|
|
Post by CofC_Black_Cats on Aug 4, 2017 14:40:05 GMT -7
Our team has spilt the ground station into two parts. We are taking the dish on the boat with us to maintain shortest distance to payload. Aiming the dish will be all manual. Dish is attached to a bamboo pole so that the weight can rest on the ground / boat deck; Cass calls it the plunger. Works pretty well for us but we have never tested this at full range. Current RSSI is limited to several LEDs, any ideas on using a basic lcd screen, or even a 3-digit output of the signal strength percentage to help the user adjust alignment in real time?
|
|
|
|
Post by Wesley on Aug 5, 2017 19:30:18 GMT -7
You can use the Ubiquiti modems built in software to view signal information in real time. In your web browser, type in the address of your M5 modem (something like 192.168.1.20). Your address should be printed on you modem. That will take you to your modems configuration page where you'll be prompt for login information. The default user name and password is "ubnt" for both. Once your logged in, you can navigate to the "Main" tab to view information about your network. It will look something like this depending on your firmware...  You could develop an API to grab that information automatically but that would take time to develop. |
|
|
|
Post by Black-cats on Aug 6, 2017 10:44:31 GMT -7
You can use the Ubiquiti modems built in software to view signal information in real time. In your web browser, type in the address of your M5 modem (something like 192.168.1.20). Your address should be printed on you modem. That will take you to your modems configuration page where you'll be prompt for login information. The default user name and password is "ubnt" for both. Once your logged in, you can navigate to the "Main" tab to view information about your network. It will look something like this depending on your firmware... You could develop an API to grab that information automatically but that would take time to develop. Thank you for the fast reply! This is an excellent suggestion. I should have been more clear in my OP. I will be 25+ feet away from the computer in order on the boat deck. The "improved rssi" would have to be right next to the dish, where the manual pointing will occur. Even if I could add a volt meter onto the LEDs to get a more accurate reading of rssi would be good. Viewing rssi is ideal on laptop but I will be too far away while pointing it at the payload. Any suggestions? |
|
|
|
Post by Wesley on Aug 6, 2017 21:31:45 GMT -7
Ohh. I understand now.  I don't have a solution to get more resolution using those LEDs unfortunately... There really is no easy way to do this without risking damage to your modem or your laptop. You would also not be gaining much unless the LEDs are not visible to you while you are pointing. As signal strength begins to drop, the processor in the modem turns off LEDs. Lets say that for each LED that turns off, it is representing a 25% reduction in signal strength. So with 3 LEDs on, we now have a hypothetical RSSI of 75% right? This is not necessarily the case. It means that the RSSI is between 75% and 100% and no exact value could be represented. This is essentially the same information you are getting by observing the state of the LEDs either with a multimeter or by observation. That RSSI indicator is really just for quick diagnostic information. I do have a different suggestion though! If you have access to a spare monitor, you can use it as an extended desktop to display the information from the webpage I mentioned above. You could run a 25 foot HDMI cable to your location that plugs into a monitor to act as a dedicated display while the laptop remains on shore streaming video. Not a clean solution but it seems to be the easiest and would allow you to see real time information about your connection. |
|
I don't have a solution to get more resolution using those LEDs unfortunately... There really is no easy way to do this without risking damage to your modem or your laptop. You would also not be gaining much unless the LEDs are not visible to you while you are pointing. As signal strength begins to drop, the processor in the modem turns off LEDs. Lets say that for each LED that turns off, it is representing a 25% reduction in signal strength. So with 3 LEDs on, we now have a hypothetical RSSI of 75% right? This is not necessarily the case. It means that the RSSI is between 75% and 100% and no exact value could be represented. This is essentially the same information you are getting by observing the state of the LEDs either with a multimeter or by observation. That RSSI indicator is really just for quick diagnostic information.