Video - Software mod to increase radio range - hostapd.conf

Adimuzio513 · Sep 26, 2015

Chip Luck said:
Just finished up with Gimbal install and Solo Checkout. Updated hostapd.conf with no problems for the GPS mod with the manual method using WinSCP and Atom. Everything was good, until I finally took Solo out to test fly - and can no longer log in to SoloLink as It will not accept my password using my LG G3 phone. I even checked the password stored in edited hostapd.conf file and it it listed as correct on both Controller and Solo. I am Linux and PC savvy 20 years plus. Dang it Jim...

Any suggestions gang?

Cheers

I did same as you just changing things manually but maybe give the tweaker program I've been hearing about a shot, just since it's been proven to work and to narrow down your issue and take human error out as a possibility. Beside that your the first I've heard of this issue so I'm not much help, good luck though hope ya figure it out.

Del · Sep 26, 2015

Chip Luck said:
Just finished up with Gimbal install and Solo Checkout. Updated hostapd.conf with no problems for the GPS mod with the manual method using WinSCP and Atom. Everything was good, until I finally took Solo out to test fly - and can no longer log in to SoloLink as It will not accept my password using my LG G3 phone. I even checked the password stored in edited hostapd.conf file and it it listed as correct on both Controller and Solo. I am Linux and PC savvy 20 years plus. Dang it Jim...

Any suggestions gang?

Cheers

God Chip...sorry to hear about your bad day!! I know I've read somewhere on this forum that a few other people couldint log on to Sololink because of wrong password issues..you can always go into the search Bar and see what pops up!!

Chip Luck · Sep 26, 2015

I can no longer access Sololink from my desktop that I used to perform the mod - so I cannot even get to Controller or Solo anymore. Going to pull out the tablet, or use android device to see if I can figure this out...

Del · Sep 26, 2015

Chip Luck said:
I can no longer access Sololink from my desktop that I used to perform the mod - so I cannot even get to Controller or Solo anymore. Going to pull out the tablet, or use android device to see if I can figure this out...

Damn....do u think a tottal factory reset would fix your problem..?

Adimuzio513 · Sep 26, 2015

Chip Luck said:
I can no longer access Sololink from my desktop that I used to perform the mod - so I cannot even get to Controller or Solo anymore. Going to pull out the tablet, or use android device to see if I can figure this out...

Yea guess I didn't think that through did you try your origional solo password to see if it reset for whatever reason, if you changed it that is? I'd hope there's a way to manually reset your password but I've not had to try it so far.

Chip Luck · Sep 26, 2015

NoGo from my tablet on WiFI, NoGo on my Phone - cannot connect to Sololink no matter what.

And to boot, Controller and Solo quit talking, so I hit the PAIR button on Solo while both were powered up and fixed that...

Being in engineering I should know better : perform ONE mod a a time and test/re-test before do any others, in particular software. However, there was only one software mod done, and again, checked the file and has same password that I stored. Interesting. Even did a complete review on the hostapd.conf and everything is correct. Been coding for a long time.

Bummer, should have just mounted the gimbal and gone flying...

[EDIT] Don't know why, but re-connected with the SoloNet default password 'sololink' and Houston, we are ready for takeoff. News a 6:00.

Cheers

Chip Luck · Sep 26, 2015

Update:

1) had to re-pair Controller and Solo by holding Solo pair button after both were powered up.
2) found that the default password 'sololink' worked
3) re-checked and re-checked the file, everything looks good - but there are multiple files named 'hostasp.conf' with different extensions/attributes. I'm almost sure somehow an older version got picked up due to the fact had no change in LOS range/nor GPS quality in my test flight.

Obviously something in the config? Been coding since machine code... well, a long time and Linux and PC proficient.

First gimbal flight now un-eventful. Downloading video now = what a difference!

If it were not for my last name, I would have no Luck at all. It's all good and a learning curve. Logs/data to follow. Love this stuff!

Thanks again everyone for the boards/help/input and information.

Cheers

Adimuzio513 · Sep 26, 2015

Glad to see ya made it back up, always helps to get a couple sets of eyes and other minds, especially when it gets frustrating. Most times it's something we overlook or something that in theory makes no sense at all.

I'm headed out to get a couple packs in before dark, hope all goes well cause I have no luck at all name or otherwise usually.

Chip Luck · Sep 26, 2015

Adimuzio513 said:
Glad to see ya made it back up, always helps to get a couple sets of eyes and other minds, especially when it gets frustrating. Most times it's something we overlook or something that in theory makes no sense at all.

I'm headed out to get a couple packs in before dark, hope all goes well cause I have no luck at all name or otherwise usually.

Agreed, having support like this and all the other groups - I have no idea how I made it before the internet. Dang, now I dated myself. If life did not have any challenges, it would be boring.

Anyway, have a great couple of flights and enjoy.

Cheers

Del · Sep 26, 2015

Chip Luck said:
NoGo from my tablet on WiFI, NoGo on my Phone - cannot connect to Sololink no matter what.

And to boot, Controller and Solo quit talking, so I hit the PAIR button on Solo while both were powered up and fixed that...

Being in engineering I should know better : perform ONE mod a a time and test/re-test before do any others, in particular software. However, there was only one software mod done, and again, checked the file and has same password that I stored. Interesting. Even did a complete review on the hostapd.conf and everything is correct. Been coding for a long time.

Bummer, should have just mounted the gimbal and gone flying...

[EDIT] Don't know why, but re-connected with the SoloNet default password 'sololink' and Houston, we are ready for takeoff. News a 6:00.

Cheers

I knew you could do it..Bravo

Adimuzio513 · Sep 26, 2015

Chip Luck said:
Agreed, having support like this and all the other groups - I have no idea how I made it before the internet. Dang, now I dated myself. If life did not have any challenges, it would be boring.

Anyway, have a great couple of flights and enjoy.

Cheers

Don't worry here your likley still fairly young comparitivley, at 33 I'm basically a toddler here. Beside a brief time on RCG before joining here, this is my first time really digging into and joining a forum and I couldn't agree more it's great. I've learned more in a few months here than I could have in years of flying and filming alone.

Without a doubt it's hard to believe we all actually lived life before the Internet and smart phones at one time. I feel like somethings seriously wrong with me if I don't at least have my phone handy, funniest part is I rarely bother making or recieving calls on it anymore. Basically it's just another way to surf the web, it's hard to even call them phones anymore as most of us are buried in the screen more than ever actually calling anyone.

Sadly didn't have time to fly tonight but I will at daybreak tomorrow for sure.

Raybro · Sep 27, 2015

I have flown several times since getting my gimbal on Thursday. Prior to that I was boycotting and hadn't flown for several weeks as I was on the edge of sending it all back.

During my tirade I did keep all the updates going with the app and Solo.
Now that I am flying again it seems to me my radio range is much better than before. I have not gone out more than about 2000' in the past couple of times but I still have a good connection with 2 to 3 bars at that distance.

Adimuzio513 · Sep 27, 2015

Raybro said:
I have flown several times since getting my gimbal on Thursday. Prior to that I was boycotting and hadn't flown for several weeks as I was on the edge of sending it all back.

During my tirade I did keep all the updates going with the app and Solo.
Now that I am flying again it seems to me my radio range is much better than before. I have not gone out more than about 2000' in the past couple of times but I still have a good connection with 2 to 3 bars at that distance.

Yea I'd agree I even get to almost 20 Rssi when I'm waiting for sat lock and my rssi seems to stay in the 50s or 60s for quite a while now. Interested in what all this October updates going to bring to us, seems most of these updates have been pretty decent improvements.

PureMX · Sep 27, 2015

Without a doubt this mod increases range. The cost for me was poor return video. I reverted wifi settings back to stock and the return video is much better. Good return video is never a bad thing but it becomes much more important when you have the gimbal if you want smooth shots due to smooth flying.

Chip Luck · Sep 27, 2015

Post hostapd.conf mod fix and flight report:

Sticky fingers at 2:00am caused the following errors while updating files:

1) created a hostapd.conf file on Solo that was named hosapd.conf = input/syntax error
that was fixed- and ready to go, so I thought

2) Sololink was still using default password, even though the .conf files were changed, or were they?

3) Booted Controller and Solo. Then using BitVise SSH Client, which has a real shell window, checked every hostapd.conf and hosapd.conf.md5 file out under /etc Time/date stamped appeared correct (see attached screen capture). So, decided to copy the hostapd.conf files back from Controller and Solo to the PC. Opened Atom editor and checked the Solo file first = good to go. When I opened the .conf file from the Controller guess what? It was the original non-modified code. Dang it Jim, so all I did was copy the updated hostapd.conf from my PC to the Controller, re-ran #/md5sum hostasp.conf > hostasp.conf.md5 on the Controller.

4) Re-boot Controller and Solo = here we go again with Controller waiting on Solo again. So re-paired Solo my holding in the Pair button for a little over a second = paired and ready to go.

5) Sololink now required password changes in Windows 7 network setting and both my fly tools, the LG G3 phone and the Nexus 10.

Packed everything up and flew 3 test flights (2nd and 4th with the new gimbal)...

Holy Solo, hello my little friend! All I can say is wow, with standard duck antenna's and this mod along with the GPS foil spacer Solo was an absolute dream to fly man. I'll tell you what, it's like a whole new UAV. No dropped signal anymore, GPS lock was well... quick. As far as range, I used to get about 1,200ft out around 150 AGL until I saw 'red', now when I could no longer see Solo without help or binoculars: over 3,500 foot, almost out-of-sight, still going, and holding 2 to 3 bars solid then I hit Home.

Dang it man, awesome... just awesome.

Thanks gang!

Cheers

Chip Luck · Sep 27, 2015

PureMX said:
Without a doubt this mod increases range. The cost for me was poor return video. I reverted wifi settings back to stock and the return video is much better. Good return video is never a bad thing but it becomes much more important when you have the gimbal if you want smooth shots due to smooth flying.

Interesting, noticed no loss of live feed here, even out just past 3,500 ft LOS. Everything seemed better overall.

Cheers

PureMX · Sep 27, 2015

Chip Luck said:
Interesting, noticed no loss of live feed here, even out just past 3,500 ft LOS. Everything seemed better overall.

Cheers

You may be ok. Many people reported poor or "rolling" video after the mod. Look back through the posts. It was fun to test the limit (1.1 miles for me) but I have no real use of that range. The Alfa panels and stock wifi settings with solid return video works great. Now let's see what the update from 3DR later this week may do.

Chip Luck · Sep 27, 2015

PureMX said:
You may be ok. Many people reported poor or "rolling" video after the mod. Look back through the posts. It was fun to test the limit (1.1 miles for me) but I have no real use of that range. The Alfa panels and stock wifi settings with solid return video works great. Now let's see what the update from 3DR later this week may do.

Which Alfa's do you have, I assume a pair of what model? Thanks.