Remote Control of Equipment

I ran an ethernet cable out to my yard to avoid having to use wifi.

I use Splashtop Personal and ZeroTier (mostly as a backup). Been using Splashtop for almost 2 years now and couldn't recommend it more highly. I just started using ZeroTier as few weeks ago and its been great and is a very nice (and secure) option for local and remote access. Both Splashtop and ZeroTier work on pretty much any device you can think of.

If you're using Windows you can always just use RDP provided your imaging PC has a Pro version of windows but note that it isn't safe to us for access from outside your home network.

Cheap J4125 NUC over wifi utilizing windows remote desktop.  Runs Nina without issue.  Just need to make sure you have decent wifi signal to your scope.  In my case the Ubiquiti U6-LR has no issue feeding both scopes in my backyard.

For imaging while away from home I just use TeamViewer to gain access to my desktop PC, which also connects to the scopes.

Beelink Ryzen PC,

I've been using this same PC and its been great. CPU on it is one of the most power efficient as well. 

The size of the PC makes it pretty easy to pop out and work with inside at times as well.

I assume you're connecting via wifi correct? Have you measured the signal strength out at your rig? If not you want to do so. Even if the signal is strong wifi is a very tricky protocol as it is susceptible to many different interference from especially if you have close neighbors.

I have a mesh system in my remote setup. It’s better than an extender. I ethernet cable runs out to my roll away observatory and I have it connecting directly to my Mele Quieter 3 PC which is on my mount and also to a mesh unit that transmits a wifi signal but is connected to my network switch via a ethernet cable. I remote into that with either Windows Remote desktop, Google or Teamviewer. My wife is kind enough to roll the observatory off and on for me if I’m away.
When I’m at home I use Windows Remote desktop on my ipad. I regularly am away from home due to work and if the forecast is clear I  can remote in Via Teamviewer or the google remote. 

Your connection issues could be due to the wifi extender. A mesh is much better as the computer doesn’t have to jump to a new wifi network (yes its an extender but it is actually a new network). I mesh system is one continuous signal, or network. I have never had any connection issues with the mesh. I can walk out to my observatory and the wifi signal to my ipad doesn’t drop out.

Signal can most definitely still be an issue even with a mesh system if your nodes are too far apart. People tend to put them where they experience weak signal. This is a problem because if a node is receiving a week signal its going to put out a good signal. For this reason I still highly recommend  you test the strength of the signal coming from the house (with your obs nod unplugged) to judge its strength. If the signal is less than about -72db that is on the low end of decent. any lower is not an adequate signal. And again even if your signal strength is strong that doesn't mean you aren't being effected by interference.


Really the best thing you can do here is to get that ethernet cable going out to the obs working. If you do that you can not only hardwire your mesh node but you can also hardwire your imaging PC and that would make your life so much easier.

Hi Mossyback,

I use a MiniPC that is mounted on my fence and some custom cable for powering the equipment. An active USB cable is used to connect my scopes to the PC. I now have 5 scopes (only two are used simultanously) that are prepared with AF-motors (some are DIY), USB-Hubs, DIY Power controllers and guide scopes. The PC is on the fence, because I want to be quick when changing the scopes. Every accessory is mounted on these scopes and I just had to connect the power and USB cable… could not be faster. Everything is put on an EQ6-R Pro.

For a second setup on a NEQ6, I use an old Thinkpad X240 which is not the fastest machine anymore, but still able to control my second rig. It is placed in a case and then surrounded by a wooden box with a water proof top. It is outside for two years now and I didn't have any issues.

Both PCs are running NINA. Inside the house, I use another laptop with RDP. But my experience is a bit mixed. The laptop works fine without any issues for years now. The MiniPC on the fence seems to disaple RDP constantly when updating the anti virus software. So I had to include a Raspberry Pi as a KVM-controller to remotely activate RDP again. This is the most frustrating part of my observatory. I was not able to find the Windows settings, where I could prevent this to happen.

But beside these problems, my system seems to work very well for about two years now. Both PCs next to the scopes are not easily accessible with a real keyboard or monitor. So I use RDP even when I do some settings outside. This is the only time I use Wifi to connect to it. The MiniPC is setup as an access point using the Connectify-software. Inside the house, everything is done via ethernet cables that run out to the PCs to stay safe. I don't like wireless setups. They are slower and not reliable enough for my needs. My scopes are quite far away from the house.

I plan to build my own observatory in the near future. Currently, I just put two covers (Telegizmo 365s) on my rigs. A wheather box is warning me at night, If there is any rain or clouds detected.

CS
Christian