP address. As usual easiest to use the Go menu of the Finder (in Finder's main menu bar) and there is a Connect To Server... item.

You can only use Samba for image (and log) data. You cannot archive the SD card, for example.

If you have third or fourth generations ASIAIR, you can also use the USB C connector -- that port implements a USB-2 protocol. Connect that port to a USB port of the computer, and the ASIAIR should simply mount as a disk volume (i.e., looks like a USB memory stick). Be sure to dismount the volume after use, just like you need to dismount a USB stick. If the computer only implements Thunderbolt on its USB-C port (like a MacBook pro), you would need a Thunderbolt to USB 2/3 adapter.

Basically, Raspbian, etc implements a Samba server, which the ASIAIR uses. The server can be accessed through WiFi, Ethernet or USB. Your choice.

I pretty much never plug or unplug storage from my various ASIAIR, and instead go through Samba. For an old first generation ASIAIR (which I use naked in an All Sky camera), I go through WiFi. With the second, third and fourth generation ASIAIR, I use direct Ethernet exclusively. (I just last week had to re-burn the firmware of the All Sky camera, though -- a power outage from a storm took out the SD card.)

Chen