I bought a set of two Reach RS with the intention to use one as a permanent base. So far with excellent results. There is just one problem:
The base will every few days lose connectivity with the wifi. We have to reboot the base to make it reconnect. However the base is mounted in an inaccessible location. The base is powered by USB. The base will not fall back to create its own wifi network.
It is very sad to have such a simple issue ruin an otherwise perfect experience. Is there a fix? Ideally the base would notice that the wifi is no longer good and reconnect automatically.
This post not intended to be a solution to your problem, only a workaround.
How far is the base’s inaccessible location from the nearest computer?
I ask because if you can put a powered USB hub near reach, then you can attach one or several active USB extensions to that hub. This will bring a USB cable to the closest computer.
I have tested Reach RS with 20 meters of USB cable, like so:
If you can connect a computer to the other end, then you can:
access ReachView
change wireless settings
reboot
transfer data (RTK data or log files)
ssh into Reach
manually configure the wireless connection
command a reboot
use scp to transfer any files
A second workaround could be to power Reach RS with the optional Reach RS cable. Then insert a USB-OTG adapter into Reach RS’s USB port; and insert a USB-Ethernet adapter into that; and run an Ethernet cable to the nearest computer or Ethernet switch. That way you can access your Reach RS (and ReachView) over the local network similar to the above.
As a side note, I have had troubles with wireless routers in the past. Certain devices will work for some time, but eventually it becomes impossible to connect, especially if the signal has been poor. I suspect the wireless router refuses to connect with devices which appear troublesome (maybe trying to protect itself from a denial-of-service attack). I think that because when the wireless router is rebooted, then the device can connect again and will work for a while until the same thing happens again. It could be minutes, hours, or days until the situation arises.
In the meantime, I hope you find a solution to the wireless disconnection problem. Good luck!
