Hello, I recently purchased an RS3 with the intention of using it for RTK drone mapping in areas with no cell service. We have two phantom RTK drones that we use and both are coming up with an error “abnormal network connection.” This happens when connecting the drone (rover) to the RS3 base over local NTRIP.
Has anyone had this issue?
I will mention one more issue I’m having… I have tried this setup with emlid caster and I can get a connection success, but on my drone controller the output readings are not displaying.
In the past we have used the DJI DRTK2 and have had zero issues.
Make sure the Pilot & Remote Control remain within wireless range of the RS3 - you’ll lose corrections/network if you don’t as the corrections are sent from the RS3 to the P4 via the RC unit.
Beyond that, make sure you’ve selected the right NTRIP connection on the DJI unit - you need to make sure the WiFi is connected, and that you have the right NTRIP connection/Mount Point selected in the Flight Controller App.
thanks for the response. This is my workflow: boot up RS3 and let average for 2 mins, turn on hotspot, connect RC to RS3 hotspot and type in local NTRIP settings into RC custom network settings. once I hit “connect” the error “abnormal network connection” pops up. I took some screenshots and sent them to Merrynas comment.
still dont know what the issue is or why im getting the network error.
Thanks, attached are the settings on the RS3 and the screenshots from the Phantom RTK controller. I went and tried again today and came up with the same errors. We also use two phantom RTKs which I tried on both and get the same error message. unfortunately I dont have access to another RTK drone model to test this out on.
It sounds like your RC isn’t on the RS3’s wifi hotspot.
Is there a web browser on the P4 RC? If there is, then open it and pop in the address of the RS3 (192.168.42.1) - you should see the web interface of the RS3 appear. If it doesn’t, then there’s a problem with the network connection between the RC and the RS3. And you’ll need to double check you’ve given it the right password etc in the RC’s network settings - that’s different to the NTrip settings).
You need the P4 RC to be connected to the RS3’s wifi hotspot first (so swipe down from the top of the controller screen, tap & hold the WiFi button to open the WiFi settings menu. Just tapping the WiFi icon will toggle the WiFi on or off), Make sure it’s using the RS3’s WiFi network SSID - if not, then pick the RS3’s network and give it the password. Then check the Aircraft settings have the correct ntrip mount point (which looks to be ok from your screen shots).
You could also try using your iPhone’s mobile hotspot instead, but that can sometimes take a few goes to get everything connected too. So that would mean turning on the iphone hotspot, connecting the RS3 to the iphone hotspot, then connecting the P4 RC unit to the iphone Hotspot.
I echoed to try @ElectroNick’s suggestions. For trying the mobile hotspot, you don’t even need an internet connection in it. This way, we try to connect the RC and the Reach with different networks and see if it works.
hello, so here is the update. first, there is no browser on the Phantom RTK. I have been able to connect the drone RC, and RS3 through local NTRIP on my home wifi, and my iPhone hotspot. the connection is successful when both my RC and RS3 are connected to the same network with either my hotspot, or home wifi. But, when trying to connect the RC to the RS3 hotspot on output local NTRIP (because my worksites dont have internet or cell service) I still come up with error “abnormal connection”. now there are some “advanced settings” I can configure when selecting the wifi “emlidxx.xx” on my RC. But the connection when just typing in the password makes for a really “strong” connection.
im not sure if im missing something, but I have had two connections which makes me believe im on the right path thanks to you.
Sounds like you’re making progress. I always run local NTRIP via a separate networking device. You shouldn’t have to have data services to network the two together.
Thanks for the response. I might be confusing the term network. My thoughts are that it means I need cell service or internet connection. Just for clarification, if I run a hot spot off my phone and connect the RS3 and RC to that connection I shouldn’t need cell service or data (internet connection)?
If thats the case (and just out of curiosity) then why do all tutorials on YouTube say to connect the phantom RTK RC to the RS3 hotspot for secluded site locations with no service or internet connection?
Thanks again, appreciate all the responses from people.
Correct. By connecting each to the phone they should see each other regardless of data connectivity. I’m not sure about the YouTube videos but they may not be completely savvy to how networking works. It seems like connecting directly to the RS3 is the default but I have found it to not be as stable as a 3rd party connection and if you have data you are supplying the RC with internet as well. Even if it is sketchy.
ok perfect, im going to run some tests and see if the connection stays stable. I guess the main reason for my confusion was the tutorial videos I was watching.
thanks a lot! ill keep this forum updated once I get a chance to test in a secluded environment.
How do you use a mobile hotspot when you don’t have cell service? When I go to the “personal hotspot” menu on my phone, it is greyed out if I don’t have a cellular connection.
as an update: my problem is solved. linking the RS3 and Phantom RTK RC to my phone hotspot worked great with strong connection throughout the whole flight. I have yet to test in an area with no cell coverage, but from what people have been saying cell coverage, or Internet is not required for hotspot connection. my confusion was the term “network connection” which in my mind needed internet connection when the reality is its just a third party connection between the RS3 and Phantom RTK RC.
You got it! We refer to it as local NTRIP and it can only fail if one of the components dies. Another plus is the short baseline gives you about as low of residuals as you could expect with this gear.
