connecting with a cell phone (android)

[4x1ks]

I have no problem connecting my Openspot Shark rf to my cellphone and using it as a mobile hotspot.

When it comes to the Zumspot, I set it up on my home network. If I want to go mobile, how (and is it possible) to connect my Zumspot to my android phone? Do I need anything other than my Zumspot - Pi-Zero and my phone? With my openspot I connect using a TP-Link TL MR-3020 which accepts the ethernet cable from the Openspot. The Zumspot is wifi only.

Any help is appreciated.

Mark

[W1KMC]

And there in is your issue: You are compairing the 'taste' of Apples to Bananas -- the reason your Openspot works is you don't configure the connection in the Openspot, you do it in the TPLink and then plug in a WIRE for the internet. It's also why the Shark is 2 to 3 times the price. Easy way get a Pi 3 and plug Zum board into that instead and plug in your wire. Done.

Your setup question is in this board seven or eight times (several by me) but here we go again: (you may need a third device to do this with)

Turn on Zumspot
Wait two minutes
look on your other device for a WiFi network called EITHER -- pistar (if you configured ANY wifi networks already) or pistar-setup if you have NO networks and are starting fresh.

connect to this network on the device that is NOT your cell (you may be able to do it from the same device but I would not do it if I had a tablet or laptop handy, makes the typing easier) --NOTE device connects to the Zumspot but has NO INTERNET - This is normal.

now bring up a browser and type 192.168.1.50 (pi-star may work but IP of the zumspot always does (for me anyways) )

Configuration (type pi-star for User and raspberry for the password) - now scroll down to bottom of page to WiFI section (will say Interface is Down in Red - again at this point this is NORMAL. (at this point make sure your Android phone's hotspot mode is ON and you have it set that ANY devices may connect -- mine has a setting Only Trusted meaning things I add myself for My devices and no one else -- find the settings for your phone - I cannot help here)

Click on WiFi-setup (or configuration - mine isn't on right now) then Scan for Networks (10 Seconds)

Locate your android phone and select it

Now type its password (not special charactrers may cause issues, if you cannot connct reset Cell password and start this process over -- There is a way in expert, but for now at the second go round use pistar as the network) -- click save (and connect) -- it doesn't really but click it anyways.
for good measure click any of the apply changes.

Now Adimin -> Power -> Reboot.

When Pistar reboots it should find your cell wifi and connect to it.

73's

[4x1ks]

ok..so I thought about this and ordered an additional TP-Link TL MR-3020. The 3020 has is a wireless router, so I can set it for wpa-psk security, then the pi will look for it and I can set it up like that. Same as in the shack, except the TL MR-3020 will be hooked up to my cellphone. I think that will set up ok.

thanks.

[W1KMC]

You don't need the intermediary piece on the PiZero, just do what I said -- the PiZero can connect directly with your phone , just follow the directions.

[KD4IIW]

I am still not able to figure out how to connect my zumspot to my tablet. I am using a ATT nighthawk and the tablet is connected to the zumspot and the router is powering the zumspot.

I cannot see the zumspot as a device to connect too. The directions here were not of help.

Kenneth Fowler
KD4IIW

[KE0FHS]

I am still not able to figure out how to connect my zumspot to my tablet. I am using a ATT nighthawk and the tablet is connected to the zumspot and the router is powering the zumspot.

I cannot see the zumspot as a device to connect too. The directions here were not of help.

Kenneth Fowler
KD4IIW

Hi Kenneth, I'm having a challenge deciphering your post, but I also was intrigued by it.

Questions:

• Is your tablet an Android device?
• When you say your router is powering the ZUMspot, do you mean your Pi-Star hotspot's Raspberry Pi is using the router as its power source?
• What do you mean when you say your tablet is connected to your ZUMspot?

Anyway, that got me thinking about previous times I've connected my Pi-Star hotspots to my Android device, and I realized I had never previously gone through the whole process of adding a new wireless network to my Pi-Star hotspot via my Android device (previously, I always had added my Android device's portable hotspot credentials to my Pi-Star hotspot using my computer). So I played around with this feature a bit more this morning. I deleted all the wireless network credentials from one of my hotspots that I use for mobile, then rebooted it. Once it was in Auto AP mode, I connected to it with my Android device, set up the two wireless networks I use (my Android device's portable hotspot in the first position and my home network in the second). Then I rebooted it again, waited for it to connect to my Android device's portable hotspot, and started using it. It all worked fine, though it was a bit of a juggling act to get it all set up, and I had to use an Android LAN scanner app to find the Pi-Star hotspot's IP address to use as the URL in the Android device's browser.

One caveat: I don't have an AT&T Nighthawk portable router, so I can't test that. Not sure whether that will throw a monkey wrench into the whole process.

The steps are a bit involved, so I've captured it all in my Pi-Star Notes article: https://amateurradionotes.com/pi-star-notes.htm#phone

If you're interested, read the introduction:
11) Connecting a Pi-Star hotspot via cell phone
and then read through the first section:
11a) Connecting via WiFi
Make sure you read the notes at the end of that section.

If you give it a try, I'll be curious to hear whether it works with your AT&T Nighthawk portable router.

Good luck!

[K5JEP]

I have been racking my brain out for the last three weeks with my second Ras-Pi MMDVM Hotspot.... did every trick in the book and realized something early this morning. I was sitting in the parking lot goofing with my HT, Hot Spot and a tablet. Turned on the hotspot on my android Straight Talk Phone and connected the tablet and realized there is no incoming or outgoing packets. Called straight talk upgraded from the 45 dollar plan to the 55 dollar plan with 10 GB of hotspot data....restarted my phone and have felt like a complete dumba$$ the rest of the day.....last thing I though of was the damn hot spot data plan. As I assumed the 10GB of data I got with my 45 dollar plan covered it.......just a thought.....