wifi DIRECT connect to Phantom

[macsoft]

:S that is disappointing :S
Thank for your bravery anyway.
If you think on any alternative please let me know.
Any app that "turns" the phone into an AP like the RE?

 

[justin00]

Nah I had a look for some apps that might support WDS. There are none.. The problem is the phone would need to be able to create a virtual wifi interface like the RE...
For most applications with the exception of what we are trying to do... you would need 2 wifi interfaces (or ability to create virtual) - 1 wifi interface would be used for WDS to connect to the other access point, and the second wifi int would be used to allow client connections in normal access point mode... obviously for our application we just need the first part where it just connects back via WDS.... but for 99.99% of other applications it needs both wifi interfaces and that isn't possible, thus no one would bother to make an app.

One more idea... if you carry a laptop around with you... it would be easy to setup a linux VM with the same functionality as the RE... i.e using WDS and allowing you to connect in via the normal access-point... in Linux you can create virtual wifi interfaces/bridges, which is whats required.

*edited* took out the wds info so no one edits there wireless config and bricks it :]

 

[macsoft]

Those are all good ideas.
I had already opened a post asking for some DEV for an app like this. Until now, no takers.
I wanna travel light when I'm filming, so carry an extra laptop would not be practical. I want to eliminate the need for the bulky remote and Extender, so a laptop would be going backworks on that idea.

like you, I have been trying to find the time to learn how to program Android/ios and never had it. I even paid for a apple developers license...
But I have too much on my plate right now, and programming will not happen this year for me :S

If you or someone else would build the app, I think there is a real market for it. Lots of people are using the Phantom as a hand-held ground filming machine too, so I think it would be a very good idea.

Also as I already said, I'm beta-testing a hand-held device for a friend, and when he launches it, The market for the app will surely be increased.

 

[justin00]

oh wait!! I have one more ingenious idea.... it maaay just work..
standby... loading up the phantom to try.

 

[macsoft]

Standing by

 

[justin00]

Hmmmm I may have something...
Was able to stay connected for 10 minutes.. then rebooted... and turned the RE back on and was able connect via the RE like normal.

Had to stop testing as wifi module will over heat if you leave it on to long without adequate airflow.. and have to goto bed soon.. early start tomorrow.

I'm going to keep testing tomorrow when I get back home again... no promises, but its looking better than it was 15 minutes ago

I did have to modify some stuff on the wifi module but if this works like it appears to be working, you just need to make the change once and then both the RE and phone can connect to the Phantom without having to keep modifying any files which is what you need/want.

Will keep you posted tomorrow how I go... hopefully if all goes to plan, tomorrow I'll be able to share with you how I've done it.

 

[macsoft]

Great work Justin!
Thank you very much and have a nice rest

 

[Scampaboy]

Hi,

When you are talking about the WIFI module over heating are you talking about the module in the bird or the handset? it may sound like a stupid question but .. its because I have a modded phantom V+ with a zenmuse and go pro. Why not follow that route(I know its expensive) you will have a detachable camera, better quality video from your gimbal and have no problems of carrying the controller around. Use the go pro app to control your recording. Then if you want to swap back to the vision camera you can, with a little work. Or just keep the zenmuse on and fly with the zenmuse using the third party vision apps.

If the posted solution doesn't work then maybe you could try this
the only problem is you would need the controller to control the pitch of the camera so its not a good idea after all

 

[macsoft]

Hi,

When you are talking about the WIFI module over heating are you talking about the module in the bird or the handset? it may sound like a stupid question but .. its because I have a modded phantom V+ with a zenmuse and go pro. Why not follow that route(I know its expensive) you will have a detachable camera, better quality video from your gimbal and have no problems of carrying the controller around. Use the go pro app to control your recording. Then if you want to swap back to the vision camera you can, with a little work. Or just keep the zenmuse on and fly with the zenmuse using the third party vision apps.

If the posted solution doesn't work then maybe you could try this

Hello Scampaboy,
One of the advantages of using the Phantoms V2+ camera and gimbal is... the GIMBAL part
You get a hand-held very stable image, with the phantoms gimbal stabilizing the image.
In you case if you detach the camera you loose the gimbal too, and the zenmuse gimbal does not work without the phantom too.

About the wifi module overheating, he is talking about the module on the bird. You shouldn't leave it on with no cooling from the props, for a long time.

 

[justin00]

^^^ yeah what Macsoft has said about wifi module overheating. I have mine permanantly TX boosted but also have reapplied thermal paste and manually drilled holes in the cover myself. had it the power amp'd up to 17dbm (out of a max of 20dbm) for ages now...probably since November and never had a problem. If you leave the phantom on even with completly stock wifi module you'll see it geta insanely hot in 5-10 minutes.. even with the DIY mods still gets alot hotter than I am comfortable with...this is ofcourse wuthput motors running to cool it.

V3 owners have the holes drilled and possibly better thermal paste so they may be less at risk but even so I wouldnt leave it on for more than a few minutes. without motors on/flying.

 

[macsoft]

I, and several other users use the Phantom hand-held for recording ground steady shots, and in our experience, with 15 min of continuous usage without props and without turning it off, its safe. After that you should turn it off for a few minutes to let it cool off before turning it on again.

And then again, there are users who leave it ON overnight to discharge batteries, and have reported no problems... so i dunno.

 

[justin00]

Dunno... doesn't seem worth the risk to me.. Its an expensive component if I recall ? ~$200AU..
Would never leave it on overnight myself personally... each to there own though

Only just over 5 hours of work left than I can resume testing!

 

[macsoft]

lol let the test time roll!
Here its almost sleep time.
I'm looking forward for the results of your tests.

 

[Scampaboy]

Hello Scampaboy,
One of the advantages of using the Phantoms V2+ camera and gimbal is... the GIMBAL part
You get a hand-held very stable image, with the phantoms gimbal stabilizing the image.
In you case if you detach the camera you loose the gimbal too, and the zenmuse gimbal does not work without the phantom too.

About the wifi module overheating, he is talking about the module on the bird. You shouldn't leave it on with no cooling from the props, for a long time.

Actually the phantom V+ works with a zenmuse gimbal you just need to change one cable inside and attach the zenmuse with camera. But it still doesn't fix your issue because you still need the controller to tilt the gimbal to the position you want but you don't have to actually carry the controller while walking.

 

[macsoft]

Actually the phantom V+ works with a zenmuse gimbal you just need to change one cable inside and attach the zenmuse with camera. But it still doesn't fix your issue because you still need the controller to tilt the gimbal to the position you want but you don't have to actually carry the controller while walking.

What I said was, the zenmuse gimbal does not work standalone, disconnected from the Phantom.
So having a removable camera would do nothing, because it would not be a gimbal stabilized camera

there is no problem tilting the camera. You can tilt the gimbal on the app. no need for the controller for that.

 

[Scampaboy]

What I said was, the zenmuse gimbal does not work standalone, disconnected from the Phantom.
So having a removable camera would do nothing, because it would not be a gimbal stabilized camera

there is no problem tilting the camera. You can tilt the gimbal on the app. no need for the controller for that.

so you want to use the phantom gimbal stand alone ? i see )))

I was talking about tilting the zenmuse gimbal not the vision version

 

[macsoft]

No...
We want to use the phantom gimbal ON the phantom, but direct connect the phantom to the phone with no range extender. The objective is stabilized video hand-held.

I was replying to your suggestion on using a zenmuse with a detachable gopro. I was telling you that if you detach the camera from the zenmuse, it is not stabilized video anymore. And since you can't detach and USE the zenmuse gimbal by itself without the phantom, there is no advantage on your suggestion.

We use it on a hand-held support like this one:

 

[justin00]

never heard of a tripod ?

Just about to load up the phantom to test again.

Will this work for you, assuming I find no problems...

A new SSID that is not hidden (or can be, doesn't matter) that your phone will connect to. Can even use WPA2 for auth if you like, or just have it open, either or...
At the same time its still also running the hidden SSID that range connector can connect to. That part isn't modified at all.

So without you having to modify a config file each time (just once off to set it up) your phone should be able to connect directly to the phantom, then if you want to go for a proper flight you don't even need to reboot, you can just turn the RE on and connect your phone to the RE and connect as normal....

That sound ok ?

I need to test a few things, the major thing being you don't lose any TX power running 2 SSID's... Don't think you would...especially if you only have a client connected to 1 of the 2 SSIDs at any time.

 

[macsoft]

never heard of a tripod ?

Just about to load up the phantom to test again.

Will this work for you, assuming I find no problems...

A new SSID that is not hidden (or can be, doesn't matter) that your phone will connect to. Can even use WPA2 for auth if you like, or just have it open, either or...
At the same time its still also running the hidden SSID that range connector can connect to. That part isn't modified at all.

So without you having to modify a config file each time (just once off to set it up) your phone should be able to connect directly to the phantom, then if you want to go for a proper flight you don't even need to reboot, you can just turn the RE on and connect your phone to the RE and connect as normal....

That sound ok ?

I need to test a few things, the major thing being you don't lose any TX power running 2 SSID's... Don't think you would...especially if you only have a client connected to 1 of the 2 SSIDs at any time.

Great Justin, that sounds great!
Yes, making sure we still get maximum range on wifi while flying is very important, or else I wasted money upgrading antennas
Just out of curiosity, can the module handle 2 connections simultaneously?
not realted to this, but if the EXTENDER could handle 2 connections, it would be cool to have 2 image feeds, one for the pilot, and another one for a big screen device or ideally a computer.

 

[justin00]

Yeah the module can handle heaps of connections...each connecting to diff SSIDs, or the same...it doesnt matter.. but remember the app can only support 1 client!

Anyways its all tested and working fine with 2 SSID..1 for the phone and the other for RE/normal operations as I described above.

Will post the config later tonight. Now I advise you run my script first incase you make a mistake...what happens is you run the script and make your changes And reboot. If you don't login via SSH to disable the script aftee 15 minutes after the reboot, the script assumes there is a problem and it will restore your original/working wifi config.

Its a nice safety net...othereise if you screw up the config the wifi module could be useless and you'll need to send it in to get factory reset or just buy a new one

very simple to make chamges to the wifi config and enable script. Will post up a howto later tonight after dinner