Networking with Navigator¶
Connecting to NaviGator is typically done by connecting a base station on the shore to an access point on the boat. Furthermore, the network box is used by end users to connect to the base station on the shore. This setup allows us to have a reliable connection to NaviGator without needing to extend a very long Ethernet cable to NaviGator.
Architecture¶
![digraph G {
rankdir=LR
subgraph cluster_0 {
style=filled;
color=lightgrey;
node [style=filled,color=white];
a0 [label = "User X"];
a1 [label = "User 2"];
a2 [label = "User 1"];
aa [label = "Network Box"]
au [label = "Rocket AC Base Station"]
an [label = "Rocket AC Antenna"]
label = "shore";
}
subgraph cluster_1 {
style=filled;
color=lightgrey;
node [style=filled,color=white];
n0 [label = "Rocket AC Access Point"]
n1 [label = "Computer"]
label = "navigator";
}
a0 -> aa [style="dashed", label = "Ethernet", dir=both]
a1 -> aa [dir=both]
a2 -> aa [dir=both]
aa -> au [dir=both, label = "POE"]
au -> an [dir=both, label = "Physical Connection"]
n0 -> n1 [label = "Ethernet", dir=both]
an -> n0 [dir = both, label = "5GHz Band"]
}](../_images/graphviz-b8689aaad7ded6cfbde4794b4116aa1481145ac7.png)
Network Box¶
The network box comes with a suite of open ports: some for networking, others for power. The back of NaviGator has ports for receiving power, while the top of NaviGator has Ethernet ports for transmitting data to clients over Ethernet. One of these switches is labelled POE (the middle connector in the top row, near the red light). This connector should only be used for POE connections, usually to power the base station over Ethernet.
Inside the network box, you’ll find tools for handling power and connectivity. Notably, a gigabit switch, POE injector, and power supply. These should rarely be touched. Usually, configuration is best managed through the HTML network UIs, which are accessible from special IPs.
Warning
Triggering the reset pin on the POE injector will reset the Rocket AC base station configuration, likely disrupting your network connection. Before pressing this pin, ensure that you have a backup of the device configuration.
Rocket AC Base Station and Antenna¶
A critical component of the network infrastructure is the Rocket AC base station and connected antenna. This large standing device is connected to the network box through POE.
The device should be aimed towards the boat to receive the best connection, although this does not need to be a perfectly straight line.
To configure the Rocket AC device after a reset, you can use a web UI known as airOS, provided
by the device. To connect, set your own IP to 192.168.1.XXX, where XXX is some
number that is not 20. Then, connect to the device through 192.168.1.20. This
also works for the Rocket AC access point located on the boat.
To access the airOS interface of the Rocket AC device after having setup the device,
visit the IP address of the device (commonly 192.168.37.80 for the Rocket AC on
shore and 192.168.37.81 for the Rocket AC on NaviGator) in your browser. The
credentials for the device are physically located near the device.