1. Simulation Curriculum Corp.
  2. Community
  3. SkySafari | Celestron Telescopes
New post
0

iPad Connection Failure with SkySafari 6 Pro and SkyFi

 
seckroad

I use SkySafari 6 Pro on my iPad together with SkyFi III to control my Celestron AVX mount after doing the alignment. SkySafari has been working fine with either my iPadAir or my iPhone6. However, the iPad stopped connecting to the telescope, possibly when I upgraded to iOS 11.4.1. The iPhone is still at 11.4.0.

The iPad detects and connects to the SkyFi network, but when I open SkySafari and try to "Connect" it fails. The attached photos show the various settings I use and the error messages I get. When I first select "Connect" in SkySafari I get a "jerky" connection that lasts about 10 seconds. Then I get the message shown in the JPEG, "iPad_ConnectionFailureStep1.JPG". When I attempt to re-connect using the "Connect" option on this screen I get the message shown in the JPEG, "iPad_ConnectionFailureStep2.JPG." From there on out, SkySafari refuses to connect to the scope, even though the iPad is still connected to the SkyFi III network. See the other screenshots for proof of that.

I purchased the SkyFi III April 6, 2018. The firmware is up to date (1.3.4), but to be sure I re-uploaded the firmware. Didn't help. I also deleted SkySafari 6 Pro from my iPad and then reinstalled it. I have also rebooted the iPad several times. None of these actions have cured the problem. My iPhone works fine with this setup. The iPad doesn't -- anymore.

Date Votes

7 comments

  • 0
    Avatar
    Bill Tschumy

    Seckroad,

    It is not immediately clear what the problem might be.  Some questions:

    1. Are both the iPad and iPhone on the same version of iOS?

    2. Is the SkyFi set up to join an existing network or have you left it in the default standalone mode?

    3. After connecting from the iPad, can you go to 10.0.0.1 in a browser and see the SkyFi configuration pages?  Can you stay connected for a while without the connection being dropped?

    4. Just on the off chance that you have something set up differently on the iPad compared to the iPhone, you might take the [CurrentSettings].skyset file from the iPhone (which is working) and copy it to the iPad, replacing the same file there.  This will ensure the scope settings are identical.  You will have to use iTunes File Sharing to move the file between the apps (google it if you don't know how to use iTunes File Sharing).

     

     

  • 0
    Avatar
    seckroad

    Dear Mr. Tschumy,

    In answer -- keyed to the point numbers you make:

    1. The iPad iOS is 11.4.1, which is the latest, and which I recently updated to. The iPhone is the earlier, 11.4.0. While I am not sure when the problem with SkySafari and the iPad began it is quite possible that it was the update to 11.4.1 that is responsible. Do you have anyone else reporting a problem with the latest iOS?

    2. I don't know what you mean under Item 2. I operate the SkiFi as an access point. That is, it broadcasts a WiFi signal to which I connect with the iPad. "SkyFi" appears in the list of available wifi sites on the iPad and I connect to it. The SkyFi router address is 10.0.0.1 and it assigns an IP to whatever device connects to it.

    3. Yes, I can go to 10.0.01 and see the Status. The iPad stays connected to the SkyFi wifi, even when SkySafari says that it cannot connect to the scope. I think the problem is with SkySafari, not the SkyFi.

    4. I have no idea where to find the "[CurrentSettings].skyset file" on either the iPhone or iPad. Anyway, as I say in #3 above, I think the problem is with SkySafari.

     

    By the way, I just purchased the Celestron Sky Q Link and downloaded the SkyPortal software to my iPad and iPhone. It seems that SkySafari on my iPad has the same problem with the Sky Q Link. It loses connection to the scope. Whereas, SkySafari on the iPhone does not have the problem with the Sky Q Link. However, in experimenting, I am able to get SkySafari Pro 6 to work on the iPad if I first make a connection with the Sky Q Link with the SkyPortal software. That is strange!

    I also tried an older version (Ver 4) of SkySafari, and it has the same problem as described. All in all, I think that SkySafari doesn't play nice with iOS 11.4.1. Can you guys check this out?

  • 0
    Avatar
    Bill Tschumy

    1. No there is no known problem.  I was just curious that it worked on one device an not on the other.  I have 11.4.1 on my phone and there are no connection issues.

    2. Ok, that answers my question.   FYI, it is possible to have the SkyFi join an existing network as opposed to using it in Access Point mode.

    3. Very doubtful the problem is with SkySafari or SkyFi.  I think it is something about your iPad.  After you get the connection failure and then the message that it can't make a wireless connection to the scope, are you still able to get to 10.0.0.1 in a browser?  I'm trying to understand if the Wi-Fi connection has been totally dropped.

    4. If you use iTunes File Sharing as suggested, you will see the file in SkySafari's documents directory.  This is the top level directory you will see when you select the SkySafari app in iTunes File Sharing.

    The fact that you get a similar problem with SkyQ Link also seems to suggest an iPad problem.  This also means it is unlikely to be difference in the settings files, so #4 above is probably not going to be useful.  We have never had a report like yours out of the many thousands of folks doing scope control so I don't see how it could be SkySafari.

    You could try capturing a scope log file, but I suspect that won't be too useful (but you never know).  Instructions for doing so are in the Scope Control Help near the bottom.

    I just tried again connecting with my 11.4.1 device and have no problems.  Unfortunately is is not as simple as the iOS version.

    I'm really not sure what else to suggest at this point.  You could try a hard reset of the iPad, but this does require you to back up and then restore your device.

     

  • 0
    Avatar
    seckroad

    I just checked the sequence of events again. Here is what I did:

    1. Turned on the AVX scope, turned on SkyFi, plugged it into the Celestron hand controller.

    2. On my iPhone joined the SkyFi network, started SkySafari and confirmed that I could connect. Then I disconnected the iPhone

    3. On my iPad, joined the SkyFi network and checked that the router IP, etc. was the same as on the iPhone (e.g., Router address: 10.0.0.1, Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0). The WIFi tab on the iPad showed that it was connected to the SkyFi network.

    4. Started SkySafari on the iPad and went to the Settings page. The "Auto-Detect SkyFi" slider was in the "ON" position and there was a message under the label that said "Not found". I Checked again in iPad Settings and it still showed connected to the SkyFi network.

    5. I switched the auto-detect to OFF and the display showed that the IP address and Port assignments were 10.0.0.1 and 4030, respectively. I checked the iPad Settings again and it reported still connected.

    6. I tried to Connect from within SkySafari and got the "Connection Failure" error message again: "SkySafari 6 Pro can't make a wireles network connection to the scope" etc.

    7. Went back to iPad Settings and confirmed that the iPad still thought it was connected to the SkyFi network.

    I have also already hard reset the iPad, more than once, to no avail. However, not sure what you mean by having to back up and restore the device. To my knowledge a hard reset is accomplished by simultaneously pressing the Home and top button keys and holding them down until the screen goes blank and continuing to hold down until you get the Apple logo. That does not require a back up and restore. Are you referring to some other "hard reset"?

    SO, I think I found a solution: I went to the SkyFi Settings Web Page tab on my iPad and fiddled around, including trying the SkyFi in Client mode rather than Access Point. It had the same problem. So, I tried disabling Use DHCP in Client mode and entering the IP addresses manually. It worked! So, I went back to Access Point mode and disabled the DHCP function on the SkyFi device, made sure that the required IP address (10.0.0.1) was entered. That fixed the problem with the iPad. I don't understand why, but it seems to be working now.

    By the way, oddly the Celestron SkyQ Link device uses opposite terminology for its two modes of operation. For it, "Access Point" mode pertains to the SkyQ connecting to my home network, whereas for the SkyFi device "Access Point" mode pertains to the SkyFi device itself operating as a local wifi network. SkyQ then uses "Direct Connect" to pertain to its operation as a local wifi network. Very confusing!

     

     

  • 0
    Avatar
    Bill Tschumy

    Good work finding a solution.  I don't know why this would be working.  This seems to point to some incompatibility between SkyFi and whatever state your iPad seems to be in.  All I can do is forward this to the person that writes the firmware for SkyFi 3 and see if he has any ideas.

    You are correct that SkyFi and SkyQ Link have a different usage of Access Point.  I'm trying to figure out which is technically correct.

     

  • 0
    Avatar
    seckroad

    For some reason, I think after I upgraded to 11.4.1, my iPad seems to not handle DHCP functions required by SkySafari but works okay if you bypass DHCP. Eventually I will have to upgrade my iPhone to 11.4.1 and I hope that it doesn't have the same problem.

    The SkyFi usage for "access point" is correct. Whenever you go to Starbucks or other places where wifi is available, their wifi router is called an access point.

    Having used both SkyFi and SkyQ Link now, here are some thoughts you might appreciate:

    The SkyFi has better integration with the Celestron hand controller in that it passes the location, time and date. SkyQ Link doesn't do that and therefore the hand controller doesn't know that info - you have to use your iPad/iPhone GPS. However, the SkyQ Link has some nice features, particularly the align and connect feature that allows one to align the scope without going through the hand controller's "two-star" and "add calibration star" process. It's easier to just pick two stars in each hemisphere using the screen on the iPad. The other nice features of the SkyQ Link are that it operates off the same battery as the scope itself (the SkyFi device eats up battery capacity at a voracious rate); and, the SkyQ plugs directly into an Aux port on the AVX. The SkyFi has to plug into the bottom of the Celestron hand controller and in use the tangle of wiring gets pretty bothersome sometimes. Are you working on a way to have the SkyFi plug directly into an Aux port?

  • 0
    Avatar
    Bill Tschumy

    Thanks for the additional comments.  After some research the term "Access Point" is somewhat ambiguous.  But I tend to agree that Celestron's usage is clearer than ours.  I have sent an email to our firmware engineer to see what he thinks.

    No, we are not currently working on a SkyFi the plugs into the Aux port.  Maybe at some point.

Please sign in to leave a comment.