Hi, I have a Victron Installation with a CCGX on my canal boat. I use my iPhone hotspot for internet access but i dont have a router. How can I connect my laptop to the CCGX please ?
asked
Connecting to CCGX
I'm sorry, I'm going to ask a load of questions before I can give you a good answer.
1. Why do you want to connect it to your laptop? Is is so that you can get the CCGX to connect to VRM via the laptop?
2. I assume that your laptop connects to the hotspot over WiFi?
3. What sort of laptop do you have, Apple or Windows 10?
4. If it is an Apple, do you have the ability to connect an ethernet cable to it?
Many thanks for your reply.
My Laptop is Windows 10 and I use iPhone 6 with a lightning cable for my hot spot, only because it is quicker and easier than using wifi. I have the VRM Portal on my Phone and Victron Connect App. I just want to connect to the CCGX on a daily basis to get statistics. Is Bluetooth an option. The only reason for not using a router is monthly charges rather than the cost of the router itself.
Just to be clear, the stats you want will come from the portal. And that's easy to do.
The issue is allowing the GX to upload the data to said portal for 'processing'. It can use an ethernet link to do that, and Victron have compatible wifi dongles too.
Thence to the web, in whatever manner you can. It doesn't use much data, and may even take a few minutes to process, but it will.
Many thanks to you and John for the info, I will try the ethernet cable that should work for me. Perhaps a PAYG Mifi might work as well but the ethernet cable I will try first. Once again thank you for your help. Brgds Tim
The best plan is to get a router, they are only cheap.
Hi Tim. For a Win laptop (can't speak for Apple), connect an ethernet cable to the CCGX. Then 'share' your wifi network connection. If you need help with that ask again, but I won't waste type for now if you don't use Win.
Downsides: 1/ Very occasionally can be flaky and lose the link. Needs unsharing and sharing again to reset it. Pretty rare really, but can happen.
2/ It will allocate a 192.168.137.xxx address to the GX, and if you shut the laptop town overnight that address *may* change on rebooting. You won't notice that if you're just watching the VRM portal, and the data will continue to upload fine. But if you want to have direct LAN access to the GX screen you may have to ask the VRM portal what it's been changed to (or the local screen).
Clumsy? Imperfect? Sure, but the little inconveniences haven't dissuaded me from doing it for nigh on 2 years.
Highly recommend the VRM portal, once you experience it you'll be sold.
Good morning Tim.
Thank you for the extra information.
John beat me to it, and I agree, Internet Connection Sharing is going to be the best option for you.
You'll need to connect an ethernet cable between your laptop and your CCGX and then share the interface that your hotspot has set up. The CCGX should automatically pick up an IP address and upload its stored data to VRM.
Good afternoon Tim. Ha, ain't global fun.
If you ever decide to go a PAYG (WAN) wifi link, get one that can route, or at least capable of bridging to a router (any ole router). Don't expect it to plug into the GX and work.
If you want the ethernet cable out from under your feet, a Victron (LAN) wifi dongle will link to a wifi router.
