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Stellarmate WiFi on Rpi4

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Hi All,

I'm testing Stellarmate on the Rpi 4 and the WiFi configuration is playing erratically. After burning the image and powering up the Pi4 the built in stellarmate hotspot did not come up. I was able to vnc into it only via wired ethernet after detecting the ip address from my router.
As I was using the wired connection I noticed that the stellarmate hotspot had become available and I was able to connect to it. Upon doing that from my mac mini I was presented with an Ekos Live login screen. Since I'm not interested in using it I clicked on cancel and the wifi seemed ok. After rebooting the unit the hotspot again disappeared (I always wait several minutes before taking any action) and I had again to connect via ethernet cable.
I then checked the stellarmate wifi control panel and noticed that the hotspot parameter "connect automatically with priority" wasn't checked. I enabled that thinking it would have made a difference and in fact it did. But, after another restart the stellarmate own hotspot ip address had chagned to 10.42.0.160 instead of its default 10.250.250.1.
I also tried to configure stellarmate to connect to my own network but again upon rebooting the unit either it does not connect to my network or the stellarmate hotspot comes up with a different ip address, or the wifi seems to be dead until I plug a network cable in...
I'm unable to find a consistent wifi behaviuor that I can rely on and I always have to use a wired connection to fix the wifi.
Has anyone noticed a similar erratic wifi behaviour?

Thank you,
Giorgio
4 years 4 months ago #45249

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Replied by giorgio on topic Stellarmate WiFi on Rpi4

I just saw from other forum threads that SM 1.4.4 still has some WiFi/hotspot teething problems. I guess I’ll roll back to 1.4.3 until I can test 1.4.5
4 years 4 months ago #45255

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Replied by David Tate on topic Stellarmate WiFi on Rpi4

I was having issues after rebooting the Pi. Sometimes multiple reboots works, but the other night, nothing helped. I had to pull it off the scope and plug in the monitor to see what was happening.
Turns out, I the StellarMate Hotspot was running and not my wireless. So I had to disable the hotspot and now the network connection works after each reboot.

I even bought a USB antenna thinking I just had a distance issue. I was not able to get the antenna working (which I still would like).
Last edit: 4 years 4 months ago by David Tate.
4 years 4 months ago #45262

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Replied by giorgio on topic Stellarmate WiFi on Rpi4

Thnk you for your reply Megiddo. I'll try disabling the hotspot for the time being.
4 years 4 months ago #45273

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Replied by David Tate on topic Stellarmate WiFi on Rpi4


Yup, worth a test anyways... worked for me.
4 years 4 months ago #45277

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I had similar problems with 1.4.4. After going back to 1.4.3, WiFi worked well again for me. Eagerly waiting for 1.4.5 to come out, and moreover, a production (not beta) version of the SM OS for the RPi 4.
Last edit: 4 years 4 months ago by Tom Bardenwerper.
4 years 4 months ago #45325

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I have similar issues, although I am not using StellarMate, but Ubuntu MATE installed from scratch. The built-in wireless connection is erratic for me, too. Why is unclear, but I am suspecting that part of the problem is that the VNC server is being started before a wireless connection has been established and thus aborts. Adding 20 s of sleep before VNC is initiated may help. Still need to try that.
In the meantime, since I am using a fixed IP address and not DHCP, I simply check that the Pi4 is connected to the network

$ ping fixed.I.P.address {e.g. 192.168.1.xxx)

Then I ssh into the Pi4 and start the VNC server from the terminal:

$ ssh This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
$ x11vnc -usepw -shared

That brings up the VNC server in the terminal.
Once it shows that VNC is running, I connect as usual.

That might help, since the problems you are describing are similar to what I am also seeing.

Hope this helps.

Jo
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4 years 4 months ago #45332

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Replied by AstroNerd on topic Stellarmate WiFi on Rpi4

I am at a loss as to why you guys are getting these errors with WiFi, I have an rpi3B+ and the new rpi4b using different versions of SM I get no issues at all with WiFi, with the latest 1.4.4, or the 1.4.3.. versions, I get strong hotspot signal as well as it connects to my home WiFi when available, I also have a WiFi USB dongle that I use if I need the hotspot and internet at the same time...all with no issues whatsoever....
The thing is I use a plastic case with fan, as I have heard that using any type of metal case does cause WiFi issues...as does letting the rpi get to hot..
4 years 4 months ago #45341

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Replied by Tom on topic Stellarmate WiFi on Rpi4

I also not have any issue with WIFI or Hotspot connection in 1.4.4 KDE as well.
4 years 4 months ago #45342

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Replied by David Tate on topic Stellarmate WiFi on Rpi4


I'm using a plastic case also, but maybe my pier location . Using a iphone WiFi Sweetspots app, I get an average of 6Mbps near my scope but inside the house 65.5Mbps. A significant drop.
I'd like to get my WiFi antenna working.

Obviously Linux not being much of a plug-in-play OS, I was not able to install the drivers. Even though I'm the Admin (stellarmate)... it error-ed out with access messages. I got the Wifi working, so I figured I'd figure it out later.

Edit: I just looked at the StellarMate tools app on the SM desktop... There is the WiFi Dongle IP. Hmmm, that might be the trick!
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Last edit: 4 years 4 months ago by David Tate.
4 years 4 months ago #45344

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The networking problems are real, but they have nothing to do with StellarMate per se. They are specific for the RPi4. Somehow, the internal WiFi is slow to connect and apparently thrown off by other networks in the vicinity.
In my case, it defaults to the hotspot before it picks up my home network, although that is strong and almost next to the RPi4 and the priority for the hotspot is very low..
When I add an older RealTek WiFi dongle via USB, that one picks up the network just fine. I can then go in, change the internal connection to my faster 5GHz network, and then disconnect the older 2.4 GHz dongle. I have to renew my VNC connection as well, though.

If all else fails and the VNC server failed to start, just ssh in as I had described earlier and start the VNC server via ssh.

Either way, that is an acceptable workaround until the firmware for the RPi4 catches up and becomes more robust in a crowded WiFI environment.
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4 years 4 months ago #45361

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