Hello everyone,
Can you obtain the system logs, including signal strength, from BlueBoat? Our BlueBoat occasionally loses Wi-Fi connection with the base station, both at long and short distances. Therefore, we should analyze the data.
Best,
Hi @makito -
Welcome to the forums!
Yes, you can download system logs from the gear in the lower left of BlueOS, and view them with this tool. You can download autopilot logs from the correct menu in BlueOS as well.
Neither of these logs will contain any information on WiFi signal strength…you can monitor this in the Mikrotik radio interface in the browser at 192.168.2.3. Blue Robotics will be releasing a cellular modem upgrade kit before the end of the month that can make range anxiety a thing of the past!
What region are you operating in? Have you considered using a directional antenna on the BaseStation?
Hi @tony-white
Thank you for your swift reply. I was able to download the system logs from BlueOS and understand that we can’t get signal strength data from them. We will monitor the Mikrotik radio interface as you suggested.
On the other hand, is there another method to analyze the issue of losing Wi-Fi connection?
By the way, our region is Japan. We use a directional antenna, but we didn’t change the gain value during the previous BlueBoat operation.
Thanks,
Hi @makito -
If you’re operating with the Mikrotik radios set to the Japan region, radio range suffers as the power is more limited than US/Canada regional settings. Increasing the height of the antenna on the BlueBoat can help, but generally WiFi radio waves can do some very strange things over water, especially as it transitions from flat-glassy calm to sea states with more texture.
I think the best solution to your range issues will be a cellular modem - Blue Robotics will be launching one before the end of this month of May! When operating, I typically use my phone running QGC and ZeroTier to control the vehicle via cellular, and a laptop connected to the BaseStation to monitor sonar and other telemetry data. When WiFi signal is lost, the vehicle can still be controlled on my phone with no transition period for ZeroTier to re-route!
Thank you for your response. Our BlueBoat is equipped with Mikrotik radios set to the Japan region. Therefore, as you mentioned, there might be limitations in the radio range. We feel that a cellular modem could be effective in improving communication. However, our testing environment is offshore, where cellular signals do not reach. Therefore, we will consider increasing the height of the antenna.
Thanks!
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Another option is using a satellite-based approach, although internet-based communication is understandably more expensive than local communication, and if you’re operating offshore as well (e.g. near the boat) then you would need a separate satellite/internet connection for the control computer.