Remote ASIAir controller access from Apple devices - Forums

Topic starter

Apr 10, 2026

I am looking for some simple guidance on whether I can access an ASIAir controller remotely from outside my home network.

Particularly using Apple devices as those through which the remote connection is being made.

Appreciate that this question has no doubt been asked a great many times on a great many forums, but I have found the answers mostly either incomprehensible or downright contradictory. Some seem to suggest you can’t do this with Apple devices. I am very lost, so I thought I would turn to my AB friends, who are usually the most insightful and comprehensible.

I understand roughly what to do; have a VPN connection into my home router and put my ASAIR controller on a static IP address.

Now those are mostly just words to me.

But my local network provided did that, but I couldn’t connect. They implemented the VPN via Wireguard an a “tunnel” accessed by a QR code they gave me (again all these are just meaningless words to me). However that didn’t work. But it did with my network engineer’s Android phone. He also did port-forwarding and a direct IP address (although these are just words, apparently this is a no-no) which again worked for his Android but not my iPhone.

He said a few more incomprehensible words to me, but since he was on an hourly rate, I thought it best to cut my losses.

Is there anybody out there who has successfully put an ASIAir “on line” to world accessible via Mac hardware. If so, would you mind explaining to me how you did it in language that won’t melt my brain.

[In case anyone wonders: I am would like to offer observing with my telescopes to friends overseas and the local school. The latter, in particular, is important to me as they have a really switched on Yr12 who would love to use this.]

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Michael Gehrisch

Apr 13, 2026

Not exactly what you are looking for but hopefully confirmation that this should indeed work with Apple products. I control my ASI2600MC Air located at Starfront Observatories over wireguard, using my Ipad or Iphone and the ASIAIR app in Sweden, from home or anywhere with wifi or cell coverage. Works perfectly, every single time.
In my case the VPN connection is via the Wireguard app, on the iphone or Ipad, not on my router.

You might consider joining the Starfront Observatories Discord Channel, https://discord.gg/3ut6a7pfsY which is even open for non-customers. I bet there are a lot more users there that could provide guidance on what exactly you need to do.

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Brian Boyle

Topic starter

Apr 14, 2026

Many thanks, Michael. Very encouraging to hear. I will certainly look into that. In that interim, I have also discovered Tailscale which appears to be similar, and was certainly straightforward for this network noob to set-up.

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Craig Towell

Apr 15, 2026

Can you give us an idea of how this works as it’s something I’d also like to do (and I am also a complete novice at any kind of IT thing).

Does the air at home still connect to a mobile device at home, and then you ‘remote’ into that mobile device from afar?

Or is the air controlled with the remote mobile device and there is no mobile device at the air location?

Michael Gehrisch

Apr 15, 2026

Craig Towell · Apr 15, 2026, 06:03 PM
Or is the air controlled with the remote mobile device and there is no mobile device at the air location?

There are various ways to do this, so at least for a remote observatory like Starfront, most people have a mini-PC or Mac on-site that controls their rig. This gives them some advanced features, like the ability to get signals from the observatory roof on opening and closing, so they can sleep through any unusual weather events and the computer will start up or shut down their rig as needed.
But I went for the simplest alternative, My remote rig is controlled by the ASIAIR and I have no other equipment remote, I use my iPhone or iPad with a VPN app + the ASIAIR app on my Apple device to control the remote rig. Works flawlessly so far…

There are a number of different VPN solutions that will make this work for a home setup and it sounds the OP Brian got it to work with Tailscale which I believe requires a computer on-site with your Asiair to forward the connection from your iphone to the asiair.
There are other solutions that do the same without the need for a computer, but require some changes to settings in your router instead.

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Brian Boyle

Topic starter

Apr 15, 2026

Thanks for the comments.

I now have a solution.

1) Installed Tailscale VPN on all my Mac devices; MacBook, iPhone and iPad. [Can’t install Tailscale on my ASIAir]

2) Create a new account on my MacBook, login and run the ASIAir app on it [the mobile app also works on M-series of chip]

3) Switching on screen-sharing on my MacBook, I can then access my MacBook from my iPhone or iPad remotely using Screen 5 VPC. This was a bit of a nightmare to set up, but apparently it is the more reliable route. RealVPC also apparently works (and is free) but I couldn’t get it to connect. Note that “obvious choice” Remote Desktop don’t work with mobile devices.

4) I was also able to give my friend in the States access, by inviting him onto my Tailscale network to access my MacBook.

For the future, I will likely change the invite to only a specific computer for 3rd party remote access, and either a) buy a second-hand Mac M1 or greater machine or b) buy a miniPC with VPN installed along with NINA, ASCOM etc. and provide access directly to it.

More money of course. The Mac route of course allows to offer access to all my ASIAIR/scope combos in my network, whereas the miniPC will only allow the one scope that it is controlling. The MiniPC will have NINA etc, so it might be a useful learning experience, and it might allow me to control telescope domes (the only thing I still do manually every night) in the future.

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Craig Towell

Apr 16, 2026

Brian Boyle · Apr 15, 2026 at 09:02 PM
Thanks for the comments.
I now have a solution.
1) Installed Tailscale VPN on all my Mac devices; MacBook, iPhone and iPad. [Can’t install Tailscale on my ASIAir]
2) Create a new account on my MacBook, login and run the ASIAir app on it [the mobile app also works on M-series of chip]
3) Switching on screen-sharing on my MacBook, I can then access my MacBook from my iPhone or iPad remotely using Screen 5 VPC. This was a bit of a nightmare to set up, but apparently it is the more reliable route. RealVPC also apparently works (and is free) but I couldn’t get it to connect. Note that “obvious choice” Remote Desktop don’t work with mobile devices.
4) I was also able to give my friend in the States access, by inviting him onto my Tailscale network to access my MacBook.
For the future, I will likely change the invite to only a specific computer for 3rd party remote access, and either a) buy a second-hand Mac M1 or greater machine or b) buy a miniPC with VPN installed along with NINA, ASCOM etc. and provide access directly to it.
More money of course. The Mac route of course allows to offer access to all my ASIAIR/scope combos in my network, whereas the miniPC will only allow the one scope that it is controlling. The MiniPC will have NINA etc, so it might be a useful learning experience, and it might allow me to control telescope domes (the only thing I still do manually every night) in the future.

Thanks for that. What I don’t get is when your Mac is connected to the air’s WiFi network, how does it then connect to the internet at the same time?

Brian Boyle

Topic starter

Apr 17, 2026

Craig Towell · Apr 16, 2026, 07:56 PM
Brian Boyle · Apr 15, 2026 at 09:02 PM
Thanks for the comments.
I now have a solution.
1) Installed Tailscale VPN on all my Mac devices; MacBook, iPhone and iPad. [Can’t install Tailscale on my ASIAir]
2) Create a new account on my MacBook, login and run the ASIAir app on it [the mobile app also works on M-series of chip]
3) Switching on screen-sharing on my MacBook, I can then access my MacBook from my iPhone or iPad remotely using Screen 5 VPC. This was a bit of a nightmare to set up, but apparently it is the more reliable route. RealVPC also apparently works (and is free) but I couldn’t get it to connect. Note that “obvious choice” Remote Desktop don’t work with mobile devices.
4) I was also able to give my friend in the States access, by inviting him onto my Tailscale network to access my MacBook.
For the future, I will likely change the invite to only a specific computer for 3rd party remote access, and either a) buy a second-hand Mac M1 or greater machine or b) buy a miniPC with VPN installed along with NINA, ASCOM etc. and provide access directly to it.
More money of course. The Mac route of course allows to offer access to all my ASIAIR/scope combos in my network, whereas the miniPC will only allow the one scope that it is controlling. The MiniPC will have NINA etc, so it might be a useful learning experience, and it might allow me to control telescope domes (the only thing I still do manually every night) in the future.
Thanks for that. What I don’t get is when your Mac is connected to the air’s WiFi network, how does it then connect to the internet at the same time?

Criag,

Your ASIAIr needs to be on your home wifi (station mode) for this to work.

I have always found it far easier to run the ASIAir in this fashion, since I can do most of the oberving from the comfort of my own living room, study or (I am ashamed to admit) bed.

That means that you will need a good home wifi network signal at the location of your telescope. Mine is 80m from my house, so I needed to set-up a few things (Tx/Rx, battery with solar panels, buried ethernet cable to cover all thre ASIAirs). I presume your situation may not be as complex as mine.

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