Additional network via mobile phone

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MW6WHL
Posts: 20
Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2020 6:39 pm

Additional network via mobile phone

Post by MW6WHL »

Hi All

Just curious about this, but I have a second MMDVM with Pi-Star that I use with the car, and tends to work sort of OK, with DMR but not so well for some reason with D-STAR. Anyways... I am thinking of using my existing home based RPi + MMDVM with my mobile phone as the internet source when out and about.

My question is if I simply add an additional network to the existing configuration, if I then subsequently take the device outside the range of my home WiFi in the car, will it automatically connect to networks in the network order? So, will it connect automatically to the mobile phone hotspot when it cannot detect the home based WiFi?

Thanks.
AF6VN
Posts: 821
Joined: Fri Jul 20, 2018 1:15 am

Re: Additional network via mobile phone

Post by AF6VN »

Based upon other threads, Pi-Star does not automatically rescan for WiFi. It does one scan on boot-up and connects to the first WiFi configuration it finds a signal... If none, it goes to Auto-AP mode.

So... You'd have to be out of range, and then reboot the device to pick up a different WiFi access point.

With regards to D-STAR, does the second unit have its own "module" assignment? You can't have two active Pi-Star units on D-Star using the same module, as the D-STAR system assigns an IP # based on the module. You might have to log in to the registry and add another node to get an IP assignment (Good thing I don't intend to try a mobile hotspot -- I've lost the log-in information and the registry sites don't have anything for "lost password?")

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AF6VN
Dennis L Bieber
MW6WHL
Posts: 20
Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2020 6:39 pm

Re: Additional network via mobile phone

Post by MW6WHL »

AF6VN wrote: Mon Aug 31, 2020 3:46 pm Based upon other threads, Pi-Star does not automatically rescan for WiFi. It does one scan on boot-up and connects to the first WiFi configuration it finds a signal... If none, it goes to Auto-AP mode.

So... You'd have to be out of range, and then reboot the device to pick up a different WiFi access point.
Awesome, much appreciated... thanks for the information. I will wait until I am a few hundred yards away from home before I turn the hotspot on.
M1DNS
Pi-Star Team
Posts: 1388
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2018 5:30 am

Re: Additional network via mobile phone

Post by M1DNS »

You dont need to be away from home to set this up. You can simply go to the config page scroll to the bottom in the wifi section and scan for networks. there you can setup a new connection by connecting to what ever you need (obvs. ensure the mobile hotspot is running before scanning) else the config wont 'see' it.

The AP feature was implemented so you can connect directly to the (Pi) pistar config and scan a new location (away from an existing wifi setup) or used for the first time setup if your not already configured/ connected into an existing network with a rj45 cable.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk



Andrew M1DNS.
Pi-star Admin Team.
iz5wga
Posts: 35
Joined: Tue Apr 16, 2019 7:50 pm

Re: Additional network via mobile phone

Post by iz5wga »

I just use the same name between phone's ESSID and home's one...
MW6WHL
Posts: 20
Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2020 6:39 pm

Re: Additional network via mobile phone

Post by MW6WHL »

Thanks for all the replies folks. The issue I have is that when I add the phone network SSID and password to the pi-star configurtion, I still don't see 2 networks listed in the network section of the comfit page after I save and connect (to the existing wifi network as I am still at home). I will test this today as I am heading out with an HF rig, but I suspect that when I leave the house and turn on the Zumspot that it won't see any SSID network from the phone.

How do I check - apart from going out away from my home wifi - wether the pi-star configuration has in fact actually saved the second wifi SSID network I added?
AF6VN
Posts: 821
Joined: Fri Jul 20, 2018 1:15 am

Re: Additional network via mobile phone

Post by AF6VN »

MW6WHL wrote: Tue Sep 01, 2020 6:43 am How do I check - apart from going out away from my home wifi - wether the pi-star configuration has in fact actually saved the second wifi SSID network I added?
Turn off the home WiFi router?

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AF6VN
Dennis L Bieber
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