Creating A Cockpit Network With Internet And

Transcript

Creating a cockpit network with Internet and PilotAware access Creating a cockpit network with Internet and PilotAware access DISCLAIMER: As at time of writing v1.0 this has been tested on the bench and using a SIM card borrowed from my mobile phone. It has passed all tests but I have not yet field tested in an actual installation 1 Objective To create a cockpit network that will allow in-cockpit devices to connect wirelessly and access the Internet and simultaneously allow any connected devices running Skydemon to access PilotAware data. 2 Problem Statement PilotAware creates a WiFi Access Point that WiFi enabled devices can join to receive FLARM data. It is desirable when running SkyDemon to have access to both PilotAware AND the Internet. With an Apple device (iPad, iPhone) that incorporates a SIM card it is reported that it can simultaneously be connected to the PilotAware Wifi, and receive FLARM data, whilst communicating over the mobile network for Internet access. However, Android devices do not, in my experience, allow simultaneous data access via WiFi and the mobile network. Therefore when running SkyDemon on an Android phone, for example a Samsung Galaxy, it can either be connected to the PilotAware WiFi, and receive FLARM data, OR be disconnected from WiFi and communicate with the Internet over the mobile network. Additionally, devices that do not have a SIM card (the majority of tablets don’t), have no Internet access. It is desirable to give an existing device Internet access without having to purchase a new one with a SIM card 3 Technical constraints SkyDemon will only seek FLARM data from a restricted, and unpublished, selection of IP addresses. We KNOW that if SkyDemon is configured with an AirConnect Key of 6000 then it will connect to a device with an IP address of 192.168.1.1. Therefore our solution must ensure that PilotAware is allocated a permanent IP address of 192.168.1.1. © Gwyn Carwardine 2017 V1.0 15/4/2017 Page 1 of 8 contact: [email protected] Creating a cockpit network with Internet and PilotAware access 4 Solution Design 4.1 Overview Static IP address: 192.168.8.1 (default configuration) 4G USB Dongle with Installed SIM card Huawei E3372 USB connection Static IP address: 192.168.1.2 Mode switch: 3G/4G DHCP Server enabled Range 192.168.1.100-199 3G/4G Wifi Router RJ45 Ethernet Cable TP-Link TL-MR3020 Pilot Aware Static IP address: 192.168.1.1 No wireless network WiFi dongle not required 4.2 Devices 4.2.1 Huawei E3372 LTE/4G USB Dongle https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Shops/Huawei-Unlocked-E3372-MbpsDongle/B011BRKPLE/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1492255470&sr=11&keywords=huawei+e3372 The dongle requires no configuration – just put a SIM card in. It takes a Standard SIM size (15mm x 25mm). If you are reusing a SIM ensure it has no PIN set on it. 4.2.2 TP-Link Portable 3G/4G Travel Router https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-Portable-Support-ConfigurationRequired/dp/B00634PLTW/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1492255534&sr=11&keywords=tplink+tl-mr3020 For configuration see Appendix 1 4.2.3 PilotAware As we are not going to be using the PilotAware wireless the tiny WiFi dongle can be unplugged. Some network configuration is required. See Appendix 2 © Gwyn Carwardine 2017 V1.0 15/4/2017 Page 2 of 8 contact: [email protected] Creating a cockpit network with Internet and PilotAware access 5 Connecting it together Connect the USB dongle to the TP-Link router. You may want to use a USB extension to site the dongle where you determine it might have best view of the mobile network cell towers (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NH134L6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&p sc=1) Use the ethernet cable supplied with the TP-Link router to connect the TP-Link router to the PilotAware unit. If you need a longer cable you could buy any ethernet cable of a suitable length such as https://www.amazon.co.uk/AmazonBasics-RJ45-CAT6-Ethernet-LAN-Patch-Cable-0-9-mFeet-Mbps/dp/B00N2VISLW/ref=sr_1_3?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1492257475&sr=13&keywords=ethernet+cable Connect a 5V USB power source to the TP-Link router. It takes a mini-USB plug and requires a 1A supply. Simple connections (with power leads removed) © Gwyn Carwardine 2017 V1.0 15/4/2017 Page 3 of 8 contact: [email protected] Creating a cockpit network with Internet and PilotAware access 6 Testing Power it on and connect to the WiFi on your PC / phone / tablet. You should now be able to type in the following addresses in your browser: 192.168.1.1 – This should show the PilotAware details 192.168.1.2 – This should show the TP-Link router details 192.168.8.1 – This should show the Huawei 4G dongle details Finally ensure you configure SkyDemon for FLARM with an AirConnect Key of 6000 and when you “go flying” and tell it to use FLARM you should now have the PilotAware feed. In SkyDemon you also need to configure internet connection (as it defaults to no internet when flying) Settings > Connectivity Options > Internet Connection > Live Data when Planning and Flying. You should now also be able to download current weather and download airfield charts etc. © Gwyn Carwardine 2017 V1.0 15/4/2017 Page 4 of 8 contact: [email protected] Creating a cockpit network with Internet and PilotAware access 7 Appendix 1 - TP-Link Portable 3G/4G Travel Router Configuration When the router arrives it should have the physical mode switch already set to 3G/4G. If not – set it. Power it up and connect your computer to the WiFi network it creates. Then open your web browser and type in 192.168.0.254 and press enter. It will prompt you for a user / password – the default for both is “admin”. Then make the following changes. Some may require a restart and it will prompt you accordingly. 1. Configure static IP address 192.168.1.2 2. Assign a user-friendly SSID – why not make it the plane’s registration. Also tell it we’re in the UK © Gwyn Carwardine 2017 V1.0 15/4/2017 Page 5 of 8 contact: [email protected] Creating a cockpit network with Internet and PilotAware access 3. Default wireless key is horrible. Either disable or make it something easy to remember 4. Configure DHCP server. The important thing here is that we want to make sure that we don’t clash with the PilotAware IP address of 192.168.1.1 © Gwyn Carwardine 2017 V1.0 15/4/2017 Page 6 of 8 contact: [email protected] Creating a cockpit network with Internet and PilotAware access 5. Disable WPS otherwise it’s harder for new devices to join the WiFi network © Gwyn Carwardine 2017 V1.0 15/4/2017 Page 7 of 8 contact: [email protected] Creating a cockpit network with Internet and PilotAware access 8 Appendix 2 – PilotAware Network Configuration All we need to do here is to give it a static wired IP address of 192.168.1.1. We can ignore the Wireless Settings as we’re going to leave the WiFi dongle unplugged so it will have no wireless function. © Gwyn Carwardine 2017 V1.0 15/4/2017 Page 8 of 8 contact: [email protected]