Cheapest remote access for my boat

[roblpm]

I have a custom Edison racebox on my boat. Unfortunately it is now hardwired in so not easy to bring home to work on.

What's the cheapest way to get a gsm remote working? I think the marina wifi is no good. Hopefully the mobile system is just good enough.

So like a mini terminal server. Its linux on the box with a usb connection. Probably easiest if it is a serial connection. I don't really want to spend a load of time fiddling with the Edison to get it doing remote stuff as i want to be able to reboot it etc remotely.

Any ideas?

 

[GHA]

Sorry, never heard of an Edison racebox before so it's bit tricky knowing just what you want to do. Saying that, I've been recently fiddling with ESP8266 boards which are like an arduino with wifi. If you have a mobile phone creating a wifi hotpot then an esp should be able to create a serial/wifi link so you can get into the Edison. I've got one working over mqtt so far, serial/wifi & TTL/wifi next.
Quick google came up a video with a box communicating over bluetooth, the new esp32 has bluetooth and wifi, might be an option , haven't played with one yet though. They're about a tenner off ebay, then add a few quid for power supply and box.

Some generic esp8266 sketches in here -

https://github.com/Boatdatasystems/esp8266/tree/master/Generic sketches

 

[roblpm]

Sorry, never heard of an Edison racebox before so it's bit tricky knowing just what you want to do. Saying that, I've been recently fiddling with ESP8266 boards which are like an arduino with wifi. If you have a mobile phone creating a wifi hotpot then an esp should be able to create a serial/wifi link so you can get into the Edison. I've got one working over mqtt so far, serial/wifi & TTL/wifi next.
Quick google came up a video with a box communicating over bluetooth, the new esp32 has bluetooth and wifi, might be an option , haven't played with one yet though. They're about a tenner off ebay, then add a few quid for power supply and box.

Some generic esp8266 sketches in here -

https://github.com/Boatdatasystems/esp8266/tree/master/Generic sketches

Its just an intel version of a pi really. I connect to it with putty over usb (serial). I would prefer a serial connection so i can reboot, configure wifi etc.

So it needs to answer a call, establish a ppp session or something to my laptop at home, the allow me a terminal session to the box on the boat. Hmmmm how do i get my laptop at home to dial a number! Usb modem? Or set it all up with an ssh tunnel to a commercial provider? But how does that work on mobile? Hmmmm.

Aha i see what you are getting at. Leave a cheap mobile phone on board to create the hotspot. Connect from home to the esp8266 (need some routing? Will a phone act as a router?) hmm m

 

[agurney]

What's the problem with using marina wifi?
As long as the remote device has an internet connection you can connect to do stuff - you just need to run something on the far end that lets you connect (I use Dynamic DNS to connect to remote laptops and PCs, and weaved.com [ now remot3.it ] for my Raspis ).

I have a custom Edison racebox on my boat. Unfortunately it is now hardwired in so not easy to bring home to work on.

What's the cheapest way to get a gsm remote working? I think the marina wifi is no good. Hopefully the mobile system is just good enough.

So like a mini terminal server. Its linux on the box with a usb connection. Probably easiest if it is a serial connection. I don't really want to spend a load of time fiddling with the Edison to get it doing remote stuff as i want to be able to reboot it etc remotely.

Any ideas?

 

[[163233]]

You can get mobile USB dongles that'll give you internet over the mobile network at about the price of mobile phone data connections.
E.g. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Huawei-E3272-Dongle-Genuine-Stock/dp/B00K79D0GU

You can also get purpose built 4G routers:-
E.g. http://uk.tp-link.com/products/details/cat-4691_TL-MR3020.html

The internet experience can be a bit disappointing though, the marina wifi is likely better.

 

[GHA]

What's the problem with using marina wifi?

If the box has drivers for usb wifi dongle then that might be easiest, and if the wifi marina wifi is no good as stated then an old mobile which can act as a wifi hotspot would work, or one of those mifi dongle things. If the box can't run wifi but just serial then it's a bit more involved.


Edit - Is it one of these inside?

https://www.arduino.cc/en/ArduinoCertified/IntelEdison


With the aim to .... "I connect to it with putty over usb (serial). I would prefer a serial connection so i can reboot, configure wifi etc. "... then using the box wifi connection looks to be not an option, which would suggest needing something to go from wifi to rs232 or whatever the serial in/out on the box is?

 

[roblpm]

What's the problem with using marina wifi?
As long as the remote device has an internet connection you can connect to do stuff - you just need to run something on the far end that lets you connect (I use Dynamic DNS to connect to remote laptops and PCs, and weaved.com [ now remot3.it ] for my Raspis ).

Nothing. If the marina wifi made it into my boat......!

 

[roblpm]

If the box has drivers for usb wifi dongle then that might be easiest, and if the wifi marina wifi is no good as stated then an old mobile which can act as a wifi hotspot would work, or one of those mifi dongle things. If the box can't run wifi but just serial then it's a bit more involved.


Edit - Is it one of these inside?

https://www.arduino.cc/en/ArduinoCertified/IntelEdison


With the aim to .... "I connect to it with putty over usb (serial). I would prefer a serial connection so i can reboot, configure wifi etc. "... then using the box wifi connection looks to be not an option, which would suggest needing something to go from wifi to rs232 or whatever the serial in/out on the box is?

Yes that's the point. I want to be able to play with the configuration from home. The serial is over a usb connection.

 

[roblpm]

I have a raspberry pi hanging about somewhere. So maybe

Mybox - usb to pi - wifi to phone - phone providing you hotspot.

But how to i dial into the pi?!

 

[roblpm]

May son li this
https://www.howtoforge.com/linux_dialin_server

 

[GHA]

I have a raspberry pi hanging about somewhere. So maybe

Mybox - usb to pi - wifi to phone - phone providing you hotspot.

But how to i dial into the pi?!

Weaved.com

Just took me about 10 minutes. VNC straight into the pi from a website anywhere. For the Pi it really is worth loading openplotter, very powerful and everything is loaded for you already. It's up to V0.16 now but the download is still for 0.10 , if you install that there's a menu option to upgrade.
http://www.sailoog.com/openplotter

Then your box usb into the Pi and ssh from a terminal on the Pi.

It might just work you know......

Good luck, such fun

 

[roblpm]

Weaved.com

Just took me about 10 minutes. VNC straight into the pi from a website anywhere. For the Pi it really is worth loading openplotter, very powerful and everything is loaded for you already. It's up to V0.16 now but the download is still for 0.10 , if you install that there's a menu option to upgrade.
http://www.sailoog.com/openplotter

Then your box usb into the Pi and ssh from a terminal on the Pi.

It might just work you know......

Good luck, such fun

How did you connect your pi to the Internet? Usb modem? I get the concept. We use something similar at work.

 

[GHA]

How did you connect your pi to the Internet? Usb modem? I get the concept. We use something similar at work.

I use a Pi3 which has built in wifi, it connects to smartphone running a wifi hotspot so is mobile data it uses.

Another thing with openplotter, if you have a Pi 3 with built in wifi and a high power wifi usb dongle and a nice big antenna up the topping lift you can use it as a wifi repeater to pick up weak access points and rebroadcast down below.

 

[laika]

Any ideas?

I started googling "gsm hayes command set" then the words of my young colleagues that I should "let the 20th century go" echoed in my ears...

Even if you don't fancy writing them yourself there's apps which enable you to send an sms to a phone which causes gsm data to be turned on.

Or if you've got something more elaborate involving a gsm module connected to a your edison, send it an sms to turn on mobile data then appropriately update dynamic dns or reconnect your vpn so you can connect to it?

 

[roblpm]

I started googling "gsm hayes command set" then the words of my young colleagues that I should "let the 20th century go" echoed in my ears...

Even if you don't fancy writing them yourself there's apps which enable you to send an sms to a phone which causes gsm data to be turned on.

Or if you've got something more elaborate involving a gsm module connected to a your edison, send it an sms to turn on mobile data then appropriately update dynamic dns or reconnect your vpn so you can connect to it?

So tbh because this is a peripheral part of the project it looks like a phone is easiest. I probably have one lieing around that will do.

I like that idea. Text the phone to turn the data on. Log in to the pi with the remote access software. Ssh to edison box. Easy! Apart from more wires and gadgets on the boat!

 

[agurney]

Nothing. If the marina wifi made it into my boat......!

Have you tried an Alfa (or similar) high power wifi adapter? If that works, even if only intermittently, then the method I suggested will work; if not, then you're stuck with mobile data.

 

[[163233]]

I like that idea. Text the phone to turn the data on. Log in to the pi with the remote access software. Ssh to edison box. Easy! Apart from more wires and gadgets on the boat!

Doesn't the Edison run linux and doesn't it have an sshd on it?
I don't think you need the pi as an intermediary at all.

Assuming you can configure the phone as a hotspot that automatically reconnects. Then set up the Edison to update dynamic dns and ssh straight to it.

 

[GHA]

Doesn't the Edison run linux and doesn't it have an sshd on it?
I don't think you need the pi as an intermediary at all.

Assuming you can configure the phone as a hotspot that automatically reconnects. Then set up the Edison to update dynamic dns and ssh straight to it.

Wouldn't help with this bit though >

I would prefer a serial connection so i can reboot, configure wifi etc.

 

[[163233]]

Wouldn't help with this bit though >

I think he can do that over ssh.

I'd be surprised if a linux distro is configured to differentiate between a shell on a serial link vs a shell on a network link. It'd stop things like screen working.

 

[agurney]

I think he can do that over ssh.

I'd be surprised if a linux distro is configured to differentiate between a shell on a serial link vs a shell on a network link. It'd stop things like screen working.

Agreed. However, remotely configuring the wireless setup over which you are connected is likely to end in frustration