Internet Weather updates disabled, but it updates NEXRAD and Weather anyway.

[madgrepper]

I am running IFlyEFB Version: 12.2.34 (9/26/2023) on 2 tablets, both connected to a stratux version 1.6r1-eu029.

I have configured the STRATUX to connect to the internet via a 2nd NIC in the STRATUX. It works slick as a ribbon. From either tablet, I can manually update either NEXRAD or weather, to wit:



The NEXRAD and Weather data is 28 minutes old.

I want something more recent, so I update it



Immediately after I push this button, I receive this message:



Note the "Internet Weather Updates Disabled" message.

After some period of time, however, I note that it has updated the data anyhow:





To the questions:

1. I would like it to automatically update the weather and Nexrad. The message "Internet Weather Updates Disabled" seems to say that it can't reach the internet What does this message actually mean?
2. Is there a way that I can automatically update Nexrad and METAR data?

Thanks and Regards,

Dave

 

[madgrepper]

The stratux is an access point exactly like an access point in a home. All I did was to add a 2nd NIC and bridge between the interfaces with a simple iptables command. I then connect the 2nd NIC to either the hotspot on my phone or my home WIFI.

The mystery to me is if I connect from the tablet to the home wireless directly, it somehow knows it's connected to the internet, but if I go through the stratux, it doesn't recognize that as the internet proper.

It still seems to work, and having to refresh the data once in a while is a small price to pay for being able to use my phone as a data source in the air, I still would like to be able to automatically update data.

 

[Cobra]

All I did was to add a 2nd NIC and bridge between the interfaces with a simple iptables command. I then connect the 2nd NIC to either the hotspot on my phone or my home WIFI.

The current versions of Stratux firmware allow pass-through Internet access without a second NIC or any other additional network components. It's just built in to the setting page. I use this at home to maintain access to the Internet when I'm testing devices connected to the Stratux, and in the plane with my phone's hotspot. Works great.

 

[madgrepper]

A few questions:

1. How do you switch between environments? When you turn on your stratux at home, does it automatically find your home AP?
2. Ditto for the hotspot. When you are in the plane, does it automatically find your hotspot?

I was never able to make that work. That's why I got the second NIC (that, and it was just fun to do ).

3. On the IFlyEFB screen, do you get the "Internet Weather Updates Disabled" message?

Dave

 

[Cobra]

A few questions:

1. How do you switch between environments?

Sorry; my original post was not clear. I do not switch between environments. I have two Strratux devices--one in my plane, and one at home. I do not move a single Stratux between different locations/networks. However, if I did, I think the Stratux setup page allows you to define login credentials for multiple networks (see the "Add WiFi Client Network" button):

2. When you turn on your stratux at home, does it automatically find your home AP? Ditto for the hotspot. When you are in the plane, does it automatically find your hotspot?

I currently have each Stratux set up only to try to connect to the network I expect it to see: The one in the plane is set up to try to attach to my phone's wifi hotspot, and the one at home is set up to attach to my home wifi. This works flawlessly for me.

Now I'm curious if I could have clicked that "Add WiFi Client Network" again and added a second set of wifi login credentials to cover both my phone hotspot and home wifi, and configured both my Stratuxes identically that way, and then be able to swap them interchangeably if I wanted to. I'll have to try that sometime. (It never occurred to me to try to do that before.)

If for some reason having two sets of network credentials defined doesn't work well, then worst-case it's not difficult or time-consuming to open the Settings page and just change the wifi name and password if the Stratux moves to a different wifi environment.

3. On the IFlyEFB screen, do you get the "Internet Weather Updates Disabled" message?

Yes, I have observed the strange/incorrect notation you described. Adventure PIlot is aware of it, too, and has promised to investigate the behavior and make changes so that it is more intuitive to the user.