VNC server & WiFi Setup Issues

Support & Help Requests Raspberry Pi
#1

Hello all
I am new to the Umbutu-Mate on Raspberry Pi 3 and setting it for my astrophotogray work. I have not been around a Linux system for many years so please bear with me. Mind you I had no trouble installing Umbutu-Mate or INDI and Kstars on the RPI. This system will be set up as headless and I want to be able to VNC into the RPI with a WiFi hotspot on the RPI board to operate Kstars from my Windows 10 Pro laptop when I am in the field. This is where the problem comes in.

  1. I tried Realvnc server: cannot get the correct package for the RPI and sudo apt-get does not recognize the RealVNC package so I opted to use the internal menu to retrieve x11vnc.server and that installed. I want the server to start automatically when the board powers up. I added the package to the ‘Start’ applications menu and it worked once but after that it will not aut-start. I don’t know where the config file is and what to enter to force the automatic start on powerup. Can someone point me in the right direction and tell me how to configure the file?

  2. WiFi hot spot: I enabled the WiFi hotspot on the board through the networks menu but I am not able to get connected to it through my Windows 10 Pro Laptop. I can see the hotspot with any WiFi device but at this point I cannot connect.

  3. When the WiFi hotspot is active the x11vnc server will not start manually or automatically. So I am now at a standstill unless someone can help me out here and any help would be greatly appreciated.
    Thanks
    Richard

#2

Hello Richard, welcome to the forum.

I can offer some help to your project. There is a good resource that does cover starting x11vnc at boot time. It’s located here:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/VNC/Servers

You may also wish to consider TightVNC Server. I’ve used it in the past without issues when establishing a VNC connection between Ubuntu Mate and a Raspberry Pi.

http://www.tightvnc.com/

There is a great guide on setting up TightVNC Server on a Raspberry Pi located here:

https://www.howtogeek.com/141157/how-to-configure-your-raspberry-pi-for-remote-shell-desktop-and-file-transfer/

When I’m unable to establish a network connection of any kind, it usually boils down to one of two things. Either there is something wrong with the network configuration, or a firewall is blocking the service somewhere.

That being said, I don’t believe that you will be able to establish a VNC connection to your Pi just by enabling a WiFi hot spot. Typically a WiFi hot spot will only pass along a Internet connection to other devices.

However, I have found a couple of guides that should help you achieve your goal.

http://www.raspberryconnect.com/network/item/333-raspberry-pi-hotspot-access-point-dhcpcd-method

and

http://www.raspberryconnect.com/network/item/331-raspberry-pi-auto-wifi-hotspot-switch-no-internet-routing

This is all very interesting. Please post back and let us know if you get a working VNC connection working through your Pi’s WiFi hot spot.

#3

There is actually a better guide here:

https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/configuration/wireless/access-point.md

#4

Hi Steven,
I managed to get RealVNC running on the Pi 3 and startup automatically when the rpi boots without to much difficulty. The issue now is getting the WiFi hotspot working properly. The suggestions you made above seem to allow others to connect to the hotspot and that is not what I am looking for.

What I need is for the rpi to run headless at my observatory equipment and only connect with my laptop when I setup an observation session through a WiFi hotspot and be able to walk away with my laptop and come back later, reconnect and check progress of imaging sessions.

In the links you provided isn’t there an easier way to set the hotspot up?

#5

Steven,
The Pi 3 already has WiFi on the board so no separate dongle is required.

#6

Hi Steven,
I was able to get the WiFi Hotspot working with RealVNC on my Win 10 Pro laptop and switch automatically without adding all of the above script. Just use the Win 10 Pro WiFi connection setup tools, create the secured (password) connection to the RPI3 board which has the built-in password protect feature and when my laptop is in range it switched automatically to the rpi WiFi hotspot and disconnected from my home WiFi. When I powered down the rpi my laptop switched back to my secured home Wifi.
-Richard

#7

Perfect, glad you worked it out. :slight_smile: