Zero Configuration Network

How it works

The Zero Configuration system lets you connect to your equipment from anywhere, without needing to configure your router — the only thing you need to supply is your email address. It's currently available for DragonFly customers and for users of the Solo CloudWatcher Android Widget.

Solo CloudWatcher / Android Widget

For the Solo CloudWatcher and its Android Widget, the system will just be "in the middle", so your weather data is available from anywhere. See the Android Widget guide for more information.

There is no account to create: the only credential the system uses is the email address you enter as the ZeroConf key. Both ends must use the same email address and the same device name to find each other.

DragonFly (bidirectional link)

Because the connection to a DragonFly runs in both directions — your PC or smartphone program can also send commands back to the controller — it needs a more careful negotiation. The system tries, in order:

1. Local network—it gives each side (the DragonFly controller and your PC or smartphone) the network address of the other so they can try a direct connection.
2. External internet—if that fails, the same is tried using the external, internet addresses of each router.
3. Relay server—if that also fails, Lunatico's server sets up a relay, staying in the middle to send messages back and forth.

Even with this system, it's strongly recommended to keep a computer connected to the DragonFly in the observatory during imaging sessions: any remote connection, however easy to set up, is not by far as reliable as a local one.

For the full DragonFly setup steps — firmware, software, and configuring both the observatory and remote sides — see the DragonFly Zero Configuration Network guide.