Networking your observatory or set up via TeamViewer

[Carole]

I thought I would let you know about an alternative to UVNC for networking the set up so you can sit inside in the warm.

Phil kindly set me up with UVNC when I completed my observatory, but as stated in previous posts it worked very intermittently and we could not seem to get to the bottom of why this was, often it would come up with the wrong number in the observatory 127.0.0.2 instead of 10.0.0.2.

Anyway, eventually Phil sussed out I had a dodgy ethenet port on the indoors laptop, this is the old windows XP lappy, and bent one of the wires inside the ethernet port.  This then enabled a regular connection but would only let me "view" but not "operate" from indoors.

I decided it was time to try out a different method as I did not want to fork out for another indoor laptop, and what I really wanted was to be able to operate my observatory from my desk top upstairs and on the other side of the house and this is where my router is.  I found trying to get an internet  WIFI connection from the Observatory was also very intermittent.

I then spotted a tutorial on Astronomy Shed about networking the observatory via Teamviewer which is free for home use.  To link the two computers if your internet connection is likely to drop you can use a pair of  plugs
TP-Link TL-PA211KIT 200Mbp which utilises your electrical circuit for the internet connection.

I have just tried it all out and hey presto, it all works.

Carole

[RobertM]

That's exactly the way I do it Carole except I use windows remote desktop as the software.  Just like you I could never get a decent signal with wifi.  All my house Internet access is via those plugs and has been for a number of years.

Robert

[Fay]

My connection is not good either, always in & out of the house all the time.

Do you plug the laptop into the adaptor, which would go into mains, as well as using the power plug in another mains outlet?

[Carole]

Fay,

The two plugs that I bought plug directly into a mains socket (one in the house and one by your laptop outside), and each has an ethernet cable and ethernet socket.  

At the indoor computer the ethernet cable plugs into the router.  At the Observatory (outdoor) end the ethernet cable plugs into the Astro laptop.  Both computers need to be connected to the internet and the plugs and cables use the household electrical supply to pass the internet connection.  

This is a link to the tutorial on Astronomy Shed Forum.
http://www.astronomyshed.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=5583

Carole

[Mac]

I found it cheaper to purchase a 100m network cable, then two network main plugs.

I've always used remote desktop, and never have any problems.

Mac.

[Rick]

I found it cheaper to purchase a 100m network cable, then two network main plugs.

Cheaper, a whole lot more reliable, and a whole lot less interference, too.

Try using a DAB radio anywhere near those mains plug ethernet adapters...

[Fay]

there are no spare outlets in my router. Do you have to take one out?

[mickw]

there are no spare outlets in my router. Do you have to take one out?

Yes if you don't have a spare outlet but you could get something like this -
http://www.maplin.co.uk/5-port-10-100-1000-gigabit-network-switch-286620
Then plug it into the router and gain an extra 4 ports/outlets.

[Fay]

thanks for that Mick.....

[Carole]

purchase a 100m network cable, then two network main plugs

I have the observatory wired up for network, but the indoor laptop I was using has a dodgy ethernet port.  
The desktop I am using upstairs is miles from the observatory and meant the cable trailing all through the house, and while I have a long enough cable I could not seem to get UVNC to connect via this system.

Anyway it doesn't matter now as I've got it all working.

Try using a DAB radio anywhere near those mains plug ethernet adapters...

Yes, Phil said you wouldn't be impressed Rick, but I don't think I have any Radio Hams living near me and it's not as if I am running it all the time anyway.

Carole

[RobertM]

Fay, I have the 8 port version of this http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-Gigabit-Unmanaged-Desktop-TL-SG1005D/dp/B000N99BBC/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1323250257&sr=8-7 works just the same and it's much cheaper.

Like Carole I can't wire up the house with Cat 6e network cable (unfortunately).  But the Gigabit Powerlines give very good throughput and flexibility.  There are about 6 dotted around including to the TV, the girls bedrooms, observatory and a spare I use as a signal booster.

Robert

[Fay]

thanks for that Robert. Yes, I cannot run a cable through the house either.

[Fay]

that comes up as a 5 port Robert, but that is ok, I will order.

I had a couple of DEVELO plugs, cant think what i did with them, same sort of thing.

[RobertM]

4 ports or 5 it doesn't really matter as long as there are enough.  The good thing about these switches is that you just plug the devices in - there's no configuration at all.

Robert

[mickw]

Fay you have ordered the Powerline things as well haven't you ?