Remote Access interference with guiding

[pmrid (Peter)]

This is one for the 'automators'! I've been able to push my wireless network out to my observatory - the idea being to save freezing my buns off in winter by controlling things from the house. Good in theory. No problem getting remote access to work. That's easy. But I have come up against a real mission-critical problem with using it while imaging/guiding.
I use PHD to guide and Nebulosity to image. But I have noticed that I get a lot of guiding errors - subs I have to scrap - when I try to operate remotely. I have started to monitor the circumstances in which this happens and there seems to be a direct correlation between when I log into the imaging computer remotely and when guide errors occur. Leaving the graph function of PHD running seems to confirm that after guiding away happily within quite decent parameters, whenever I log in remotely, there are major Dec and RA guide errors.
I have also noticed that Nebulosity can be a real resources hog at various times during the process of imaging and downloading.
My feeling is that this is what's causing the problem - remote login demands instant resources from the remote CPU/RAM and Nebulosity is hogging it so it comes a the expense of PHD.
I'm running XP SP3 on a 3GhZ PC with plenty of RAM.

Anyone else seen this or something similar?

Peter.

[bmitchell82 (Brendan)]

I use my 900mhz Celron EEEPC as the controlling computer for my astrophotography rig plus my everyday lappy, I control it with another computer and i have no problems at all.

I utilize a program called Team Viewer its free to use in a private situation, and works a dream either via home network wired/wireless connection or internet connection.

this image was taken while i was having christmas dinner and if it wasn't for the fact that i don't have automatic focus control it would have been compleately automated.

http://s700.photobucket.com/albums/w...gmanandM42.png

[pmrid (Peter)]

Originally Posted by bmitchell82

I utilize a program called Team Viewer its free to use in a private situation, and works a dream either via home network wired/wireless connection or internet connection.

Looks interesting. I'm not clear whether the DL from their site is the server or the client application. Or is it both?
Peter.

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

Peter - I was just about to go down your road, in preparation for winter. My wireless network has really good signal strength outside where I want to run the laptop - which physically sits on the mount - no tables or other required. I'll give it a go over the next few nights and see if I run into the same trouble.

Ideally, I'd like to monitor the laptop for images as they expose, as well as being able to remotely pull images off the lappy onto my office machine for processing during the evening.

[rogerg (Roger)]

Peter,

Out of interest what remote control software are you using? Windows Remote Desktop?

Some other remote software can consume as much as 50% CPU on a machine spec'd such as yours.

I certainly notice a temporary pause when I login remote (very short - 1 second) but it's of no consequence for my setup. I can imagine it might depend on the astro software what impact that temporary drain on resources has though.

Simplistically your 3ghz machine (presumaby a P4 not a dual core or something?) should manage it fine. My 2.6gHz P4 has.

I wonder about other resident software that might impact your performance - like virus scanner. I wonder if there is something else like that getting in the mix, doing a burst of work when you login remote.

[pmrid (Peter)]

Originally Posted by rogerg

Peter,

Out of interest what remote control software are you using? Windows Remote Desktop?

.....
I wonder about other resident software that might impact your performance - like virus scanner. I wonder if there is something else like that getting in the mix, doing a burst of work when you login remote.

Yes Roger. Bog standard Windows Remote Desktop. I'm watching Nebulosity now. It does seem to demand almost all the resources of the computer while it is imaging and all of it when downloading. I wonder whether the PHD/Nebulosity server might help?
Peter

[Marke (Mark)]

Very unlikely its interference , most likely the remote pc is slowing down
or having issues with command delays. Sounds like its software or just
your laptop is struggling so its not to drastic

[rogerg (Roger)]

Originally Posted by pmrid

Yes Roger. Bog standard Windows Remote Desktop. I'm watching Nebulosity now. It does seem to demand almost all the resources of the computer while it is imaging and all of it when downloading. I wonder whether the PHD/Nebulosity server might help?
Peter

Not sure sorry Peter, never used PHD/Nebulosity in server mode. I did use Nebulosity for a little while but never in on the computer I remote control, only on my laptop out in the field.

[multiweb (Marc)]

Originally Posted by rogerg

Not sure sorry Peter, never used PHD/Nebulosity in server mode. I did use Nebulosity for a little while but never in on the computer I remote control, only on my laptop out in the field.

I've always used Nebulosity with the PHD link. So you start PHD server and create the PHD link in nebulosity. I use it to dither my pictures and to pause guiding while downloading the images so I don't get noise artefacts in my pics. I also delay image acquisition between exposures to let PHD pick up the guide star again if needed and loads the worm to get smooth guiding again. Works very well.

[Tandum (Robin)]

A multicore cpu might fix it. If nebulosity is single threaded it will be stuck on one cpu.

[bmitchell82 (Brendan)]

http://www.teamviewer.com/index.aspx

theres a download section there.

I doubt it very much that your PC is struggling as i can have running on a eeepc 1000 HD which is a 900mhz celeron, 1 gig of ram running

- Nebulosity
- Maximdl
- EQmod
- PHD
- Starry nights 6pro

all being controlled by team viewer.

Just out of 5h17s and giggles i decided to do a bit of processing on the eeepc while it was taking shots and guiding although sluggish (understandable) it worked a dream didn't even skip a beat.

give it a go and see how you fare but its a very good program that shows full screen not just a window. Let me know if you need a hand.

Brendan

[White Rabbit]

Try a vnc connection instead of remote desktop.

Worth a shot.

[kustard (Simon)]

Originally Posted by White Rabbit

Try a vnc connection instead of remote desktop.

Worth a shot.

+1

I use VNC for connectivity to my work servers. I can also open a VNC link with my iPhone as well now which is handy and it's very fast and light on resources, though again with anything, your mileage may vary depending on your setup.