I’m very green to inspection class ROVs and opensource software. I work on the behemoth construction/work class ROVs for a living and wanted to bring ROV work home with me for an expansion of my local business. I’m not a complete fool with electronics but I am more of a mech.
I just bought this BlueROV kit in May of 2025 so it’s got all the updates and newness.
My laptop is a 7 year old MSI that’s running windows 11.
I am using hotspot off of my phone with good and fast data speeds.
I’m using the fathom reel with Fathom X topside.
In command prompt I can get sent and received pings from ping 192.168.2.1 at zero % loss.
I have allowed QGC app into my firewall on both private and public networks and have tried dropping my firewall off completely.
I have tried using other USB cords.
I have tried flashing another SD card (same ping results)
I have tried an Ethernet cord straight from the Pi to computer (I get nothing on my computer from that)
I have reset my computer to factory settings and updated everything.
All with the same results. I’m at a loss.
QGC can not find my ROV (downloaded from BlueRobotics)
No browser or incognito mode can load 192.168.2.2 or Blueos.local either.
Hi @jandersonservicesllc -
Welcome to the forums!
If I understand correctly, you can ping 192.168.2.1, but not reach 192.168.2.2 in the browser, or get a telemetry/video connection in QGC?
Do you know what IP address your laptop is using? It should be 192.168.2.1, with subnet mask 255.255.255.0, as detailed in the network setup.
If things have been tested with direct ethernet connection, that’s the only possible thing it could seem to be! Trying another computer may also be worthwhile?
Thanks for your response Tony!
My computer IP is in the photo and I followed the setup page. You are correct in your response except for that when I connect the pi to topside computer via Ethernet. My computer gets no activity and doesn’t read that anything is there at all.
I’ll need to get another Ethernet cord to confirm this but that’s my current situation.
Thanks again
Hi @jandersonservicesllc -
To confirm, the ethernet adapter 2 disappears from your network adapter list when the FXTI is unplugged?
Hey Tony, thanks for the response. Yes that is correct.
I thought this was interesting, activity sent seems to be working fine but receiving is zero. This is still while I and getting pings at zero percent loss in command prompt.
I’m going to try another Ethernet cable today. Going from the vehicle Pi directly to the computer. If no blueos in browser with that, I would start to think it’s the Pi?
I wouldn’t think so but does wifi need to be off when trying to open blueos in the browser?
QGC is supposed to automatically talk to and display the vehicle, yeah? I don’t need to manually add a vehicle?
Hi @jandersonservicesllc -
If another ethernet cable doesn’t work, I’d definitely suspect the Pi (or your computer.) The WiFi connection in BlueOS does not affect the ethernet connection - if you have connected BlueOS to your local Wifi network in the past, you might be able to reach the system via that WiFi connection, at the IP address of the unit on your local network (find in router or with an IP scanner application.) If you’re able to reach BlueOS this way, you could install the tether diagnostic extension to check the status of the Fathom-X tether interface boards, and know that it is a communications issue with the tether in general.
QGC will always send telemetry and video to 192.168.2.1 by default, so unless you’ve removed the routes that do this, or not configured your IP correctly, then a connection should automatically happen.
Thanks Tony. I just tried two different Ethernet cables without success. One cable set-up for streaming and one cable set-up for computer-to-computer connection. The topside computer does not read anything is there on either.
I’ve taken a look at the FXTI board to make sure nothing was funky or disconnected/wrong connections and I’ve gone through the Vehicle hardware without spotting anything suspicious.
I will see if I can’t find another windows laptop I can borrow before I point fingers at the brand new BR RaspberryPi. I will also try to get my hands on a monitor and see if I can’t watch the Pi boot up via HDMI. However, the LEDs on the Pi look right except that the LEDs that are normally on an Ethernet port are not illuminated on the Pi side. The Fathom Interface side (card on vehicle) has one green light illuminated.
Hi @jandersonservicesllc -
The no ethernet lights on the Pi port suggest it may be damaged…
You also need the second, green link light present on both the topside and ROV side Fathom-X board - the link light must come on and stay on for a connection to be made over the two wires. This does requir the topside FXTI blue box to be powered by USB, so if you only saw one light with this not powered, that may be expected.
This was regardless of how it was hooked up. Computer USB > FXTI > Tether > Reel > ROV and Computer Ethernet port > Ethernet Port on Pi. No lights were illuminated on the Pi Ethernet port and only one on the Fathom X board on the vehicle.
I will say, UPS did not look like they treated the delivery box too carefully so it could have been something that happened during shipping as well.
An example photo of the Ping Depth Sonar box that was tucked into a corner of a larger box.
Am I at the point of contacting Customer Support for an exchange of a Pi? Or do I need to diagnose further?
Hi @jandersonservicesllc -
If the other computer doesn’t change things on that pi, yes, please reach out to support via the contact form and include a link to this thread! Thanks!
Tony, I was able to borrow a work computer this morning and test out the connectivity without any success. I do believe it is the raspberry pi at this point. The was still no illumination coming from the Pi Ethernet LEDs and only one LED on the Fathom tether board on vehicle.
I will fill out that form. Thanks a bunch.
Hi @jandersonservicesllc -
If you only have one LED on the Fathom-X in the vehicle, the lack of ethernet LEDs on the Pi is expected!!
Check the resistance of the tether pair you’re using, please share, and potentially try another tether pair, swapping in the ROV and in the FXTI topside box.
Hey Tony, I have tried another pair as one of the first steps in diagnosing the issue with the same results. I’ve also done the direct Ethernet connection computer-to-computer. Would this not bypass the tether, twisted pairs and fathom board all together?
Apologies Josh, I took this to mean that you hadn’t tried a direct ethernet connection. It does seem as if your Fathom-X units are having an issue, beyond potential problems with the Raspberry Pi.
Have you measured the tether resistance for each wire, and tested all 3 tether pairs?
Back home from vacation to tinker.
Here is what you were asking for.
Blue
Hi @jandersonservicesllc -
Is the resistance for each wire in the twisted pairs similar? You only show one resistance for each color…
Again, without a solid link light, you won’t have connection. Did you try using another tether pair, connecting it on top side and inside the ROV, to see if you could get this light to stay on and make the system accessible?
Blue 15.2 and 15.4
Brown 15.7 and 15.8
Green 15.4 and 15.3
Orange 15.9 and 15.6
I have tried every other twisted pair by hooking up the pair in the ROV and in the Fathom topside unit.
Still, a direct Ethernet connection should give me some sort of reading/connection on the topside computer and I should be able to see Blueos.Local but i couldn’t.
I tried two topside computers and neither one picked up that there was a Raspberry Pi on the other side of the Ethernet cord… nothing, nada thing. I also tried 3 different Ethernet cords.
I guess I am unsure why we are testing the tether when I don’t have any reading at all from the RaspberryPi when the tether is bypassed with an Ethernet cord.
Again, I may just be a bit ignorant here due to my background. I do apologize if that’s the case.
