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SM OS on RPi 4 Best Practices?

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I just installed Stellarmate OS Beta on a new Raspberry Pi 4B, 4GB version - holy cow is this thing FAST - it's wonderful!!! Knowing there are multiple ways to connect to the SM, I wondering, in the ideal scenario, what's the best way to connect to SM and control my rig - since the RPi 4 is MUCH more powerful than the RPi 3B+ ?

1) Use SM in hotspot mode and have the SM run everything: INDI, Kstars/Ekos and connect to it for control using VNC from a laptop via WIFI.

2) Plug the SM into a router over gigabit ethernet, SM runs INDI, then run Kstars/Ekos on a laptop over WIFI - which is how I had been connecting since it proved to be the most stable.

3) Use a WIFI router, SM running everything, then using a laptop over WIFI, log into SM VNC from a web browser and control it that way? (This was the least stable method I found with the RPi 3B+.)

4) Use a WIFI router, SM running INDI only, then run Kstars/Ekos and connect using a laptop - everything over the WIFI.

5) ???

Thoughts? Suggestions? Has anybody tested this yet?
4 years 7 months ago #42155

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Yes been Playing with this for a while now, your option 1 was my idea as the rpi4 is powerful enough to do this, but my issue is that I have a 4k monitor and it won’t run in 4K headless over VNC.
I use the hotspot to connect to it, but have changed it to a 5ghz hotspot, and have a separate WiFi USB dongle to plug in if I need the internet in it to update..

It seems a shame to just use as an INdI server and run Kstars on a different machine, (your option 2) with all this extra power.. but that’s how I have always run mine up till now.. :)
Last edit: 4 years 7 months ago by AstroNerd.
4 years 7 months ago #42158

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Stability has been the largest problem I've encountered with the Rpi3. Connecting two Rpi's distributed over ethernet using a dedicated router solved my stability problems. The Rpi's ran INDI, the laptop Kstars/Ekos, communicating to the SMs via WIFI. I agree, the RPi 4 should be able to do it all - but can it? I only control a mount, Canon DSLR and QHY guide cam.

Since ethernet proved for me to be far-and-away the most reliable, what do you think about connecting the SM over the gigabit ethernet, have it run everything, and control it via a laptop or tablet over WIFI using VNC, OR also connect the laptop using gigabit ethernet, run Kstars/Ekos on the laptop and enjoy blazing fast image downloads?

So many way this can be done... all part of the fun. I enjoy having all these possibilities to play with!
Last edit: 4 years 7 months ago by Tom Bardenwerper.
4 years 7 months ago #42163

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Yes running over the Ethernet would be the fastest and most reliable, but for me still no good as I need it to run in headless mode in 4K over VNC and at the moment this only work with a monitor connected, but it does work on raspbian buster, but not on the new beta SM version.... so c’mon Jasem @knro, get this working...... :) :)
Last edit: 4 years 7 months ago by AstroNerd.
4 years 7 months ago #42164

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