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Originally Posted by Paul Haese
I have a couple of remote setups. An hour away from home. These are the things that I think are critical.
1. You need to be a good bug hunter to get remote imaging working.
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The key is to work out the bugs before locking up and leaving the remote site. Test, test and test again on the bench, then put the setup through its paces on location via the internet connection you will be using from home.
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2. All the gear has to be very reliable including computer on site.
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Yes, and the good news is most modern equipment is actually pretty reliable... But double-up on it anyway, because stuff fails; install two $100 PCs instead of only one. Use two $50 routers instead of relying on a single device.
Off-grid? Calculate your absolute worse-case scenario power consumption, then double the number, and buy a bigger-capacity battery bank still. Buy two of them. Don't forget to do the same with your PV array, because there's no fun quite like watching your site go offline, and your battery die from chronic undercharging after blithely saying, "Nah, we don't need all those new panels when we can strip a few of the old ones off uncle Cyril's shed. They'll do!"
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3. Good internet connection.
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Again, intensive and extensive testing along with redundancy is the key, unless you love not being able to access the site most of the time, or you enjoy hours-long drives to the location just to click the "connect" button.
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4. IP switches are a must.
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Very useful, as are digital relay controllers. The ping-timer is your friend.
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5. It must be somewhere relatively secure.
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This is no doubt very important in urban and semi-rural locations. Anywhere scumbags aren't too lazy to go.
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Without all of these in place you will struggle.
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All these and more. Anyone thinking of establishing a truly remotely-operated site should think about the hassles people have with backyard observatories, then imagine those hassles occurring at a distant site accessible only via the internet or after an arduous journey.
It pays to plan ahead, test like a maniac, and be prepared for the worst.
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Do it on you own if you can. Partnerships seldom work.
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... And it helps if you're single...