Ethernet port

[cyendrey]

I notice the new UPBv3 has wifi, but realistically this is not very useful based on my experience with wifi connected devices on an OTA. It is impossible to insure reliable wifi connectivity as a mount slew, tracks, etc as the OTA itself may mask the wifi connection in various orientations.

More useful would have been the option of an ethernet port for remote access/control (as a option to the current USB 3.x backbone connection). Several mounts, including the new Gen 6 MKS6000 based mounts, now port ethenert to the OTA saddle. This would provide a more robust/faster connection and mitigate many of the constraints that exist for USB 3 connections, particularly in light of growing number of Full Frame and larger imaging sensors which can stress and cause intermittent comm failures due to the large files sizes and relatively small dram buffers on some cameras.

Just a suggestion so has not to get hung up on a tech (USB) that is already being stressed.

CS
Clayton

[Evans]

You will still need the USB3 connection to plug it to your computer so what is the point to have an extra Ethernet cable.
The only meaning to use an ETH cable is to have the computer inside the box so you will not need an external USB cable to plug it to your computer.

[cyendrey]

Not really. USB, like Ethernet, is just a channel of data communication. The idea is that the more robust 1gbs Ethernet 'port' would replace the existing USB3 as the UPBvx communication back bone. The UPBv would handle the USB related comms to end devices on the OTA (where it is typically mounted) then share the required data traffic to the remote PC via the ethernet backbone. Fiber could even get into play for longer 'home' runs that USB absolutely does not support.

Software Bisque seems to be starting down that path with their new Gen6 mounts/MKS 6000 electronics. They send high out put power capacity and Ethernet connections direct to the intrurment panel on the OTA versa plate but have elimnated the previous (and unreliable) USB pass through. It if proves popular, and reliable, it seem that other will follow suit, leaving USB as the 'short-run' link to from power/comm hub to the end device, but NOT as the primary comm backbone.

Everything changes...

[Evans]

You have a point and we are towards this direction.
Ethernet should fully replace the USB which is unsuitable for harsh environments like astrophotography and astronomy fields.
Ethernet cable length can be extended easily (copper) and at a very low cost without the requirement of special cables.

[daveone]

Dear Evans,

yea, like user ,,cyendrey,, is writing...what we need so many USB ports on the box itself for if we are not able to establish realiable connection between box and PC. No Wi-Fi can replace wired connection, specially with more and more equipement connected into power box and crauded Wi-Fi enviroment. I personally got Ultimate power box V2, love it..it is gorgeous product but this is big weakness of this solution and sometimes I´m fighting with this problem too(notice that I got 10m USB cable with repeater linked from garden to my living room with PC.

Ethernet connection / cable is fast, realiable and cheap way so I don´t understand why you are persist on that main data link over USB 3.0. Now ..you did not even start selling version 3 and yet it is obsolete due to this reason I was planning to buy version 3 but I will wait untill you come up with next generation and classic gigabit ethernet port. Hope it will not take several years. But if you ask anyone from Astrocomunity I bet that almost everyone will tell you to replace that USB port with Ethernet cable or at least have a both of them on the box (maybe instead of some more USB or DC ports).

Just suggestion. And I would like to hear from you, when you are planning to put such an port (ethernet) into your powerbox.

thanks
David

[rpineau]

People seem to think they would access the equipment connected to the PowerBox USB port over ethernet, this is not going the be the case.
The current WiFi connection (and future Ethernet) is to control the PowerBox function, not the USB equipment. So you would still need a usb connection to your computer to access camera, filter wheel, focuser ....
This is not a USB extender over Wifi or Cat6. These exists .. and are expensive , look for "USB extender over ethernet" or "USB 3.0 extender over cat6" , and you'll find things like the StarTech USB3004EXT2, Icron USB 3-2-1 Raven 3104 and others that are extending a USB 3 connection over Ethernet (some over TCP) or over Cat6 (no ethernet here, the cat6 is used a multi-twister pair carrier).
This is not what the UPBv3 is and as said, the WiFi connection is to control the feature of the UPBv3 (ports on/off, dew ports, ...), not extend USB2 and UBS3 over WiFi (or future ethernet).

Rodolphe

[NightStorm]

I am curious if anyone has tried something like an RPI4b running VirtualHere to "ethernet-ize" all of the USB ports in their system. I experimented with VirtualHere on an RPI4 a few years back and found it worked very well, so it might be an interim solution.