Instructions: Connecting ASIAIR Pro and AZGTi
There are 2 ways you can control Skywatcher’s AZGTi mount with ZWO’s ASIAIR Pro, Wired or Wireless.
Wired
Using a FTDI USB Cable, such as the Lynx Astro FTDI EQDIR USB Adapter for Skywatcher AZGTi, is the simplest and most reliable way to connect, and allows the ASIAIR Pro to operate wirelessly with your iPad/Android device using the much faster 5GHz band. A FTDI USB Cable, sometimes called a EQMOD, or EQDIR cable can also be made DIY. You can search these forums or the internet for instructions.
When connecting the AZGTi to the ASIAIR via a USB Cable such as this, you can configure the mount in the ASIAIR Telescope Setting interface as type EQMOD Mount with connection set to Serial.
Wireless
The first thing to know about connecting to the AZGTi via wireless, is that the AZGTi is limited to the 2.4GHz band. The 2.4GHz band, while having more range than 5GHz, is much slower and more prone to interference from other wireless devices and signals, including USB2 noise. This doesn’t mean it doesn’t work well, it’s just best to be aware of these issues in case you need to troubleshoot. Because the ASIAIR Pro sends images over the wireless to the ASAIR App, you will notice the slower loading times particularly if you are using a larger resolution camera sensor. This is not a limitation of the ASIAIR, but the nature of 2.4GHz and the limitation of the AZGTi.
Networking 101
Before we get into the wireless configuration, it may be beneficial to explain some relevant networking concepts. A TCP/IP Network is a collection of Nodes connected via Links. Nodes are devices such as computers, phones, and in our case the ASIAIR and AZGTi. The Nodes of a Network share an IP schema, an address range, that allows them to communicate. Like houses on a street, they share the same State, City, Street, but have unique House Numbers. Often, and in our case, one of the Nodes also serves as the Router. This Router, may also provide DHCP services, which automatically give any node a suitable and unique address when that client connects to the network. If the Router does not provide DHCP services, or you choose to use a Fixed IP, then you need to enter a unique address which is compatible with the network.
Both the ASIAIR and AZGTi act as Routers in their own network. Therefore, in order for them to communicate, one of them has to join the Network of the other as a Node(or Station).
Connecting the AZGTi to the ASIAIR
In this scenario, we will connect the AZGTi(station) to the ASIAIR(router)
The AZGTi wireless only operates in the 2.4GHz band, so the first step is to connect your mobile device to the ASIAIR Network, open the ASIAIR app, and switch the wireless to 2.4GHz.
Now we need to configure the AZGTi as a station on the ASIAIR network. Connect your mobile device to the AZGTi Network. If you look in your mobile device’s wireless network settings, you will see that your IP Address is 192.168.4.2, and the Router is 192.168.4.1. The AZGTi(router) has automatically assigned your mobile device the 2nd (or other unique) address on the 192.168.4 network.
Open the Synscan Pro app on your mobile device, Connect to the AZGTi, then go to Settings > Wi-Fi Setting and check Modify Station. Turn Station Mode on, and enter the ASIAIR Pro Network Name as the SSID, with default password 12345678. Because we will not be able to see the AZGTi’s IP Address, once it connects to the ASIAIR, we need to turn DHCP Off, and enter a Fixed IP. This Fixed IP must be a unique address on the ASIAIR Network. ASIAIR uses the 10.0.0 network, with itself being number 1 (10.0.0.1), your mobile device will often be assigned 10.0.0.2 when it connects to the ASIAIR, so let’s set the AZGTi Fixed IP address to 10.0.0.10 as ZWO’s manual suggests. Hit Apply at the top right of the Synscan app.
The AZGTi will now connect to the ASIAIR. It is best to leave the AZGTi Access Point Mode enabled as well, so you can always connect to the AZGTi directly with your mobile device in order to troubleshoot or to manage connections.
Now that the AZGTi is a node on the ASIAIR Network, we can configure the Mount settings in the ASIAIR. Connect your mobile device to the ASIAIR Network and open the ASIAIR app. In the Telescope Settings interface, select EQMOD Mount. Connect Method should be Ethernet, and IP Address will be 10.0.0.10. The Port is 11880, and change the Protocol from TCP to UDP. You should now be able to Enable the EQMOD Mount, and verify by going back to the main ASIAIR screen, and moving the mount via the telescope slew panel.
Henceforth you will not need to use Synscan to configure the AZGTi because it will remember the settings. Just power up both devices, connect your mobile device to the ASIAIR, and the ASIAIR to all your equipment.
Connecting the ASIAIR to the AZGTi
In this scenario, we will connect the ASIAIR(station) to the AZGTi(router)
The AZGTi wireless only operates in the 2.4GHz band, so the first step is to connect your mobile device to the ASIAIR Network, open the ASIAIR app, and switch the wireless to 2.4GHz.
Now we need to configure the ASIAIR as a station on the AZGTi network. Connect your mobile device to the ASIAIR Network. If you look in your mobile device’s wireless network settings, you will see that your IP Address is 10.0.0.X. (Where X is a unique number), and the Router is 10.0.0.1. The ASIAIR(router) has automatically assigned your mobile device a unique address on the 10.0.0 network.
Open the ASIAIR app, and the Wireless Settings Interface. Open the WiFi Station Mode page and Enable the WiFi Station Mode. ASIAIR will show you available 2.4GHz networks, connect to your AZGTi network providing a password if needed (default AZGTi password is blank). Once connected, you can examine the network information (i), and discover your ASIAIR has been assigned a unique address on the 192.168.4 network (probably 192.168.4.2), and the Gateway(router) is the address of the AZGTi (192.168.4.1)
We can now configure the Mount in the ASIAIR. In the Telescope Settings interface, select EQMOD Mount. Connect Method should be Ethernet, and IP Address will be 192.168.4.1. The Port is 11880, and change the Protocol from TCP to UDP. You should now be able to Enable the EQMOD Mount, and verify by going back to the main ASIAIR screen, opening the telescope slew panel.
Additional Thoughts.
For those looking forward to the recently announced and pending SkySafari release with direct native support for the AZGTi, I would recommend that you connect the ASIAIR in Station mode to the AZGTi Access Point. Not only is this easier because you don’t need to enter a Fixed IP into the AZGTi, but it is a more natural fit with running SkySafari on the same device, controlling the AZGTi directly. However, it really isn’t necessary to run SkySafari with the ASIAIR, as the ASIAIR includes extensive object databases to select from and Goto. The ASIAIR Pro can be your complete solution with the AZGTi, no Synscan, no Skysafari, Easy as 1, 2, 3.
Edited by davidparks, 19 April 2020 - 11:54 PM.
