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Why Do I Get A Connection Failure Error Using SkySafari 6 Pro On iOS And The SkyWatcher SynScan WiFi Module? (Answer: Open SkySafari On The 1st iOS Device And Enter The IP Address Of The 2nd iOS Device, Not The IP Address Of The Mount - Enter Port 11882)

Benoit de LESCURE

November 20, 2019 05:46

Answered

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Hi,

My setup is as follows:
- Apple iPad Pro running SkySafary 6 Pro and SkyWatcher SynScan Pro
- Mount: SkyWatcher EQ6-R Pro
- SynScan configured in STA mode (infrastructure) and properly connected to the mount using WiFi adapter. I can control the scope from the iPad using SynScan Pro
- SkySafary Communication Settings: IP Address: 127.0.0.1; Port Number 11882

As the message said: SkySafary CAN talk to the scope, but does not recognize its responses.

Changing the SynScan setup to ad-hoc communication give the same message.

The telescope is aligned and obey commands from SynScan.

Any idea?

Thanks!

 

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7 comments

• 0
  
  Keiron Smith December 06, 2019 22:16

  Hi Benoit, 

  I think this what you need to do:

  Connect the phone to the Skywatcher Wifi.  Use the Synscan App to align the mount.  Leave the Synscan App running in foreground.  Make sure the phone doesn't go to sleep.

  Connect the iPad to the Skywatcher Wifi.  Open SkySafari and enter the IP address of the phone, not the mount.  Enter Port 11882.

  Connect!

  See more discussion here:

  https://support.simulationcurriculum.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/115009332408-Why-Is-There-No-Connection-Between-Skywatcher-Synscan-App-and-SkySafari-5-Pro-Solved-use-Port-11882-not-11880n-as-on-the-printed-instructions-

  Also, it may help if you reply to a current discussion if further assistance is required.

• 0
  
  Benoit de LESCURE December 08, 2019 19:04

  Hi Keiron,

   

  Thanks for coming back to me on this! 

  The key part of the set-up I did not get (and still fail to understand the reason why it does not work) is that I need BOTH a phone (as the device running the SynScan app) AND the iPad (as the device running SkySafari). I was attempting the same thing, but with both SkySafari and SynScan running on the iPad: it does not work.

  With both a phone and an iPad, and following your instructions (I got 192.168.4.2 assigned to the phone) - it works.

   

   

• 0
  
  Keiron Smith December 10, 2019 13:14

  Hi Benoit, 

  We did not develop this 2 iOS device system, nor the SynScan app, you are now working with.  We are baffled just like you.  And, it does not help that the SkyWatcher configuration instructions are impossible to understand

  That said, I am happy knowing a solution here for you finally.

  Hopefully, we can offer native support for SkyWatcher/SynScan WiFi in 2020.

  Thanks!

• 0
  
  Keiron Smith December 10, 2019 13:18

  Another note for follow up based on previous user reports.  Apparently, you do not need to use 2 iOS devices.  You can use one iOS device, and one "other" device that is running SynScan Pro app - this could, as reported, be an Amazon Kindle device.

  macOS can, reportedly, be the 2nd device.  Maybe Android as a second device would work too.

• 0
  
  Benoit de LESCURE December 10, 2019 15:23

  Hi Keiron,

   

  You are correct, indeed, I am using an android phone as the SynScan "relay", and an iPad for SkySafari.

  I am guessing that the iPad does put some limits to the application that is not in the foreground (in my original experiment, using 127.0.0.1, which is a loopback IP address, SkySafari seems to find the SynScan app UDP port, but SynScan can't access the scope apparently).

  I was wondering if SkySafari could spawn SynScan as a child process - but I am not an iOS expert so maybe it is not doable...

• 0
  
  Keiron Smith December 10, 2019 15:35

  Right, background apps do not function on iOS, though they do on Android.  That seems to be the issue in a nutshell.

  Hopefully, we can offer native SynScan WiFi support in 2020.  I cant make any promises, but I will look into it.

  Thanks for your verification.

• 0
  
  Keiron Smith April 10, 2020 17:26

  Hi Benoit, 

  We are now beta testing native support for SkySafari + SynScan WiFi on iOS.

  Please read this if you want to participate in the beta.

  Beta Testing SkySafari 6 (iOS Only) & SynScan WiFi - Read This To Participate!

  Thanks!