Astrophoto PC: Hotspot on Startup! Even without Internet! FINALLY!

Hotspot on startup will let you connect and control your Astrophoto PC even in the middle of nowhere!
My Patreon: / cuivlazygeek
Mele Quieter 4C if you're interested! amzn.to/3SV1vA2
Full setup video: • ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY MINI-...
Script to use in the *.ps1 file:
$profile = [Windows.Networking.Connectivity.NetworkInformation,Windows.Networking.Connectivity,ContentType=WindowsRuntime]::GetConnectionProfiles() | where {$_.profilename -eq 'loopback'}; $tether = [Windows.Networking.NetworkOperators.NetworkOperatorTetheringManager,Windows.Networking.NetworkOperators,ContentType=WindowsRuntime]::CreateFromConnectionProfile($profile); $tether.StartTetheringAsync()
Arguments for Powershell in the Task Scheduler:
-NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File C:\Users\Cuiv\HotspotStarter.ps1
Reddit post: / making_a_windows_11_ho...
Amazon affiliate: amzn.to/3hTB5Ne
Agena affiliate: bit.ly/3Om0hNG
High Point Scientific affiliate: bit.ly/3lReu8R
All-Star Telescope affiliate: bit.ly/3SCgVbV
Astroshop.eu Affiliate: tinyurl.com/2vafkax8
Seestar S50 Telescope: tinyurl.com/3n62hpzx or bit.ly/49mQhLJ and review: • The Budget Smart Teles...
Dwarf 2 Smart Telescope: bit.ly/3SyChXua
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My equipment
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ZWO Seestar S50: tinyurl.com/3n62hpzx
TOUPTEK IMX571 APS-C Cooled camera: tinyurl.com/mr2yhvcw
TOUPTEK IMX585 Cooled camera: tinyurl.com/3z54r5bs
OGMA versions (use code CUIV on checkout for a small discount!): getogma.com/
SW Quattro 150P Budget Newt: bit.ly/3BABCxl
Backyard Universe upgrade kit: tinyurl.com/3juwm5sz
OCAL Collimator: s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_Dmu... or s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_Dc6...
Askar V Modular Telescope: bit.ly/3Imoq2M
or bit.ly/3GLuyR8 or tinyurl.com/2h758bvt
ZWO AM5 Mount: bit.ly/3Qb5xVf or bit.ly/3JeVUkn
iOptron CEM70: bit.ly/431Ii2U (successor of my mount)
MiniGuideScope: bit.ly/3MyUJhn
Antlia ALP-T highspeed filter: bit.ly/42RBR2e
Celestron C6: bit.ly/3ocePVs
Hyperstar C6: starizona.com/products/hypers...
Mini Computer (newer version): amzn.to/3LQTgTJ and amzn.to/3K6x2vy
Even newer version! amzn.to/49NCJc6
AstroPC Pro: astro-gadget.net/gadgets/astr...
Cable management: www.etsy.com/shop/SmartCompon...
IDAS GNB filter: idas.uno/space/en/IDAS/gnb.htm
Flocking paper/Felt paper: amzn.to/3zASgvu or amzn.to/3m94zwa
Follow me!
My Instagram: / cuivlazygeek
My Facebook page: / cuivlazygeek

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Addendum if you're having issues! kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJzToHt9it6EgtE Hotspot on startup will let you connect and control your Astrophoto PC even in the middle of nowhere! My Patreon: www.patreon.com/cuivlazygeek Mele Quieter 4C if you're interested! amzn.to/3SV1vA2 Full setup video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJ68ZXxjf76om6M Script to use in the *.ps1 file: $profile = [Windows.Networking.Connectivity.NetworkInformation,Windows.Networking.Connectivity,ContentType=WindowsRuntime]::GetConnectionProfiles() | where {$_.profilename -eq 'loopback'}; $tether = [Windows.Networking.NetworkOperators.NetworkOperatorTetheringManager,Windows.Networking.NetworkOperators,ContentType=WindowsRuntime]::CreateFromConnectionProfile($profile); $tether.StartTetheringAsync() Arguments for Powershell in the Task Scheduler: -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File C:\Users\Cuiv\HotspotStarter.ps1 Reddit post: www.reddit.com/r/AskAstrophotography/comments/1625s32/making_a_windows_11_hotspot_without_an_internet/ Amazon affiliate: amzn.to/3hTB5Ne Agena affiliate: bit.ly/3Om0hNG High Point Scientific affiliate: bit.ly/3lReu8R All-Star Telescope affiliate: bit.ly/3SCgVbV Astroshop.eu Affiliate: tinyurl.com/2vafkax8 Seestar S50 Telescope: tinyurl.com/3n62hpzx or bit.ly/49mQhLJ and review: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKWVapKhfbtkfMk Dwarf 2 Smart Telescope: bit.ly/3SyChXua

[@earthling8635]

How strong a signal does the hotspot provide? I have two issues to understand before I were to try this: 1. I live in a 3 storey house and have an outdoor balcony which is accessible from a door on my second floor landing. My rig is then about 2 to 3 metres from the door. The computer I would be using to control the Mele 3 is located directly above the landing on the 3rd floor, so 1 floor above and also inside the house (so a brick wall between the two computers. I would estimate a line of sight distance of around 6 or 7 metres but, again, with a brick wall in between). This is why I ask about the strength of signal. 2. The controlling computer is a Mac M1. Will this be able to control the Mele Windows machine remotely in the same way as you have shown? Thanks.

[@mstork-fq5th]

I don’t usually comment on things but this is incredible. Worked great. Can’t tell you how long I banged my head on this problem. You’ve educated me on astrophotography in the past but this will now allow easy field use of my setup. Awesome!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Happy this worked well!

[@fazergazer]

Cuiv, thanks for the excellent work consolidating this hotspot ❤ 🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@mikebennett2015]

Thanks Cuiv, worked first time for me.

[@Laurent_BARTHELEMY]

Merci Yannick, parfait, comme toujours

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Génial :-)

[@cwminer8235]

I'm a recent ASI air convert and just picked up a Mele quieter 4c a few weeks ago. Thank you (as well as PatriotAstro)for all the content on setting up and getting everything to work on these mini pcs as I would be totally lost without your videos. Keep up the great work/content.❤

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I'm so glad it was helpful! Enjoy the learning curve :-) Also congrats on your 4C, it's a really good fanless computer!

[@sianikolaou5440]

This is fantastic, thanks Cuiv!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

No worries!

[@astroattorney]

It worked! Thank you Cuiv and everyone else who contributed, including your wife. :D

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Awesome!! Glad it helps!

[@seanod42]

Hi Cuiv yet again another great video to help us with these Windows problems thanks mate

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Cheers! Glad this helped!

[@ScottDavies]

Thanks Cuiv! Very complicated and I failed at the powershell part! Will try again later! Thanks Scott

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Good luck!

[@jeffmarcks3256]

It worked! I also have the MeLe 4c and love it. Thanks for this HowTo!

[@MrRoddyRod]

Thank you so much Cuiv!! I was struggling with theses scripts until I found your guide!! My EAA setup is up and running 1million time better now!! 😊🙏

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Great to hear!

[@rvoykin]

My MELE just arrived this week perfect timing!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Excellent! Have fun with it!

[@Techbypaco]

Thank you for sharing this method that does not require any third party software. Been hesitant to set this up before, but now I am one step closer to hopefully being ready for the Total Eclipse next month.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Glad I could help! Just a month left to the eclipse!

[@rtpman1953]

Thanks Cuiv. Most of the time I simply use my mifi device since I'm usually camping and need internet anyway. However, there are times I'm with friends in locations without internet and this will be great! Also, looking forward to the Mele 4 review. I pulled up the unit on Amazon and it looks pretty good. I'm always a little worried about fanless ones since I camp in the hot Arizona desert but willing to give it a try.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yeah I haven't tested it in hot conditions yet because winter, but otherwise it does look quite good with some drawbacks!

[@deep_space_dave]

Thanks so much Cuiv! This will be really handy next time I go to a dark site!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Glad to help Dave!

[@RainbowCamel]

Thank you, I've been struggling with it for long time

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

You're welcome! And all thanks to the people who made it possible :)

[@Fossbear]

Finally! Thank you SO SO much-- Works !

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Glad it helped!

[@ssrattus]

Thanks Cuiv!

[@NirZonshine]

Hi. I've just completed your auto hotspot guide on my old NUC. It works great. As this is a really old and slow PC, I increase the initial delay to 2 minutes.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

That's excellent! Great to hear!

[@user-gv2vx5rs8z]

Thanks for the very useful information

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Wow thank you so much!

[@boxeentrainement3312]

Merci ! Microsoft est une véritable usine à gaz. Ta vidéo arrive à point nommé, j’allais justement acheter un routeur et une antenne wi-fi

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

J'espère que ça va marcher pour toi!

[@boxeentrainement3312]

Oui ça fonctionne il faut attendre 2 minutes chrono de l’allumage du mini pc à la connection du bureau à distance. Encore merci 🙏 ( je vais libérer mes enfants et ma femme 😂 et moi du coup 🎉)

[@chrishill4903]

Hi Cuiv; This is a great video. I use my ASIAIR Plus hotspot to have my mini-pc connect to and run both my rigs (ASIAIR and BeeLink Win 11 PC) from a single Android Tablet using Windows Remote Desktop Connection software for the Android. The range is really good and much simpler than the loops and hurdles that Microsoft puts us through. I tried your method and it works great. I now have 2 options if I am running both rigs I will use the ASIAIR hotspot to connect both devices, but if I am just runing my BeeLink, I now can use that without the ASIAIR Plus at a location without internet/cell service. No more laptop power hog in the field. :) Thank you for posting this solution.

[@tolgagunes225]

It worked.Thanks Cuiv...Quieter 2...

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Excellent!

[@user-lp6ri9dn4j]

I got it to work! I removed the second optional "Location" C.\Users\Cuiv\ and it worked instantly. I also had to shut off Hibernation. So again: Thanks for showing us how to use a Mele PC in the field!

[@xmaspako]

Great idea. You rule!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@astrobath]

Thank you, Cuiv! I used to enable hotspot on an Android smartphone and then connect using it. The solution will save one device and its battery =)

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Make sure to check the addendum video! For some people it works after restart but not after shutdown and restart!

[@unhakim7415]

It works. Thank you very much.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Awesome!

[@joshuamuller9705]

Reddit users are the real MVPs for stuff like this (sometimes😅) Thanks for sharing 👌

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Hahahaha sometimes :D Cheers Joshua!

[@stephanep1330]

Hi Cuiv, Nice! Thanks again for all your videos! Not so easy but it works great also on my Mele Quieter mini PC. Unfortunately, once assembled on my scope, it turns out the hotspot of my particular PC has a very poor emission strength. I have to stay within 1m of the PC. I find it much easy to add a cheap, low speed (only 2.4GHz) wireless router as you mentioned it also. The one I have runs directly from the 12V of my battery, and I can then access my PC from my car, watching your videos. ;)

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks for the feedback! Weird about the hotspot strength... Do you also see such poor range when you launch the hotspot manually?

[@markhelton8032]

I gotta tell you. I am old enough to know people that programmed with paper cards! A lot of my friends! But I am kind of a programming dweeb!~. Not anymore! I actually followed your lead, and now have a mobile hotspot with my new Mele 4C computer...I cut the cable! Woo hoo! Thanks Mr. not so lazy geek! I mean, it worked on my first try!! Yeah!!!

[@dereksmith4517]

Anther grate tip vid, thank you.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Glad it was helpful!

[@manu_astrofoto]

Wow! Great video! I also have a miniPC (not Melee) and the same issue. Now I I'm using my phone as hotspot so my miniPC connects to it. Then I use and old iPad to connect to my phone too and then as the miniPC and the iPad are in the same network I use Remote Desktop to connect haha A bit twisty but is working fine. I will try this on my miniPC and I hope it will work :) Thanks again!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

It should work with your miniPC as well, good luck!

[@manu_astrofoto]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek it works perfectly! ^_^ Thanks :D

[@azuractive]

Why does Microsoft make this so cumbersome?! Love NINA, hate Windows. Thanks, Cuiv! I can finally ditch the travel router.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yeah they really thought of a hotspot as ONLY being useful to share Internet connection it seems...

[@orwandil]

Success! I believe the issue I was having was with my user name. I found an online post which stated that powershell wouldn't execute a script if the file path contained any spaces. As I had set up my user name with my first and last name (with a space in-between), I believe that was the problem. A new user name with first name only seems to have fixed the issue. Could have been something else I suppose, but I had re-entered all of the instructions many :-) times without it working. (Quieter 4C, Windows 11)

[@mikebennett2015]

Try putting the path and file name in double quotes. E.G "C:\Users\First Last\HotspotStarter.ps1"

[@azastro919]

Did the hotspot just not start up?

[@mazeedsumon]

Genius!!

[@rnjsdmsqls93]

Thank you sooooo much!!!! It perfect worked. I’m free from mobile hotspot.

[@oldpicker6315]

Cuiv….. I am running a quieter 2 and 3 and now thanks to you I’m headed for the great salt lake salt flats where it’s so incredible dark and no internet anywhere. So great!!!! You are a kick in the pants. We appreciate your wife’s patience in our behalf. Excuse my inquisitive nature here , but what in the world do you do, your day job, in Hawaii?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

That's awesome! I work as a product manager but in Japan :)

[@brod5352]

I'm going to set up my Astro Computer to do this as a backup. I purchased the Stellarmate Pro and I'm finally getting the hang of using it. I have an Edge HD so the Donut issue with focusing is a problem for me. However the latest version of KStars has the new Donut Buster check box in the options section of the Focuser. It says experimental, but I've seen some video simulations using user data and it looks pretty good. I'm going to check it out and see how it works. Next time I get a clear night. ;o)

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I need to test that Donut Buster feature as well!! Very nice!

[@astrodysseus]

Additional comment: I have now used the process on 2 mini PCs (I have several setups) and it works great. The only thing however to consider is.. speed. And this will vary from mini PC to mini PC. I have a Lenovo nano (great one from a few years back) and the hotspot speed is ok. I also haver the Quieter 3c and.. the hotspot speed is very low. Depending of what you do (eg astrolandscape, deepsky) this may not affect you too much. If you are doing solar /planet imaging, you need enough FPS, especially when focusing. Similarly if you have a shared folder to send over the network a file (I often do this to control during capture that everything is ok), the quieter 3c hotspot was around 300kb/s. With my usual mini TP link router, I am at 8-10mb/s. Quite a difference maybe to be aware of.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Very interesting, thanks for chiming in!

[@wazigeralph]

Awesome

[@nuforuk]

Brilliant nice one

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@cucubits]

Thank you! This was immensely helpful. It really is mindblowing why microsoft engineers/architects make such poor decisions.

[@NikonJax]

Cuiv Awesome video! Just a note...I had no password and I could not complete the starter setup without one. Added one and it was fine :)

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Nice work!

[@scottinharwood]

OK, so I tried this on a GMTec Mini PC with a 1TB SSD and Windows 11 Pro with four USB 3 ports. Retailed on Amazon at $230. The install worked! Now, I have it completely powered off and my laptop powered off and will try a full cold start - wish me luck! M plan is to mount this on the side of my Tripod with the top surface antenna towards the house for max signal to see if that works as well. With one USB and Power cable to a USB 3 hub on the telescope I should be able to run my cameras and focuser. Again, wish me luck. Its cloudy and rainy here in Maryland pretty much all week. Had a bad wind come through last Saturday that blew over my AM5 mount with my ASKAR103 telescope mounted on it. I dissambled the mount and moved the optics into the house. The Focuser USB cable seems to be the only thing broken and everything seems works on from my desktop. Now I have to reassemble everything...

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Good luck, and good luck with reassembling your fallen setup!

[@ravnica1]

Nice! Have I just seen a Siril icon on your desktop? 😁

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yes 😁 But just for testing stacking speed on the 4C for now :-)

[@terrizittritsch745]

Going to give this a try Cuiv! Thank you so much. I’ve been through everything just as you articulated in your video. I’ve gone through various tutorials from others on how to do this, which fail. I’ve found the hotspot app that many use, but it requires you to sign into the pc to work, for which i purchased a mini Bluetooth keyboard for which I have keystrokes that i have to go through blindly to make it work. Then I went to the separate mini travel router.. which works but yet another piece of kit. If this works, fantastic.. my only concern is whether the next windows update will stop it from working??? So I’m not going to throw my travel router away. Thanks again!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Good point on Windows updates... We can only hope!

[@AmatureAstronomer]

Clever.

[@markw4095]

Nevermind the comment just below - it's now working through the mystery of Windows 11. I ended up using the batch file in the Startup folder method from that Reddit post.

[@patolucas3146]

Once again you make my day, ça marche !!! 👍 Is the Quieter4c based on the N100 really quicker than the 3c based on the n5105 ?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

It is faster, especially if changing the power limits in the bios (I'll have instructions in my review). But unless you have a full frame camera with huge resolution, or other scenario requiring processing power, I think the 3c is more than enough! Now for people with the 2Q, that's an easy recommendation!

[@davidwoods7720]

awesome,took me 6 minutes

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Awesome!

[@SBRCoach]

Merci pour cet EXCELLENT Tuto Je Viens de tester (sur un PC Français) du coup il faut rechercher les termes correspondants, mais ça fonctionne sans soucis. (bien évidement juste a ce moment ou j'ai redémarré Windows me fait une putain de mise a jour ... PENIBLE !) Mes hommages à madame 😜

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Génial ! Je passe les hommages à la madame :)

[@jeremydumoit4487]

I'm excited for the eclipse next month.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Me too!!

[@guyyanez6949]

Just a couple of days ago, I configured a WiFi network for my field rig without internet available using the router approach. What are the odds? I will give this hotspot approach a try and see how it performs. Hopefully, that would be one piece of equipment that may stay at home (the router) and make things much simpler. Thank you so much for this step-by-step video.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Hahaha good timing! Have fun testing this!

[@aradani3]

Thanks! A question, right now I am using a mini router to remote connect from my Laptop to the Mele Q2, and the Mele Q2 connects automatically to the WiFi created by the mount (CEM26). I would love to ditch the mini router, but then would I be able to connect both the PC and the mount to the hotspot created by the MELE Q2?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

In theory yes it works - my MeLe PC can connect to my home wifi AND have its hotspot at the same time, so it should be able to create its hotspot and connect to the mount at the same time. This should in theory remove the need for the mini router!

[@stephanechabert5316]

Nice video as always. Problem of authorization after the powershell. I will try again later. About the MeLe is there a real benefit to change my MeLe 3 for the 4C ?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Unless you have a specific use case (like full frame sensor and short exposures, or stacking on the miniPC, etc.) the Quieter 3 is definitely good enough!

[@KJRitch]

I have the Hotspot purchased as recommended in your earlier video but haven't set it up on my Mele Quieter 3Q. Is this new method a better choice or should it just go with using the Hotspot?

[@dw.in.michigan]

Great video! You are always so helpful. One question. If I set up the hotspot to initialize at log-in instead of startup, does that change anything? I'm asking because I have my MeLE set up with Stelkarmate X on the onboard eMMC drive, and Windows 11 on the NVMe SSD drive that I added. Obviously, Stellarmate automatically starts its own hotspot for headless control, and I actually have the PC set to boot to Stellarmate by default. But, if I wanted to use NINA from Windows, then I would change the boot sequence to the SSD drive. If I set the hotspot to initialize upon login, will it only broadcast if I'm in Windows? In other words, does it broadcast automatically and in the background even if I've booted to Stellarmate? If it seems like an absurd question, I apologize. I just don't know quite enough about all this, so I'm behind the curve when navigating it. Also, to anyone who might know, when the time is set correctly in the BIOS and Windows, it throws off the time in Stellarmate. If I correct the time in Stellarmate, it seems to change it in the BIOS and also Windows. I've set Windows to manually set the time, but whenever I restart, it changes again. I'm pretty certain the problem is Stellarmate. It seems to be behind by 5 hours, so when Stellarmateis correct, Windows is 5 hours ahead. If anyone with a similar experience has knowledge on how to fix it, please let me know.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Good question! The way this is configured, the hotspot would only start when you start Windows, so there never will be a conflict with Stellarmate OS!

[@lee-van-cleef]

I wish Windows mini PCs would just come with this preconfigured. It’s silly to have to do the initial setup with a monitor, mouse, and keyboard. Even more silly that it takes this much effort to set up the hotspot!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yeah absolutely....

[@astrostufftomtrubridge7915]

Hi Cuiv, super amazing! I've been banging my head against a brick wall for 2 years now trying to make a wifi hotspot work.. Just before I change both my PCs to win 11 would this will work with win 10? or should I upgrade to 11, it's just that all my Astro stuff drivers etc just work in win10...thanking you regards from Tom...

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

It should work on Windows 10 as well, although the UI for some steps will be different!

[@warrenp7861]

Hey Cuiv...thanks for the great info! Question...I currently have my Mele log in to my wifi. Works well inside my house. I can see this as valuable when I am in the field, but when at home, not sure if it has the range to connect from inside my house without the wifi. Seems like I would need to disable the hotspot. Am I missing something? Thanks...Warren

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

The hotspot itself doesn't stop the mini PC from connecting to your home network, so it shouldn't be a conflict!

[@IgnazioPillitteri]

on ubuntu mate running on my minipc I just opened network manager and added a new wifi connection set as a hotspot and... done. But it is notorious that windows is easier to use ;)

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I mention that at the end of the video :)

[@Room-180]

After this 'easy' configuration I want to ask if anybody knows a method to get a complete reinstallable backup of the MELE PC so I can reinstall the system if I have to wipe the whole disc because of a virus or if I had installed Linux for test purposes? Any idea? On older Windows systems it always failed with the internal Windows tools.

[@paulbarrett423]

im at a x roads, I have an old pc im my obsy, every year i get trouble as i just dont get enough clear nights and can go months without imaging. So i was thinking of the mele mini pc, and connecting it straight to my main desk top pc. the old one is connected to my router and i just use remote desktop , my question is can i do the same with the mini pc but do away with the monitor i have in the obsy? i really would like to be more streamlind and have more room losing the bigger pc and monitor would do it. cheers

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I'm don't fully understand the current situation, but the small Mele PC can be used as a "headless" setup with no monitor, and you can connect to it via remote desktop from another computer on the same network (whether that's the hotspot generated by the Mele, or you home wifi). So I personally often connect via remote desktop to the telescope-mounted Mele from my laptop, which I can carry around while remaining connected!

[@julianmatthews3262]

Hi Cuiv, great video and research thank you. I set up my mini pc per your A to Z tutorial you did 10 or so months ago. The hotspot starts up no worries. Am I right in thinking that this is just for those users who can no longer purchase the hotspot program which you say is no longer available? OR is this a better way of setting up a mobile hotspot than your previous method? Thanks again

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Hey Julian! If it ain't broke, don't fix it right? :-) Both methods should be equivalent!

[@julianmatthews3262]

@@CuivTheLazyGeekThanks Cuiv, take care

[@adrianfontenla2125]

Thanks for the tutorial. I have been able to get the hotspot to activate on startup. Always great content on your channel!!! I have been able to connect to my phone but not my computer. Not sure why there is a problem with computer. In addition, despite the hotspot being connected to my phone, the mele turns it off automatically affter about a minute (I have checked that powersaving is off, and the peerlesstimeoutenabled is set to 0 for both dec and hex). Any suggestions would be appreciated?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

That is weird, have you also disabled the power saving at the device driver level, in Device Manager? Basically three places: hotspot config (disable power saving), device manager for your wifi driver (uncheck allow to turn off adapter to save power) and the registry key. If you still have issues, in the same place in the registry as you added PeerlessTimeoutEnabled, try adding a new DWORD (32 bits), name it PeerlessTimeout, and set the value to 120, then restart and see if that helps!

[@thomasferguson9116]

Hi Cuiv, One question for you. If I set my computer up to do this at a remote site, will it still work the normal way at home with a wifi connection or will I need to do something different? Thanks for all the great videos, Tom

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yes it would work normally at home with a wifi connection

[@bustyouup4free]

I have an Astro PC pro, love all the Connections for powering things, and also plenty of USB ports. Is there any reason to upgrade to a Mele Overclock 4c. I know the Astro PC is based off of the Mele Quieter 3

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

No need to upgrade from AstroPC I would say! My Astro PC antennas got ripped off by my telescope cover in strong wings so it's a bit out of commission :-(

[@kinou2713]

I received my Mele this week, unfortuanatly, the network adaptater doesn't support hosted network. Idk how to fix it

[@Kata_Mae]

Great ! That might finally deal with the problem I had since your previous video about this. Question : When you rename "Loopback" is the Cap "L" a mistake or is it OK ? I see "loopback' in the script. Edit : I don't know why, I should have known the answer. On windows, Caps don't matter.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

You're right, I relied on Windows case insensitivity, but psychologically better to just rename to loopback, all lower case! :-)

[@raphaelhaist5218]

I fixed this Problem with a Wlan stick I had lying around.On startup my mele just starts the hosted network via the wlan stick and it works without internet or any other network.

[@jimcollins1922]

Very impressive. I need to ask one question and I am pretty much tied into the MAC ecosystem. So if I put the remote desktop app on my mac, can I then just power on the AstroPC and connect to it without having done any other configuration. That appears to be what you did with your Android phone? I just don't want to have to figure out how to get a monitor for the astropc. Thanks I enjoy your sometime far out videos and out of the box thinking. I have just joined you channel.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Hello Jim! I'm allergic to all things Apple so I don't really have the answer - but as far as I understand there is a Microsoft Remote Desktop app for MacOS, so using that I assume it would work just in the same way as from the Android app. And thank you so much for your support!

[@jimcollins1922]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Yes there is a remote desktop app for the Mac and also for the iPhone and iPad. I just wanted to clarify, that from the video it appeared that you did not really need to do anything to get the remote desktop running on the PC, just power it on. I saw your previous video with the gyrations that you went through to get remote desk top to work on the mini PC. It looks like this eliminates all that and that you can do an initial boot up with this device using a device with remote desktop on it. I can live with updating the astro software, I just don't want to have to get into configuring windows. If you don't need to do anything to connect to the mini PC other than connect to it via a remote desktop client, from my point of view this makes it attractive alternative to my ASIAIR Plus and it will free me from the ZWO ecosystem.

[@robertsipes7391]

I am assuming that in Task Scheduler you set the script to be configured for Windows 10, because it looks like Windows 11 is not available on the dropdown menu? Is that correct? Cuiv, you have made this so simple. Thank you! Can't wait to get my MELE up and running.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yep that's correct! Although tbh it shouldn't really matter. Good luck with the setup!

[@RynBat]

I actually had to cancel a night of imaging due to WiFi issues recently. I think it's because my mini-PC is at the edge of my home WiFi range, so it drops from that, meaning I need to go out there and connect directly, but the WiFi hotspot also drops for an unknown reason so I'm completely stuck. I'm definitely trying this the next chance I get, and if it works you've saved me a lot of hassle.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Sorry to hear about that loss of a night of imaging, but I think this will help!

[@New-Zealandball247]

Can’t find the add Legacy hardware option

[@Gregg69420]

Is there a way to hook up a PC to a scope that I could use from across the world without having to pay for a remote observatory

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yes but you'd need to have a dome and someone nearby to close it when it inevitably fails!

[@Gregg69420]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek alright, thank you for the advice!

[@scottfairbairn6305]

Thank you for the very clear and concise video. I have a Mele computer, and everything(almost) worked. I used my Windows laptop,found the hotspot and successfully joined it after I found the network password key for the hotspot. However, my laptop has a home version of Windows, and Microsoft does not allow remote desktop use unless you buy the pro version. So I tried AnyDesk software, but it would not connect. Do you think there is a problem with my setup causing Anydesk to fail, or do I need to cough up money to upgrade my windows version to use Remote Desktop?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Windows lets you use the remote desktop client on Windows Home (so you can connect via RDP to other PCs but can't have other PCs connecting to yours). My other linked video has full instructions, and my client PC is Windows Home :)

[@scottfairbairn6305]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek So I'd have to use the home addition laptop to join the hotspot, then use the mele to do the Remote Desktop to the home edition machine?

[@Jaxnize]

No menttion that tasks require a password until trying to apply the script/tasks at tnd end of vid. Had to add password and run through most of the script again. No biggie, but now I have to log in. How is this accomplished remotely with a headless pc..? Do i need to go back to the first vid/process from last year that uses the log in bypass scripting..?

[@user-lp6ri9dn4j]

Hi, love your channel, i have learned a lot from you. I am trying to set up the Hotspot, but i only get "Directory Name Invalid" Error code: 0x80070010b. Can you please help me? Running Windows 11 Pro on a Mele Quieter2. I have followed your Video instructions, tried to adapt it to my PC and names. But I am stuck. Would love to get this fixed!

[@user-sd5nr9lq1i]

I tried this but had an issue. The hotspot would NOT start from a cold boot but would from a restart. I double checked all the settings and tried a few other things but had no luck. However, I could click the Run button in Task Scheduler, and it would start! Weird! Ultimately, I used a bat file in Startup with the commands from the Reddit page and it's all working as expected. Thanks for posting this. I've been using a travel router to connect my astro computer to a laptop, but I never really liked this solution. I've been looking for a peer-to-peer solution for quite some time. J.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

That is really weird, I tested it multiple times from a cold boot... But others have had the same issue, glad you found a way to fix it!

[@markw4095]

Hi anyone that can help - I get this when I manually run powershell with the arguments Cuiv provided (I copied and pasted everything in the appropriate places): + ... .Networking.NetworkOperators.NetworkOperatorTetheringManager, Windows ... + ~ Missing argument in parameter list. + CategoryInfo : ParserError: (:) [], ParentContainsErrorRecordException + FullyQualifiedErrorId : MissingArgument It points to character 267 which is the comma before the word Windows (I think). Any ideas??

[@DavidsStars]

Is it possible to have it auto start the hotspot -and- have a login? I mean there are pranksters and hoaxers who will connect and mess around with my system… I do want a login.. thanks.

[@MrGuilletv]

Now i can use my minipc beelink in the field to control mi telescope from my mobile using remotedesktop app .. Right?? Like asiair but nina version

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Correct!

[@MrGuilletv]

​@@CuivTheLazyGeeksadly I follow every step but my beelink minipc (mini s) don't start the hotspot automatically (I do everything in the guide)

[@user-lt9py2pu6u]

I must be missing something here Cuiv, I can follow your set up procedure but don't understand why you need this. Are you saying that when you switch everything on the mini pc is not initially detected by the pc? I use an Eagle LE and this connects to my Windows 11 Laptop, Tablet and Phone without any problems. I didn't have to go through that somewhat drawn out procedure to connect to the laptop for the first time. I am thinking about getting another mini pc and if I'm going to have to go through that process to get it to work I'll probably get another LE, it's not that much more expensive than some of the better mini pcs anyway.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

The Eagle LE creates its own hotspot automatically, so you don't need to do this procedure. From what I can tell the Eagle LE however uses the J4005, which is a somewhat underpowered processor these days (even less powerful than the J4125 in the old MeLe Quieter 2), so I'd recommend an Eagle S if you're going to go the Eagle way again! Otherwise the MeLe Quieter 4C I'm currently testing is $220 and has a processor that is literally more than three times faster than the Eagle LE's (and only marginally slower than the Eagle S' processor). But yes, with a mini PC there is an hour's worth of work for the initial setup! And you don't get all the cool additional features the Eagle has!

[@user-lt9py2pu6u]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Thanks for clearing that up Cuiv, as it is my LE is currently doing everything I need it to so I'll carry on with that for now but will bare your comments in mind in future when I get round to buying another pc. Thanks again.

[@francescoradici8181]

Hi Cuiv, thankyou for the great video(s)! I'v set up my mini PC as you show and everithing seems to work but I have a (not so) little issue... The Hotspot starts automatically only when I reboot my machine from windows, not at the first startup. If I power on the mini PC from the shutdown, the procedure doesn't start automatically, as expected (but the script works if I try to lounch it manually). But if i click reboot from the Windows icon, the machine restarts and creates his network. This regardless the internet connection, I tried several times with domestic wifi on and off. I run Windows 10 Pro on the mini PC. I have no clue what the reason could be, do you?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

That is really, really weird.. you do have the 1 minute delay on, right?

[@francescoradici8181]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek yes, I tried 30 sec, 1 or 2 minutes, nothing changes...😢

[@lee-van-cleef]

Seems a recent Windows update may have done something that messes with the Task. I was only able to get it working again by uninstalling the updates.

[@Oxizee]

Dont forget to enable RDP in System settings.

[@astrostufftomtrubridge7915]

Hi Cuiv, It almost works!! But only in partial range of my WiFi indoors which it connects to then there is a hotspot option on greyed out button... Any clues? Regards Tom..

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Unfortunately no clue...

[@robertlowenthal689]

Thanks, Cuiv! I got the Hotspot up and running. However, when I try to use Remote Desktop Connection, I can’t connect if the MeLe PC isn’t connected to the internet. If the MeLe is connected to the internet, I can connect to it via the Hotspot without problem. I’ll need to remote in when I’m out in the field, where there is no internet connection. So if I can’t connect my PC to the MeLe as a Hotspot, it defeats the purpose. Any suggestions to fix this issue? Thanks, Robert

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I tested in both scenarios and I don't have any issues with remote desktop, regardless of whether the mini PC is or isn't connected to the Internet. RDP can be weird, have you tried connecting multiple times? And have you tried with the IP address rather than hostname?

[@robertlowenthal689]

I got it working now. I turned off our house WiFi router (with wife’s permission, of course 😇) and it worked well without any internet connection. All is good. Thank you, Cuiv!

[@jeremywebb2777]

I can't get it to work. Followed the instructions exactly. I'm using a Mele overclock 3C....

[@AstroAF]

Thanks Cuiv! Sadly I'm getting "Unable to connect to the remote PC as there is no network connectivity." in my RDC (Mac). I am successfully connecting to the Hotspot though. If I re-connect LAN i do see that the Hotspot is enabled after startup. Not sure what the issue is with RDC not making the connection. Cheers! Doug

[@AstroAF]

Yay! I sorted it out. I had a manual DHCP configuration on my client. I changed that to auto and it connected right away. Hope that helps someone else. Cheers!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Glad you got it figured out!

[@user-ck2ys9zl4y]

This doesn’t seem to be working for me on my Quieter 4C with Win11 pro - after following all the steps the hotspot is greyed out with no way to enable it. I can enable it and connect through RDP if I first connect to my home network and then disconnect from it, but this defeats the purpose obviously. If I start with no wifi connection on the Mele, as I would if in the field, the hotspot is disabled.

[@user-ck2ys9zl4y]

Figured it out! The file path in the task schedule argument has to be in quotes 😄

[@lee-van-cleef]

Seems like Windows Update broke this. I had it working and then updated Windows and it stopped activating the hotspot at startup. Uninstalling the Windows updates got it working again.

[@dereksmith4517]

Got this to work, but Morbile Hotspot terns off after reboot. Is there a way to tern on automatically? with reg edit? PS there is no power management tab in the properties for the Loopback network adaptor.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

The task scheduler part should do that - check whether it runs and do make sure you have the 1 minute delay

[@dereksmith4517]

3 black coffys later, still the same, the only thing diffent I had ues windowoe powershell insted of powershell???? it is what it is. Cheers and keep the vids comming.@@CuivTheLazyGeek

[@Andersvictor]

For some reason it works when I restart my MeLe 3C, but not if I shut it down and start it again - what could be wrong?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I have no idea - it works fine in either case for me, and from the Windows POV a restart and a shut down should be basically the same thing... weird.

[@Andersvictor]

Thank you for the answer@@CuivTheLazyGeek ! I found a work-around by removing the password and letting the computer skip login. There seems to be a bug with trigger on start-up, were it requires some sort of password validation. Not my field of expertise :D

[@mikebennett2015]

I thought this had worked for me, but after shutting down the PC and restarting, the hotspot did not start. After some investigation I found this was because, by default, shutting down hibernates the PC. When it restart it does not run the On Startup events. I've fixed this by turning off hibernation. To do this open a command prompt as administrator and issue the command powercfg /h off This will slow down start up, but the hot spot now starts.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Oh wow! Thank you so much!! I don't have the problem on my side - but I'm wondering if it's because of my auto-login that forces the "On Startup". I'll present both solutions in an addendum video!

[@mikebennett2015]

Another observation for anyone using Remote Desktop to run NINA. If you test during the day and leave the lens cap on your guide scope, viewing PHD2 almost kills the session as all the noise in the image is transmitted. Taking the lens cap off resolves this.

[@astrodysseus]

Does it means you don't need anymore an external hotspot usb/ethernet module ? If yes, that's interesting and it would consume a little less battery.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yep, that's correct - the PC generates its own hotspot on startup!

[@astrodysseus]

@@CuivTheLazyGeekhu that's cool for portable setup ! ok will watch it in detail there :p is it only for windows 11 or also 10 pro ?

[@fazergazer]

Hmmm. I tried several times and no joy… windows11 still shuts off hotspot despite the several fold redundancy that should keep in on. Running the task using play arrow in task scheduler executes fine. Just not on startup. 😮

[@sbradley7007]

I got the hotspot working, but can't figure out what IP address to use in Remote Desktop to connect to it. What are you using?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I have details in my other full setup video, but basically the hostname of the hotspot PC works

[@fazergazer]

Seems that if Microsoft is using your Microsoft account password for logging into local windows account, hotspot still won’t activate until you login…😢 UPDATE: now found a workaround by including a hotspot starter .bat file in the startup apps folder. Added on top of the things you shared. ❤

[@TL1000S97]

Does this mean you have "ditched" the StellarMate Pro?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

No I haven't, still using it

[@TL1000S97]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Good to hear. I've put mine "on hold" for practise runs later. I do not want to waste time that should go to aquire images when the sky is clear once a month or so 😵 AsiAir, "as easy as 1-2-3" 😊