Install OpenWRT WebUI on Repeater/P2V+

[PhantomRock]

Really nice work. Quick Question.
Does this mean that there is no code to hop channels if there is interference.
If there is a meet of 20 phantoms, all will use channel 1?

Thanks,

 

[varmint]

Ya, I think that's what the Booster app does as well. (PVFlyer claims they're not doing this in the booster thread.) With the WebUI installed (or by editing /etc/config/wireless), you can make the change permanent (or at least until the next firmware is flashed).

I'm not sure that a firmware flash CAN change those settings, at least not directly (which is a good thing if it prevents DJI from locking down access). There's certainly no requirement that the wifi be enabled in order to flash, is there? Although the patch mechanization could certainly be grepping or replacing the scripts which in-turn make the changes. I'm sure you're right about being able to affect permanent changes via script either way.

 

[HunterSK]

Thank you linuxkidd for the tutorial! I've learnt so much about my Phantom today.

I successfully stepped through the guide and was able to configure the network front end (Luci) on both my WiFi repeater and the Phantom. This guide and your description for encrypting the link between the smartphone to WiFi repeater is outstanding.

I noticed that when I entered:

root@Phantom:~# opkg remove firewall
No packages removed.

I think it should be:

root@Phantom:~# opkg remove firewall3
Removing package firewall3 from root...

I also had many issues getting the Port Forwarding to work (despite following your instructions exactly). I eventually had to manually download the files to my Mac and Secure Copy them across to the Phantom to allow Luci to install.

I also noticed that I need to type:

192.168.1.1/cgi-bin/luci

to get the WebUI to load. Just 192.168.1.1 does not load the WebUI.

 

[linuxkidd]

Curious. I just powered on both the WiFi Extender and P2V+ and then checked the iwinfo stats.
...
Earlier, I saw that the P2V+ was sitting at 7dBm. I must have read it with iwinfo after messing around with various txpower settings. I'll try things again tomorrow and see if they are consistent.

--tim

I'm going to monitor the Tx Power on both the P2V+ and Repeater while I'm flying (hopefully today if the rain holds off). I'm curious to see if both units monitor the signal strength and possibly adjust the Tx Power on the fly (no pun intended) to maximize signal quality the whole time. In my bench testing, both are sitting right next to each other.. so there's no reason to crank the Tx Power since they have great signal anyway.

Really nice work. Quick Question.
Does this mean that there is no code to hop channels if there is interference.
If there is a meet of 20 phantoms, all will use channel 1?

Thanks,

Yes, this seems to be true. All P2V/+ and Repeaters appear to use Channel 1. It is easy to change them via the UI (along with encrypting, etc). The reason I haven't posted the HowTo on encrypting the P2V/+ to Repeater link is that there's a special dance required to make it work. In my experience, if the Repeater cannot connect to the drone, it does NOT fire up the public WiFi at all. So there's no way to manage it without the P2V/+ being on the same channel / encryption settings.

So, in order to effect any change on that link, you have to:

1. Update the Repeater, then Save & Apply on it.
2. Connect to the P2V/+ Hidden WiFi (requires setting a static IP on your computer, and knowing the hidden wifi name)
3. Make the SAME change on the P2V/+
4. Save & Apply on the P2V/+

After a few moments, both will link and your FPV public WiFi will be visible again.

So, for those wanting to venture ahead, that's the broad strokes..

LK

 

[linuxkidd]

Thank you linuxkidd for the tutorial! I've learnt so much about my Phantom today.

I successfully stepped through the guide and was able to configure the network front end (Luci) on both my WiFi repeater and the Phantom. This guide and your description for encrypting the link between the smartphone to WiFi repeater is outstanding.

Thanks! Glad it's easy to follow! Curious, which method of encrypting did you use? (expecting it was the WebUI method)

I noticed that when I entered:

root@Phantom:~# opkg remove firewall
No packages removed.

I think it should be:

root@Phantom:~# opkg remove firewall3
Removing package firewall3 from root...

Thanks for this! I'll go fix the instructions.. I was writing all this up from memory.

I also had many issues getting the Port Forwarding to work (despite following your instructions exactly). I eventually had to manually download the files to my Mac and Secure Copy them across to the Phantom to allow Luci to install.

Hmm... I'd love to hear others experience on this. Can you provide the details below to help me identify any potential issues:
* OS
* SSH client

I also noticed that I need to type:

192.168.1.1/cgi-bin/luci

to get the WebUI to load. Just 192.168.1.1 does not load the WebUI.

On mine, while it takes a few moments, it redirects to the proper URL on its own... Wondering if you were impatient or if it really didn't redirect? Would you mind testing this?

Thanks again for all the great feedback!
LK

 

[HunterSK]

Hi Linuxkidd,

Hmm... I'd love to hear others experience on this. Can you provide the details below to help me identify any potential issues:
* OS
* SSH client

My OS is Mac OSX Mavericks. Using the standard command line SSH client.

I was able to get the Port Forwarding to work once when setting up the WiFi Repeater, but I did not have any luck in getting Port Forwarding to work on the Phantom itself.

On mine, while it takes a few moments, it redirects to the proper URL on its own... Wondering if you were impatient or if it really didn't redirect? Would you mind testing this?

Thanks again for all the great feedback!
LK

I've waited for 15 secs and the web browser definitely doesn't re-direct for some reason.

 

[linuxkidd]

Hi Linuxkidd,

My OS is Mac OSX Mavericks. Using the standard command line SSH client.

I was able to get the Port Forwarding to work once when setting up the WiFi Repeater, but I did not have any luck in getting Port Forwarding to work on the Phantom itself.

Strange... I wonder if OSX is blocking the forwarding to a remote port < 1024 (privileged ports) when you're attempting to do it with a non-root user. Any chance someone w/ a OSX can confirm the same experience as HunterSK had, and possibly re-test the port-forward as root user?

sudo ssh -g -R 80:downloads.openwrt.org:80 [email protected]

Enter your mac user account password when prompted, then 19881209 for the SSH password (it'll be the second password prompt)

I don't have a Mac to test with, so any feedback is appreciated...

RE: non-redireciton of the WebUI, I'll update the link in the main page just in case others experience the same.

Thanks,
LK

 

[srandall25]

5) Ran "/tmp/iwinfo wlan0 info" and saw the txpower was set to 7dBm
6) Ran "iw phy phy0 set txpower fixed 1300" and re-ran iwinfo. Saw that the current power went to 13dBm.

That is 6dB increase. "If" the Range Extender is the weakest transmit link then that will add to the over all RF Link Budget.

Important Note: Need to know the drones RF output power level before and after using the Booster App. If it too increases by 6dB then should get a Doubling of Distance. It's a bit more convoluted than that to calculate an RF Link Budget.

PVFlyer (Booster App developer) posted this ""In fact, we use lower TX power than DJI default value in the P2V booster app (still under development) but double the FPV range. Power is nothing without proper control."

I asked "Did I read this correctly? The Booster app actually lowers the transmit power in the Phantom but is able to achiever double range by effecting the control mechanism of the power?"

His response was "Yes, that's correct. We have been working on P2V booster app that would use less TX power than DJI's default value to achieve double FPV range."

Full thread here:
viewtopic.php?f=27&t=13496&start=1020#p162329

According to the developer, they managed to double the range of the wifi repeater on the Phantom by decreasing the gain... impressive...

 

[varmint]

Note that he's specifically talking about the Vision (not Vision +). I think he mentioned several times that the mechanism he's using for the + does in fact increase power, although I'm sure it's far less than maximum (500mw).

There's nothing that I know of that offers "control" other than increasing power (which lowers the S/N ratio) or decreasing power, (which increases S/N). Unless he's referring to channel hopping, which he may have implemented in the app, as there are plenty of algorithms out there for that. What you see in the GUI is pretty much what they have to work with. They're using the "app" to SSH in and set the gains. Of course FPV is more than welcome to correct me, but he hasn't exactly been sharing information (which is fine). I just hope he understands that speculation is pretty much all that remains when one decides not to talk.

 

[srandall25]

Note that he's specifically talking about the Vision (not Vision +). I think he mentioned several times that the mechanism he's using for the + does in fact increase power, although I'm sure it's far less than maximum (500mw).

There's nothing that I know of that offers "control" other than increasing power (which lowers the S/N ratio) or decreasing power, (which increases S/N). Unless he's referring to channel hopping, which he may have implemented in the app, as there are plenty of algorithms out there for that. What you see in the GUI is pretty much what they have to work with. They're using the "app" to SSH in and set the gains. Of course FPV is more than welcome to correct me, but he hasn't exactly been sharing information (which is fine). I just hope he understands that speculation is pretty much all that remains when one decides not to talk.

Yes, i see your point that he states P2V, but i also asked him if the Booster app lowers the Tx power and he said "yes, that's correct". The Booster app only exists for the Vision+ at the moment. I do find it very interesting...

 

[ATC Drone Flyer]

OMG! How awesome is it that we have both a Phantom enthusiast and a Linux Guru on the same Forum! I just about shi+ my pants when I started reading "linuxkid's" post and saw him hacking away at the repeater and camera. Pardon my enthusiasm, but I've spent the better part of 6 hours (so far) trying to hack an ARGtek ARG1210 WLAN 11n High Power Access Point (http://www.argtek.com/style/frame/t...59305&rid=56306&id=301119&content_set=color_1) trying to get it to replicate the functionality of the Phantom Repeater. Imagine my surprise when I found this thread!

Before I go any further, allow me to express my gratitude to "linuxkid" for this ( and your other) post/s! I look forward to reading your other ones sometime soon. Now that I've sent you some flowers, I'm going to put you to work answering some questions:

1.) What kind of repeater is it? (from a software standpoint) As I am sure you are aware, there are many different kinds.
1a.) Repeater - A wireless repeater with DHCP & NAT enabled, clients on different subnet from host AP (primary router). Hosts connected to one router can not see hosts connected to other routers
1b.) Repeater bridge - A wireless repeater with DHCP & NAT disabled, clients on same subnet as host AP (primary router). That is, all hosts can see one another
1c.) Universal Repeater - Uses a program/script called AutoAP to keep a connection to the nearest/best host AP
1d.) etc.
2.) Is there a DHCP Server in play? If so, where (aircraft or repeater)? Or are all the devices on the Phantom network statically assigned (other than your phone or tablet)
3.) In the case of the P2V (not +) is the WiFi in the camera module simply a WiFi client or another Access Point?
4.) Has anyone tested your instructions in the OP on a P2V (not +)? Does it also work on the Vision?

So as to not overwhelm, I'll stop there. I look forward to your reply! :mrgreen:

 

[povlhp]

Does any have a firmware for the camera ?
From either the P2V or P2V+ ?
I would like to take it apart, and see if there is an easy way to increase the video bitrate to 15 Mbps or more.

 

[linuxkidd]

OMG! How awesome is it that we have both a Phantom enthusiast and a Linux Guru on the same Forum! I just about shi+ my pants when I started reading "linuxkid's" post and saw him hacking away at the repeater and camera. Pardon my enthusiasm, but I've spent the better part of 6 hours (so far) trying to hack an ARGtek ARG1210 WLAN 11n High Power Access Point (http://www.argtek.com/style/frame/t...59305&rid=56306&id=301119&content_set=color_1) trying to get it to replicate the functionality of the Phantom Repeater. Imagine my surprise when I found this thread!

It's actaully super easy to replicate the Repeater's functionality...

1. Your WiFi Router must have the ability to support multiple SSID's
2. Your WiFI router must have IP 192.168.1.2 (well, likely anything but 192.168.1.1, but .1.2 is a safe IP to set)
3. Have DHCP enabled in the 192.168.1.x range (above .10 since that's the last IP statically assigned on the P2V+'s camera)
4. Configure 1 SSID to be:
   • The same as your Drone's hidden network:: For P2V+, that's FC200_XXXXXX where XXXXXX is the last 6 hex digits of your Camera's WiFi MAC address, lower-case for the alpha characters, and no colons -> :
   • Channel 1 (unless you've changed this)
   • No Encryption (unless you've changed this too)
   • Client with WDS enabled
   • For WDS to work, you'll be asked for the BSSID.. This is simply the full MAC address of the P2V+'s camera.. 60:60:1f:xx:xx:xx
5. Configure a 2nd SSID to be:
   • SSID Phantom_Bla where Bla is whatever you want it to be... It must start w/ Phantom_ for the app to enable camera view.
   • Any encryption you'd like
   • AP mode

The WDS enablement allows a flat Layer 2 network.. (i.e. All the same MAC address space on both sides of the Repeater). I think it'd likely work in plain 'Client' mode, but I've not tested this.

1.) What kind of repeater is it? (from a software standpoint) As I am sure you are aware, there are many different kinds.

It's a WDS Client/Repeater

2.) Is there a DHCP Server in play? If so, where (aircraft or repeater)? Or are all the devices on the Phantom network statically assigned (other than your phone or tablet)

Yes.. on the repeater. It only services your viewing device (phone/tablet). The P2V+ has 2 static IPs assigned... 192.168.1.1 (another OpenWRT instance) and 192.168.1.10 (the Camera)

3.) In the case of the P2V (not +) is the WiFi in the camera module simply a WiFi client or another Access Point?

Not having one personally, I'm speculating.. but if it's like the P2V+, then the WiFi in the camera is an AP with WDS enabled.

4.) Has anyone tested your instructions in the OP on a P2V (not +)? Does it also work on the Vision?

Dunno.. I've not had any reports from P2V owners... but I suspect it will work pretty much the same.

Hope this helps!
LK

 

[RScottCampbell]

Does any have a firmware for the camera ?
From either the P2V or P2V+ ?
I would like to take it apart, and see if there is an easy way to increase the video bitrate to 15 Mbps or more.

I'd like to know this too. The bit rate is so low and/or compression so high that visual artifacts make it almost unusable for anything that has any kind of motion to it. Very frustrating. Let us know what you find.

 

[urgno]

Does any have a firmware for the camera ?
From either the P2V or P2V+ ?
I would like to take it apart, and see if there is an easy way to increase the video bitrate to 15 Mbps or more.

here the p2v firmware
http://download.dji-innovations.com/dow ... v1.1.9.zip

very interested too
the bitrate of gopro is more than double the bitrate of fc200 :-(

 

[povlhp]

Seems like the firmware update is everything but the actual camera part according to another post.

But accroding to this: http://www.phantompilots.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=15771&start=0 you can run the same type of scripts like the GoPro.

Looking at strings, it seems like we have a the same Ambarella A5 chipset as is in some of the GoPro series, and lots of dashboard cams. It can supposedly run GoPro style autoexec.ash, but that does not allow us to change bitrate.

 

[urgno]

Hi Linuxkidd,

My OS is Mac OSX Mavericks. Using the standard command line SSH client.

I was able to get the Port Forwarding to work once when setting up the WiFi Repeater, but I did not have any luck in getting Port Forwarding to work on the Phantom itself.

Strange... I wonder if OSX is blocking the forwarding to a remote port < 1024 (privileged ports) when you're attempting to do it with a non-root user. Any chance someone w/ a OSX can confirm the same experience as HunterSK had, and possibly re-test the port-forward as root user?

sudo ssh -g -R 80:downloads.openwrt.org:80 [email protected]

Enter your mac user account password when prompted, then 19881209 for the SSH password (it'll be the second password prompt)

I don't have a Mac to test with, so any feedback is appreciated...

RE: non-redireciton of the WebUI, I'll update the link in the main page just in case others experience the same.

Thanks,
LK

working for me

MacBook-Pro:~ urgno$ sudo ssh -g -R 80:downloads.openwrt.org:80 [email protected]
(I'm trying between my mac and a debian linux server)
Password: XXXXXXXX
[email protected]'s password: XXXXXXXX

[debian.linux ~]# netstat -na | grep 80
tcp        0      0 127.0.0.1:80           0.0.0.0:*                   LISTEN      
tcp        0      0 ::1:80                    :::*                   LISTEN

i guess the key is to be sure that on the wireless repeater and the fc200 camera, nothing is using port 80 during the process
so be sure to run /etc/init.d/lighttpd stop and check if the process has closed correctly

ps ax | grep lighttpd

eventually you can check for the port 80 doing

netstat -nap | grep ":80"

if you see this

xxx@yyy:~# netstat -nap | grep ":80"
tcp        0      0 192.168.1.1:80         0.0.0.0:*               LISTEN     xxxxx/lighttpd

then maybe lighttpd is not dead correctly

 

[tizzl10]

ok..all this is cool..but what are the results? awesome work linuxkid.

 

[urgno]

ok..all this is cool..but what are the results? awesome work linuxkid.

the result are that can be done also with a mac

 

[linuxkidd]

ok..all this is cool..but what are the results? awesome work linuxkid.

Thanks! It really gets us the ability to alter lots of configuration within the Networking side of the P2V+/Repeater in an easy way... Just like the webUI of your home router.

Check some of the links in my signature for examples...
LK