Just Buy The ASI Air They Said...

A detailed run down of several WiFi telescope control options. I have more detailed information on my blog post located here:
kevinrfrancis....
I review the indigo server platform used by the ZWO ASIair Pro, IndigoSky, Astroberry and more. I also compare them to VirtualHere which is a USB server that wirelessly connects USB devices to a computer or laptop on the same network.
I have no affiliation with the companies and organizations discussed in this video. The opinions expressed are my own and not paid promotions.

[@therealremo]

Thank you for actually showing these hardware with the actual apps! Including where and what they are. Many other's videos talk about the hardware/software like you should already know this stuff or they waste time by jumping to their own results. The approach you take is much more helpful to someone trying to explore the possibilities available. The logistics are important. So, I appreciate that you show steps as sequential IE: 1,2,3..x instead of 1->x. The editing is secondary and will only improve thru time. Thanks!

[@dw6528]

Thanks for doing this! I can see why you wisely made the title: "Just buy the ASIAir" The ASIAir system appears to pretty much be a turn-key system - with very little user configuration needed. You turn it on - you set a few options - and it provides the limited functionality that it is designed to provide - pretty much out of the box. The Astroberry on the other hand - appears to have a multitude of settings - all of which have to be set exactly correctly or something won't work as intended. So it appears to place a much higher burden on the user to pretty much know how every option is supposed to be set. Would definitely not be for a new-bee! :-] Thanks so very much!

[@geekverve]

Love your videos. As someone brand new to astrophotography and astronomy in general I find them very informative and helpful. Thank you. That said, a bit of constructive criticism, if I may. I find all the camera switching and slow zooms quite distracting, especially when they implement different audio feed qualities (much worse in some of your other videos). You are very engaging without all the production tricks, and they only detract from that. As with so many things, though - those who can, do. Those who can't, critique. Keep the great content coming!

[@KevinFrancisAstrophotographer]

Thank you for your comment. I can only improve with comments like yours. New content is coming.

[@fishertroy8393]

I know it's pretty off topic but do anybody know a good website to stream new tv shows online ?

[@MarvelousLXVII]

I have to agree about the camera stuff--it kept me from focusing on what was being-said. Nice info, though--and I will subscribe.

[@rcpattaya230]

I'm in the process of choosing the right solution for me. This was great information and I thank you very much for taking the time and efforts to make this video. Super informative.

[@KevinFrancisAstrophotographer]

You're very welcome!

[@DBML1]

Wow am I ever happy I came across your presentation. I live in a condo and I have no access to the night sky so I have to use my vehicle to go somewhere I can image and like you I don’t like bugs or the cold so your search for options to Asair Pro or Plus resonated with me. I use some ZWO Cameras but some of their current gear is lacking in comparison to other vendors offerings but the Asair Pro and Plus won’t permit anything other than DSLRs to run with their gear. I find that too limiting. Your final solution, ‘Virtual Here’ is the one that really got me keyed up as It allows me to run N.I.N.A from my Windows laptop along with SharpCap Pro which I really like. I have liked and subscribed to your channel. One thing I would like to know more about is how do I set up my laptop as a hot spot to control my Raspberry Pi. I am a little weak in that area. I thought your presentation was very very good and I will review everything you have posted.

[@KevinFrancisAstrophotographer]

Thank you for this comment. I'll try to help with the connectivity question. Certainly there is a lot online about setting up a laptop as a hot spot and connecting the RPI to a wireless network. So I'm guessing your asking about how to see what's happening and/or adjusting the RPI from your laptop computer. To do this, SSH must be enabled on the RPI and with that you can use applications like PuTTY or a VNC Viewer (also must be enabled on the RPI) to connect and control the RPI from your laptop. Hopefully this helps.

[@papabear2396]

My man! this is why I'm here for a beginner as my self this is perfect!

[@KevinFrancisAstrophotographer]

Glad I could help!

[@druid6605]

Hey Kevin, thanks for the video. That’s a lot of hard work. Kudos for al your efforts to make our lives easier. I have one question.. for those of us who already have asi air, is there anyway for us to load the necessary drivers to asi air. Might be a easy turnaround solution. Thank you.

[@TheJuggernaut1992]

Finally some useful information. Thank you very much.

[@KevinFrancisAstrophotographer]

Glad it was helpful!

[@MikeRice]

im trying to do this right now, great vid

[@AzimuthAviation]

New sub to follow along in your journey and glean knowledge of mount and camera control. Just a video production comment. Use of a dedicated mic and a master audio track for your multiple video aspects will add smoothness to your videos. Perhaps a past issue but looking forward to watching your more recent work!

[@KevinFrancisAstrophotographer]

Thanks for the tips!

[@MM0IMC]

The Asiair plus is now about $300!

[@uttampaudel9450]

Super helpful! Thanks for the video Kevin.

[@KevinFrancisAstrophotographer]

Glad it was helpful!

[@GG-hb7xo]

Great! Virtualhere is what I was looking for. Thx

[@KevinFrancisAstrophotographer]

Glad it helped!

[@patclements3067]

Love the video. I'm a beginner so apologies in advance. I'm playing with VirtualHere and a QHY183C. Running RPi4. It's taking a LONG time to transfer the files. And simply getting a good connection in APT to the camera is very random. I think it may be the cooler power, maybe a ground loop or something. The RPi is also giving me low power warnings. Probably a bad cable, though the power USB cable is brand new....

[@KevinFrancisAstrophotographer]

The transfer speed is inherently slow due to the WiFi 5, packet size, etc. The fastest method is to save the file to the RPI (external memory card) and download later. Also make sure you have a 3A power supply for the RPI. That will eliminate the low voltage warnings (btw a lot of portable batteries deliver 2A vs 3A). Now if you have a lot of amps being drawn with everything being plugged in, a second battery or larger battery may be needed. Hope this helps. Clear Skies!

[@michaelklemm-abraham7298]

Interesting Video but I have to admit that I am already settled. I have multiple rigs, each one running on astroberry. I had to get used to KStars and EKOS but it is not that hard. There would really have not been any better solution than astroberry.

[@KevinFrancisAstrophotographer]

Hey Michael, would love to see your view in a video if your open to it. I think the viewers would appreciate a different perspective.

[@michaelklemm-abraham7298]

@@KevinFrancisAstrophotographer It has been a long time since I made any videos. Maybe if I find the time it would be great. To be clear, your view of things is also interesting for me. Currently I am adding motorisation to my roll of roof and there are still other things I try to improve.

[@pm1035]

Hey Kevin, Thanks for your videos! I have a Celestron Evolution 8 and would like to remote control the scope from indoor in the winter and summer months. It looks like the ASi Air Plus is the way to go. I'm a total beginner with this technology and not sure what I need exactly to do this. Can you guide me as to what I need? All I have right now is the EVO 8 but would really like to have control indoors-Wirelessly? Thanks again...

[@adamclotfelter9875]

I know this was a year ago, but I'm wondering if APT had issues connecting to the camera because the INDIGO Control Panel was connected to it

[@KevinFrancisAstrophotographer]

Good question. I don't know that answer. I've received a lot of feedback on that video and will do an update video based on those responses.

[@waltert]

Hey Kevin, thanks a lot for the comparison. I'm just getting started and got the ASIair Pro but more than likely will need to resell it since I've found that it doesn't support my Canon 250D. I was leaning towards getting a pi and burning StellarMate Os on it since that one comes with a mobile app. Do you have any experience with that system that you can comment on the user-friendliness and whether its a good stand-alone system for capture, guiding, polar alignemetns, etc?

[@KevinFrancisAstrophotographer]

Walter, StellarMate is one I've seen but not used. It is based on the Indi Server platform and has it's own suite of tools. From the looks of it, I would expect it to be top notch. I didn't review it as I was looking for cost effective approaches. Also I would love to review it in the future and hear your experience with it if you go that route. Thanks for your comment.

[@2oldfartsinarv836]

HAY KEVIN THANKS FOR THE VIDEO . DOES THIS JUST CONTROL THE CAMERA OR CAN IT CONTROL THE MOUNT TOO? WAS NOT CLEAR ON THAT. THANKS AGAIN FOR THE VIDEOS. CLEAR SKIES

[@KevinFrancisAstrophotographer]

All options can control more than just the camera to include the mount, focuser, dew heater, guide camera, etc.

[@robertbennett106]

Can you use astroberry with backyard EOS?

[@KevinFrancisAstrophotographer]

Not currently. Backyard EOS would need to provide access to the Indi server on astroberry in order to recognize the camera.

[@astrojet9484]

Astroberry has been dead for a while I think.

[@KevinFrancisAstrophotographer]

really

[@davidkidd4809]

Extremely irritating jumping about camera viewpoint. Makes the delivery very disjointed.

[@KevinFrancisAstrophotographer]

Thanks for this.

[@waltert]

The way you worded this comment seems so inappropriate.