Pi Wifi and Websocket

[joshuajayg]

I have a Raspberry Pi 5 running the OpenPlotter image.  I setup WiFi so I have both an access point and client running at the same time.
PC: Raspberry Pi 5 8 GB RAM
OS: Linux 12 Bookworm
Signal K: 2.18.0
KIP: 4.0.7

My problem is thus:
When I connect to my Pi's access point with either another computer or Android tablet, KIP data is only updated for a short time then becomes unresponsive.  I have checked the SignalK data browser and the same thing happens there; I get some updates then it stops updating.  It seems as though the Pi's websocket connection is timing out or disconnecting.  

Is this a known struggle and is there any troubleshooting I can do to rundown the root of the problem?

Thank you,
Joshua

[PaddyB]

I have similar but only on one tablet so didn't search much. Likely much better to ask the kip dev over on discord, link in https://openplotter.readthedocs.io/lates...pport.html

[joshuajayg]

I have similar but only on one tablet so didn't search much. Likely much better to ask the kip dev over on discord, link in https://openplotter.readthedocs.io/lates...pport.html

Thanks, PaddyB.  I don't think it is really KIP related. When I open the SignalK server on the tablet the data stops updating there as well.  Data will update on the machine running SignalK but not on the SignalK webpage from the tablet. It seems like a related problem to this thread: https://forum.openmarine.net/showthread.php?tid=6500

[Boatingbaileys]

Couple of things to try, is it running in dual AP mode so its hosts a network and can connect to one? If so, turn that off, it's in settings now. Next, make sure you define the network, adaptor to use, channel, even down to the IP range - I've found this fixes a lot of odd issues.

If that doesn't work, add these three lines, replacing test with your SSID:

# nmcli con modify TEST_AP 802-11-wireless-security.proto rsn
# nmcli con modify TEST_AP 802-11-wireless-security.group ccmp
# nmcli con modify TEST_AP 802-11-wireless-security.pairwise ccmp

WiFi Ap isn't great on the PI but you can get it stable.

[joshuajayg]

Couple of things to try, is it running in dual AP mode so its hosts a network and can connect to one? If so, turn that off, it's in settings now. Next, make sure you define the network, adaptor to use, channel, even down to the IP range - I've found this fixes a lot of odd issues.

If that doesn't work, add these three lines, replacing test with your SSID:

# nmcli con modify TEST_AP 802-11-wireless-security.proto rsn
# nmcli con modify TEST_AP 802-11-wireless-security.group ccmp
# nmcli con modify TEST_AP 802-11-wireless-security.pairwise ccmp

WiFi Ap isn't great on the PI but you can get it stable.

I've been busy running down to Ensenada and getting some boat work done.  

I have been using dual mode and I've deleted connections to try and simplify the setup.  I also got a TPLink USB WiFi adapter just to try it out.  Nothing had worked.  I tried setting specific channels, bands, adapters, etc. and still the connection was flaky.  

I added the three lines you specified and the connection is much more stable.  I'm not sure if it 100% yet but it is certainly a lot better so far.

FYI, the TPLink adapter has never worked for connecting with my Android tablet.  

Thank you for the help, I'll give you some more feedback when I have it.

Joshua

[robin]

I have a Raspberry Pi 5 running the OpenPlotter image.  I setup WiFi so I have both an access point and client running at the same time.
PC: Raspberry Pi 5 8 GB RAM
OS: Linux 12 Bookworm
Signal K: 2.18.0
KIP: 4.0.7

My problem is thus:
When I connect to my Pi's access point with either another computer or Android tablet, KIP data is only updated for a short time then becomes unresponsive.  I have checked the SignalK data browser and the same thing happens there; I get some updates then it stops updating.  It seems as though the Pi's websocket connection is timing out or disconnecting.  

Is this a known struggle and is there any troubleshooting I can do to rundown the root of the problem?

Thank you,
Joshua

I experienced exactly the same trouble with RPI 4B, updating OpenPlotter V3 headless to OpenPlotter V4 headless, without succeeding to solve it. I came back with OpenPlotter V3, the problem disappears and the system is then stable. I'm now waiting an update of the OpenPlotter V4.

[joshuajayg]

Thanks for the feedback, robin.

I just spent two weeks on the boat. The wifi was mildly stable but still not great though I somewhat suspect that might be due to Android having fits on its end with a internet-less wifi conneciton. My next step is to get a low power router and see how that does. I don't like more complexity but I really want more stability. Current draw is my biggest concern so I hope to find some kind of power-sipping router that runs on 12v.

[robin]

Hi Joshua
I agree: Android 12 and higher doesn't like connection without wifi. You can solve this trouble if I remember correctly, by going to the “developer” tab on Android, which you can access by pressing and holding the software version number for more than 7 seconds. In the developer options, you can check “allow wireless display devices.” But in my case, only returning to OpenPlotter V3 headless was effective. I tried to maintain a connection for more than 3 seconds with my MacBook Air, a Samsung Note 10 tablet, and a recent “Sailproof” tablet, but nothing worked except returning to OpenPlotter V3 headless.

[bradpitt]

I have a Raspberry Pi 5 running the OpenPlotter image.  I setup WiFi so I have both an access point and client running at the same time.
PC: Raspberry Pi 5 8 GB RAM
OS: Linux 12 Bookworm
Signal K: 2.18.0
KIP: 4.0.7
geometry dash lite
My problem is thus:
When I connect to my Pi's access point with either another computer or Android tablet, KIP data is only updated for a short time then becomes unresponsive.  I have checked the SignalK data browser and the same thing happens there; I get some updates then it stops updating.  It seems as though the Pi's websocket connection is timing out or disconnecting.  

Is this a known struggle and is there any troubleshooting I can do to rundown the root of the problem?

Thank you,
Joshua

I've seen similar behavior on my OpenPlotter setup, and in my case it turned out not to be a pure Signal K bug but a networking issue when running AP + client simultaneously.

[robin]

I found the problem with the help of "Chatgpt". To use OpenPlotter (OP) V4 and Debian (DB) 12 with my RPI 4B without trouble with AP, I use Network Manager (NM) for the wire Ethernet connection and "hostapd" for WIFI as for DB 11 and OP V3 with only Hotspot (I didn't try hotspot + client equivalent to AP + client). The connection between SK and tablets its then OK without any disconnection. If there is space in the forum, I can send a sh script which remove the WIFI acces from NM and do it with hostapd.