StellaVita smart controller natively supports wireless control within a range of about 10 meters. However, if you are controlling it from a longer distance or through walls, you might experience signal degradation and restricted transfer speeds. Fortunately, you can easily use a standard home router to boost your signal.
Routers feature larger antennas, higher transmission power, and wider coverage. By simply connecting your StellaVita to a router with an Ethernet cable, you can significantly extend your control range, achieve faster data transfers, and enjoy a much more stable connection.
Today, using a Cudy router as an example, we’ll show you how to set up a wired bridge for stable, long-range wireless control. As an added bonus, providing internet/network connectivity to the StellaVita via a wired bridge means you won’t need to use the StellaVita's wireless network card, freeing up that USB port for other astrophotography accessories!
Prerequisites
- StellaVita
- Ethernet Cable (RJ45)
- Wireless Router
- USB-C Data Cable
Step-by-Step Guide
1. Hardware Connection
Connect the Ethernet Cable: Plug one end of the Ethernet cable into the network port on the StellaVita, and the other end into any LAN port on your router.
Power the Router: Use the USB-C cable to connect the StellaVita to the router so the StellaVita can supply power to it. (Note: If your router uses its own dedicated power adapter, you can leave this USB port on the StellaVita free to connect other equipment)
Power On: Power up your StellaVita. The StellaVita will automatically request an IP address from the router.
2. Connect Your Mobile Device to the Router's Wi-Fi
Find the router’s default Wi-Fi network name (SSID) in your device's Wi-Fi list (check the label on the bottom of the router), and enter the password to connect.
Note: It is completely normal if your device prompts "No Internet Connection." This is because the router itself is not connected to the broader internet, but it will not affect your ability to control the StellaVita.
3. Locate the StellaVita IP Address
Open a web browser and enter the router’s management URL (found on the bottom label of the router; for Cudy, the default is http://cudy.net/). Enter the login credentials (the default is usually admin or left blank, depending on the label).
Navigate to the "Clients" or "Connected Devices" section to find the IP address assigned to the StellaVita box by the router (in this example, it is 192.168.10.167).
Open the StellaVita App, go to "Network Management", manually input this IP address, and click Connect.
Once successfully connected, you can now reliably control your StellaVita through the router’s enhanced Wi-Fi network!
By boosting the signal via a wired bridge, image transfer speeds can reach up to 20 MB/s, which is 3 to 4 times faster than connecting directly to the StellaVita’s built-in Wi-Fi.
Capturing a 600s single frame, the transfer rate using only the StellaVita's built-in Wi-Fi peaks at around 8 MB/s.
Capturing a 600s single frame, the transfer rate after setting up the StellaVita wired bridge jumps to 21 MB/s.
Give this setup a try during your next imaging session under the stars! Previewing and downloading your astrophotography images will become incredibly smooth and efficient, making your deep-sky imaging sessions easier and more stable than ever.