PilotAware

British Forum => Technical Support => Topic started by: peastlake on June 11, 2022, 11:35:21 am

Title: IGrid WiFi
Post by: peastlake on June 11, 2022, 11:35:21 am
So my iGrid dongle turned up today, bought from the PilotAware store.

But I can’t get it to work, and have carefully followed the instructions on the card it was attached to.

Using an iPad mini 5 for the to receive from the Rosetta, and a iPhone 11 to provide the personal hotspot. All Wi-Fi & Bluetooth is turned off on the iPhone, with mobile data enabled and a 4G connection sitting.

Screenshots are attached of screens on paw.local

Is the dongle actually working, given that it says wlan1 = DOWN?


Title: Re: IGrid WiFi
Post by: Dave jones on June 11, 2022, 11:50:47 am
Hi
I had the same problem this morning when my dongle turned up. What I did was disconnect my home router and then paired the iPhone Wi-Fi. I think my home Wi-Fi was so strong it was shadowing the phone hotspot. Don’t know if this will help or if it makes sense. Let me know how you get on
Dave
Title: Re: IGrid WiFi
Post by: Admin on June 11, 2022, 12:40:24 pm
Hi paul
Wifi is working as you can see hotspots listed
On my iPhone I must be on the hotspot page for it to broadcast ssid to connect
Thx
Lee
Title: Re: IGrid WiFi
Post by: peastlake on June 11, 2022, 02:15:04 pm
Thanks both.

I ended up resetting the “Network Settings” on the iPhone back to factory defaults, re-enabling Personal Hotspot - and it worked!

I’ll have to put all my WiFi passwords back in to my phone, but never mind!
Title: Re: IGrid WiFi
Post by: exfirepro on June 11, 2022, 08:06:50 pm
Hi Paul,

Great to see you back on the Forum.

Well done on getting your iGRID Network sorted. The good news is that PAW should now recognise and remember your phone (especially if you enable the hotspot before starting PilotAware) and reconnect automatically each time.

I have been using the system for several months in testing and it is brilliant, automatically taking up the baton and supplying Ground Uplink data including Rainfall Radar if / when you go out of Ground Station range - as we can still do quite easily up here in the North.

Best Regards

Peter

Title: Re: IGrid WiFi
Post by: Keithvinning on June 20, 2022, 08:52:39 am
As an aside all WiFi dongles supplied by Pilotaware are individually tested on an iPhone before dispatch.
It’s labour intensive but we do know the dongles work
Keith
Title: Re: IGrid WiFi
Post by: grahambaker on June 20, 2022, 02:03:54 pm
... All Wi-Fi & Bluetooth is turned off on the iPhone ...

I suspect that was your problem. When you turn off wifi, it disables the hot-spot - it's a wifi hot-spot.
Title: Re: IGrid WiFi
Post by: Deker on June 20, 2022, 04:42:43 pm
... All Wi-Fi & Bluetooth is turned off on the iPhone ...

I suspect that was your problem. When you turn off wifi, it disables the hot-spot - it's a wifi hot-spot.

My old Huawei phone showed the WIFi disabled when I enable the hotspot, and visa versa, the Wifi is re-enabled when I disable the hotspot.
Title: Re: IGrid WiFi
Post by: roweda on June 27, 2022, 06:00:32 pm
Will the extended settings on the Network screen only be visible when a compatible WiFi USB dongle is connected?

I have a couple of USB WiFi adapters but no menu is visible so I assume they are non compatible devices? Pilotaware Classic.

Is anybody able to confirm please?

Thanks

Dave
Title: Re: IGrid WiFi
Post by: Dave jones on June 27, 2022, 06:18:45 pm
The extended menu will only appear when you have a correct dongle ( a compatible one).
I tried a couple of dongles before I received mine from Pilotaware store and none of them  produced a menu. Hope this helps.
Title: Re: IGrid WiFi
Post by: roweda on June 27, 2022, 06:24:13 pm
Excellent. Thanks for confirming.

Dave
Title: Re: IGrid WiFi
Post by: Young_C on July 10, 2022, 09:10:53 am
Hi All,
Reading this thread it sounds like the new iGRID functionality will only be active when the wifi dongle / hotspot is active. My question is whether conversely the base functionality will continue to work normally without it?

I've just upgraded our group aircraft to 20220626 and ordered a wifi dongle. However one of our group is uncomfortable with relying on his mobile in flight and wanted assurance that the PilotAware system will continue to work normally without it, both now and in the future. Obviously the new functionality e.g. in flight rainfall radar would not be available but would certain traffic which was previously detectable now require iGRID for detection?

Please could you confirm this.

Thanks,
Chris Young
Title: Re: IGrid WiFi
Post by: Admin on July 10, 2022, 11:08:22 am
All of these features are additive, and not mutually exclusive
We have found that using data from multiple sources ensures maximum system redundancy
So adding iGRID, loses nothing
Thx
Lee
Title: Re: IGrid WiFi
Post by: JCurtis on July 10, 2022, 11:19:20 am
All of these features are addictive, and not mutually exclusive
We have found that using data from multiple sources ensures maximum system redundancy
So adding iGRID, loses nothing
Thx
Lee

Or additive?
Title: Re: IGrid WiFi
Post by: Admin on July 10, 2022, 02:08:29 pm
All of these features are addictive, and not mutually exclusive
We have found that using data from multiple sources ensures maximum system redundancy
So adding iGRID, loses nothing
Thx
Lee

Or additive?

Correct, or even both ????
Title: Re: IGrid WiFi
Post by: Young_C on July 13, 2022, 10:16:31 am
Thanks for the info about iGRID functionality. It's good to know that it is additive and none of the base functionality is lost if iGRID is inactive.

Another question please: I received my PAW wifi dongle and I'm planning to install it on my Rosetta tomorrow. Currently I have a 0.6m USB extension lead which connects to one of the Rosetta USB ports, which I use to plug in a memory stick for downloading logs / uploading software, since it is a permanent install and the unit is buried behind the panel and difficult to get to.

Would the wifi dongle work if plugged into this extension lead rather than directly into the socket on the Rosetta unit?
Title: Re: IGrid WiFi
Post by: Keithvinning on July 13, 2022, 02:15:58 pm
Yes it will work on the short USB cable
This is how I test the WiFi devices individually to make them easy to fit

Cheers Keith
Title: Re: IGrid WiFi
Post by: Young_C on July 16, 2022, 11:49:47 am
Hi All,
I've recently installed the iGRID wifi dongle in my Rosetta unit. I'm curious about the PilotAware claim for iGRID:
 
"Real-time, server enhanced traffic for your chosen EFB. Shows more traffic than ever"

Is there any quantification of how much more traffic is typically shown via iGRID vs the previous methods PilotAware uses?

I'm particularly interested in whether more FLARM traffic is shown since I fly from Bidford which is principally a gliding airfield.

Best regards,
Chris.
Title: Re: IGrid WiFi
Post by: Admin on July 16, 2022, 01:19:45 pm
no Scientific method really
what you can try is turning the hotspot off on your phone whilst watching the traffic, and see it drop
I just looked at my setup - I am receiving 88 traffic reports, there is a large gaggle over Husbands Bosworth, which I definitely cannot see Air-2-Air.
If you look on the traffic page, there will be a G in the last position of the Mode column, this indicates supplied via the GRID, if you are detecting directly - this will not be present

BTW, there is a slight bug-ette in the system at the moment
You are only sent traffic reports from iGRID IF you are emitting your own position
So for instance if you have set the "Aircraft Transmit Speed" to greater than zero - you will not receive iGRID reports until you are moving, a simple workaround for now is to set the "Aircraft Transmit Speed" to ZERO

This is fixed in an internal build, and will be released shortly
Title: Re: IGrid WiFi
Post by: Merlin29 on July 18, 2022, 03:02:24 pm
Hi - I flew Saturday with IGrid for the first time. As I'm using an iPad Mini 2 I can't run a split screen of Sky Demon and Pilotaware Radar at the same time, so I've no idea if the connection remained between the Rosetta and my iPhone throughout the flight. Is there a log file to check this? Also, I noticed that the Rosetta does not automatically connect to my iPhone. I have to go to Settings, Personal Hotspot on my phone - then it connects. I forgot to do this on the second flight of the day. Is there a way to force the connection without remembering to open up the iPhone settings page? Thank you!
Title: Re: IGrid WiFi
Post by: steveu on July 18, 2022, 09:23:46 pm
Hi - I flew Saturday with IGrid for the first time. As I'm using an iPad Mini 2 I can't run a split screen of Sky Demon and Pilotaware Radar at the same time, so I've no idea if the connection remained between the Rosetta and my iPhone throughout the flight. Is there a log file to check this?

Yes, go to Aircrew:

https://aircrew.co.uk/playback/groundstations/ (https://aircrew.co.uk/playback/groundstations/)

Check your flight by leaving the stations set to all and the trransmission to PilotAware. Put in your ICAO code, you should have loaded this into PilotAware but if you can't remember it's on G-INFO with your reg.

Set the bottom three boxes for the time of your flight. It needs to be recent.

Press the "Search" button. If you got the times right and your PilotAware was transmitting to ground stations, you will see a profile of your flight.

If there is a flight there, now change the drop down box from PilotAware to Cellular.

Press the "Search" button again. The map may disappear but you will see a vertical profile of reception during your flight.

Example of step 1:

https://aircrew.co.uk/playback/groundstations/?ICAO=404A4B&RxType=PAW&adbVariant=*&Station=*&start=1657979400&end=1657990200 (https://aircrew.co.uk/playback/groundstations/?ICAO=404A4B&RxType=PAW&adbVariant=*&Station=*&start=1657979400&end=1657990200)

Example of step 2:

https://aircrew.co.uk/playback/groundstations/?ICAO=404A4B&RxType=Cellular&adbVariant=*&Station=*&start=1657979400&end=1657990200 (https://aircrew.co.uk/playback/groundstations/?ICAO=404A4B&RxType=Cellular&adbVariant=*&Station=*&start=1657979400&end=1657990200)

Title: Re: IGrid WiFi
Post by: Admin on July 18, 2022, 10:36:10 pm
the Rosetta does not automatically connect to my iPhone. I have to go to Settings, Personal Hotspot on my phone - then it connects. I forgot to do this on the second flight of the day. Is there a way to force the connection without remembering to open up the iPhone settings page? Thank you!

This is a feature of ios/iphone, out of the control of PilotAware

If you try the same connection to your home router, you will see it auto connects every time

Thx
Lee
Title: Re: IGrid WiFi
Post by: Merlin29 on July 18, 2022, 11:08:02 pm
This is great. Thank you. If I have interpreted the flight correctly then the entire flight was being picked up by ground stations:
https://aircrew.co.uk/playback/groundstations/?ICAO=4058EA&RxType=PAW&adbVariant=*&Station=*&start=1657958400&end=1657969200

and for the cellular it was a little more patchy
https://aircrew.co.uk/playback/groundstations/?ICAO=4058EA&RxType=Cellular&adbVariant=*&Station=*&start=1657958400&end=1657969200

Title: Re: IGrid WiFi
Post by: steveu on July 19, 2022, 06:53:57 am
This is great. Thank you. If I have interpreted the flight correctly then the entire flight was being picked up by ground stations:
https://aircrew.co.uk/playback/groundstations/?ICAO=4058EA&RxType=PAW&adbVariant=*&Station=*&start=1657958400&end=1657969200

and for the cellular it was a little more patchy
https://aircrew.co.uk/playback/groundstations/?ICAO=4058EA&RxType=Cellular&adbVariant=*&Station=*&start=1657958400&end=1657969200

What sort of aircraft, wood, rag and tube, Stits or all metal?

Where is the phone mounted?

Title: Re: IGrid WiFi
Post by: Merlin29 on July 19, 2022, 07:22:00 am
It’s a flexWing microlight. Rosetta is in the nose of the pod with antenna pointing down. Phone was in the top pocket of my flying suit.
Title: Re: IGrid WiFi
Post by: steveu on July 19, 2022, 08:28:12 pm
It’s a flexWing microlight. Rosetta is in the nose of the pod with antenna pointing down. Phone was in the top pocket of my flying suit.

Have you got a pod bag, or a secure pocket in the skirt? Next to your body, which is a mass with 60% water, propagation over the longer distances we want might be an issue.

If it were a Quantum I'd zip it in one of the two side pockets in the skirt, then try it again.
Title: Re: IGrid WiFi
Post by: Merlin29 on July 20, 2022, 09:06:44 am
I’ll give it a go in one of the skirt pockets! Although I do like to have the phone close to me invade of accident! Many thanks.