ASIAIR v3.0 has been released!: Page 12

ASIAIR v3.0 has been released!

Moontanner

ugly_gocart
What devices are you using?

ugly_gocart

elakrab

Those with problems in ASIAIR, which devices are you using? ASIAIR Plus? (Rockchip? RPI Compute Module 4?) ASIAIR Pro? ASIAIR Mini? Air cameras?

I have two ASIAIR Minis and they work pretty decently. Admittedly the CAA is a dangerous crap, and sometimes the app (Android) gets in a strange status and you have to close it, clear cache, and start it again. And yesterday in one of my rigs my camera misbehaved and I had to restart fully the ASIAIR Mini. But it definitely does not work worse than previous versions and I am seeing very few disconnections (unlike with <= 2.4 that it was terrible.

Moontanner

elakrab Those with problems in ASIAIR, which devices are you using? ASIAIR Plus? (Rockchip? RPI Compute Module 4?) ASIAIR Pro? ASIAIR Mini? Air cameras?

I'm in the same boat with a Mini and a newer Plus. Plenty of time out under a pesky moon for testing V3.0 and not much to report. My guide calibration issues seem to have been resolved by moving the Eqmod USB to a different slot. Everything else works just fine.
It seems like many of the problems above are reported by people using Apple devices. I've got 3 different versions of Android devices and they all seem to work OK.

Luxo

Think I will stay with 2.5.2 until I can switch to the Skywatcher alternative at the end of the year. Their manual shows it’s a much more capable solution focussed on what we need for serious imaging - not frills nobody asked for.

elakrab

Luxo did you try PINS? Some people even make it work in ASIAIR plus and pros.

Corsair

Luxo Think I will stay with 2.5.2 until I can switch to the Skywatcher alternative at the end of the year.

Yeah... I'm going to wait and see what happens there. Skywatcher has their own foibles as well as a company. And new products like this will always have bugs that's only show once people start using it with the variety of use cases (that no company can honestly test for due to the large variability).

I hope it's good. Competition is great. I want them and touptek to succeed. Keep zwo on their toes.

xnYU8M3C

Corsair

(re: Touptek)

Stellavita has come a long way. I recently bought one just to try out and have as a potential alternative if I decide to ditch ASIAir. It has some quirks, but updates have been frequent and I had a mostly successful trial with it the other night.

Corsair

xnYU8M3C the fact they encrypt the guiding logs in a way that only they can analyse them is not so great, though.
Foibles. Every company has them.

sTBcFHM8

magore I agree. Last time I tested the All Sky Polar Align was still broken in the southern hemisphere where I live. It has been broken for over a year (when I bought my ASIAIR, but back then there were some reports that with earlier versions it was working just fine so they changed something that broke it, and have not fixed it since) and just like you, I ended up buying a mini PC to use NINA several months ago because from my apartment I only have access to a couple of sections of the sky and needed something to polar align on arbitrary sections of the sky. Now I only use the ASIAIR if I need a simpler setup for a trip, and I know that I'll have visibility of the Southern Celestial pole to do "regular" PA.
I appreciate that they come up with new ways of making the ASIAIR cooler (like being able to control it remotely), but I really wish they fixed issues and addressed problems that have been reported over and over again by many users for over a year.

watcheroftheskies

PMTeam@ZWO Hi’ a seasoned user who like most on here has had my fair share of issues with full release versions of the ASIair app.
Fortunately I have both an iPad & and Android tablet running my AAplus & AAmini , the ball ache with the iPad is the automatic update “all” apps in iPad settings which when an update occurred I then had loads of issues. The Android tablet however allows the user to disable updates for individual apps so I do not update it . Using 2.3.3 I have never had any issues ( and I use a CAA!! ).
I simply cannot stress this enough : If your version of the app is working fine don’t update it!
The amount of suggestions we have posted to improve our experience has…and still appears to fall on deaf ears.
Instead - ridiculous so called improvements are added which often ruin our rare clear evening of imaging.
You “do” realise your competitors are reading the comments and taking note.
I’ve said it time and time again - if the version of your app is working ok disable the automatic updates feature. ( if it ain’t broke don’t fix it ).

Luxo

I’m excited to announce the successor to ASIAir https://www.cloudynights.com/forums/topic/1009233-sky-watcher-synlink-a-full-walkthrough-and-first-impressions/

Probably why ZwO have gone quiet lately.

Moontanner

Luxo I’m excited to announce the successor to ASIAir

I skimmed through the Youtube vid he posted a couple of days back. At first glance it misses all the advanced functions and a couple of basic Q's I had about the hardware.
It's also roughly 40% more expensive than the latest ASIAIR Plus landed in Aus. Not quite the ASIAIR killer until it proves itself worthy IMO.

You should buy one and test it out. (Plus it will match the mount)

elakrab

To me it looks like ZWO has focused/invested itself more on the Seestar line and 'gave up' a bit on the ASIAIR. It is a pity the direction it is taking.

I also made some suggestions yesterday in a post to introduce client-sided warnings (beeps, sounds) on specific situations (like guide start lost, device disconnection, job errors). I think it was a very reasonable and good idea to implement it, but instead they just removed the post. Amazing.

minimoto71

elakrab Now there is competition and hope that makes ZWO to take the ASIAir more seriously in the coming months. Or..., may they finally surrender and just abandon it for good. I guess they are getting more revenues from the Seestar than any other product , so all the development force has been moved to that product. I'm pretty sure there are not so many software developers, so keeping all this staff up to date with few resources is not that easy. So hope they just give us a more complete and advanced experience, with less bugs and issues or... May we just consider moving away to find what we miss in the ASIAir now that there are real options out there. That also means that the next camera, focuser, rotator, mount or other device won't be ZWO's as those new controllers are open to every vendor and we won't be forced to use their products anymore.

Luxo

Moontanner
On the contrary - watching both the video and trawling the manual carefully, I see...

a lot more functionality which is missing in ASIAir,
lots of things to like - its a different approach,
many things users asked for here have been implemented.

There are a couple of wrinkles but I'm not going to tip ZWO, they do not deserve it IMHO.

Oh... and it looks like it's RELIABLE. How refreshing.

That you can run the UI on Windows laptops is enough. We all know how many are literally rusted on to Microsofts ecosystem. Then add using non-ZWO gear. Add the additional ports, extra power...

ASIAir is dead in the water IMHO. It only remains to be torpedoed and sunk. Fixing bugs, starting with Wifi and the crashes and implementing features users requested will not save ASIAir.

Hence I expect as of today it is abandonware.

Luxo

Moontanner

There is a Facebook forum started by the software developer which reveals a lot more of the functionality. In short they have implemented many, many features missing from ASIAir - and many of which have been requested before by ASIAir users here.

Business 101:

Be first,
Be better, or
Cheat.

ZWO only have themselves to blame - after 9 years they have not listened to users, and finally a competitor is offering what experienced users have asked for. They have squandered what was a significant lead.

Looks like Skywatcher is aiming squarely at "be better" for a modest premium positioned smack bang in the middle between ASIAir Plus and the PC-in-a-box crowd. Quite likely Skywatcher was watching this forum for clues. Plus:

a UI that works on everything from phones to laptops - and that IMHO is a killer, the appeal to the Windows crowd is obvious;
remote access via a proper 3rd party VPN.

Lessons:

don't use a public forum for feedback, you're also informing your competitors.
address at least some of the things users asked for. Otherwise they will walk away, eventually.

sTBcFHM8

minimoto71 Considering the recent release of the S50 Pro it makes sense that they will be focusing on supporting that product first and foremost for a while. Having said that, all the new info on the <competitor>'s new device make it clear that ZWO is falling behind even in the smart scope front. As good as the S50 Pro looks, it's barely more than a sensor upgrade over the S50, while the competition made a whole new different beast that IF it's as good as it looks right now, will leave them eating dust unless they come up with an S90 or something.
So I don't think they will be doing much with the ASIAIR in the foreseeable future.

Moontanner

Luxo Hence I expect as of today it is abandonware.

Like Nick Nolte's character (Kuiil) in The Mandalorian. "I have spoken".
No mincing words for you at this stage in the game.

Personally, I'm simply not having many struggles with my ASIAIR's and V3.0. There's the usual lack of features that I wanted released for my use case. The CAA still worries me because I can easily trip it up and cause a malfunction. Nothing that really stops me from using them though.
It's a bit of a stretch to call it abandonware for ZWO. That would have to be one of the most stupid business moves for a company that can't rely on their smart scopes staying competitive in the market.

Luxo Oh... and it looks like it's RELIABLE. How refreshing.

Looks reliable aint going to cut it for most people. There's plenty of promises and very little proof in the pudding at this stage.
Honestly, if I had your mount I'd probably jump onboard just for the 5 year warranty and consumer protections in Aus. That in itself is a massive deal compared to the ASIAIR situation if you have a Skywatcher mount.

Please buy one and report your findings. I'll happily read any reviews you post on CN.

Moontanner

ugly_gocart What are you running the App on? Are you using the Apple version?

I don't own one of the Pro models, so can't confirm any V3.0 success with one of those.

Luxo

M'Kay, ordered one from China.
Same as the local price, I should add.
Usually 1 week delivery, give or take a day.

Moontanner

Luxo I rarely order locally anymore unless they have a good warranty. 5 years is pretty good, but I get your reasoning for forgoing that and ordering early.

I look forward to the write up.

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