Connecting Observatory to Home?

Dale Penkala:
Hello all you Techy people!

I would like to be able to check things on my computers in the observatory from my house. This is mainly to be able to monitor whats going on out there and in the event make very minor adjustments. From what little I know about computers and  connecting them I think what I have to do is below. I know many of you are already doing this so I’m looking for your guidance/suggestions/recommendations.

I think I have to have a router in the observatory that I would connect the computers to. Then in my house I have to have another computer that would connect to the router in the observatory. I was planning on using Teamviewer to connect the observatory computer to the computer in the house and then access the software.

1) Is this correct? If not how are you guys doing it?
2) Does the router need to be anything special? I have a couple of older routers laying around so I thought I could ustilize one of them in that manner?
3) The observatory is approximately 150ft away from the house. Would that be an issue distance wise?

Thanks for any and all reply’s!

Dale

Andy Wray:

Dale Penkala:
Hello all you Techy people!

I would like to be able to check things on my computers in the observatory from my house. This is mainly to be able to monitor whats going on out there and in the event make very minor adjustments. From what little I know about computers and  connecting them I think what I have to do is below. I know many of you are already doing this so I’m looking for your guidance/suggestions/recommendations.

I think I have to have a router in the observatory that I would connect the computers to. Then in my house I have to have another computer that would connect to the router in the observatory. I was planning on using Teamviewer to connect the observatory computer to the computer in the house and then access the software.

1) Is this correct? If not how are you guys doing it?
2) Does the router need to be anything special? I have a couple of older routers laying around so I thought I could ustilize one of them in that manner?
3) The observatory is approximately 150ft away from the house. Would that be an issue distance wise?

Thanks for any and all reply’s!

Dale

Is your observatory on the same power supply as your house?  If so, you could just use a powerline adapter kit or if you prefer a wifi powerline adapter kit.  I do the same as I have a nearby power socket in my garage.

David Elmore:
Yes this is the way.  I recommend using AnyDesk or Google Chrome Remote Desktop rather than TeamViewer.  TeamViewer will terminate your free access from time to time.  Screen quality is a little better in Chrome Remote Desktop than AnyDesk.  AnyDesk is a little easier to set up and file transfers of folders rather than just individual files is possible.  If you are a Mac person Screen Sharing is the way to go.

David Koslicki:
Hi Dale,

You have a few different remote access options. Some of these include:
1) TightVNC: for Linux and Windows, only works on local networks (i.e. you home WiFi/internet), great for use with very tenuous connections as it can compress the heck out of the data sent back and forth.
2) Microsoft Remote Desktop: I've used this on Mac and Windows. This is my preferred option (as long as the bandwidth of the connection is relatively high) as it also passes through sound/warning chimes, etc., but it requires you to be on your local network, or have a VPN setup.
3) Chrome Remote Desktop: cross-platform, can be used even when you're not on your local network. I've used this quite successfully to control my setup while off traveling.
4) Team Viewer: I tried it and didn't find much value-add over the above options. But to each their own!

As for the setup of routers and the like, I'll describe my setup: I have a ~50ft ethernet cable snaking from my home router out to the garage connected to a PoE WAP (power over ethernet wireless access point). This sends the wifi long enough to reach my observatory another ~100 feet away. This is sufficient when the observatory is open, but when it's closed, due to the mylar insulation, it's almost like a Faraday cage, so I have a wireless repeater to grab the signal from the WAP and send it to the computer inside the "Faraday cage". Likely you will be able to get away with just a single WAP if it's a clear shot and you don't have reflective insulation.

As for what kind of router you use, you'll want to make sure it has a "Wireless Access Point" mode. I assume you already have a router set up for home WiFi, so a WAP will just take the WiFi (fed via ethernet) from your home router and "extends" it to a new location. If you have the router in "router mode" instead of WAP mode, this can cause some annoyances if not set up correctly (different credentials, networks overlapping and devices not knowing which to connect to, different "local networks", etc.).

Another option is to run ethernet out to your observatory. Cat-5E cables are rated out to ~300 feet, so you could easily run a cable out. This will definitely give you the best bandwidth, reliability, and lowest latency option. But you would need to figure out how to actually run the cable out (eg. if you have accessible conduit already from the house bringing power to the observatory).

Andy Wray:

Dale Penkala:
Hi Andy,
Yes, the main power to the observatory is from my Main Power box in my garage which in turn is connected to the rest of my house. The observatory is on its own separate breaker however.

What are these power line adapter kits? Where do you get them and how much are these?

Dale

Readilly available on Amazon or most electrical stores. Where in the world are you?  In the UK you could use something like: 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/TL-PA8033PKIT-Passthrough-Powerline-AmazonBasics-RJ45-CAT6-Ethernet-LAN-Patch-Cable/dp/B07V4F7LDW/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1J3BLCHS5NWT6&keywords=amazon+wifi+powerline+kit&qid=1664038328&refinements=p_76%3A419158031&rnid=419157031&rps=1&sprefix=%2Caps%2C59&sr=8-3
You do need to connect it to one spare LAN port on your router in the house;  hopefully you have one free.

Andy Wray:
Hi Andy,
I’m in the USA so I’d just have to find something available here in the States. So I assume that 1 would go in the observatory and the other in the house somewhere correct?

Dale

Andy Wray:

Andy Wray:
Hi Andy,
I’m in the USA so I’d just have to find something available here in the States. So I assume that 1 would go in the observatory and the other in the house somewhere correct?

Dale

This is the US version of what I use in the UK:
https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Powerline-Extender-TL-WPA8631P-KIT/dp/B08RHZBHTM/ref=sr_1_2?crid=PQ6TFBSWQZ7I&keywords=tp+link+powerline+kits&qid=1664040906&sprefix=tplink+powerline+kits%2Caps%2C143&sr=8-2

Andy Wray:

Dale Penkala:

Andy Wray:

Andy Wray:
Hi Andy,
I’m in the USA so I’d just have to find something available here in the States. So I assume that 1 would go in the observatory and the other in the house somewhere correct?

Dale

This is the US version of what I use in the UK:
https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Powerline-Extender-TL-WPA8631P-KIT/dp/B08RHZBHTM/ref=sr_1_2?crid=PQ6TFBSWQZ7I&keywords=tp+link+powerline+kits&qid=1664040906&sprefix=tplink+powerline+kits%2Caps%2C143&sr=8-2

Ok so in reading the description its says that the 2 pluged in units have to be on the same breaker/circuit so I think that will goof me up as my router is in my dinning room and I planned to put the 2nd unit out in the garage or possibly in a bedroom closest to the observatory to make the connection.

Am I to assume this won't work then being they will be on separate breakers? 

Dale

To be honest, I don't know, but I personally would give it a go

Dale Penkala:
Thank you, I plan to have a dedicated computer for remote observatory communication and thats it. I’ll defiantly not do any surfing with that computer when I’m monitoring whats going on in the observatory.

Dale