The SkyFi W-LAN telescope adapter represents a new generation of telescope controller. It uses a W-LAN to serial adapter specially developed for wireless telescope control via W-LAN. If you own a computer-controlled GoTo telescope, SkyFi is able to use the Wi-Fi capacity of your Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch to control the telescope via these devices. In contrast to a Bluetooth connection, SkyFi does not require any adapter or special driver. It uses the standard TCP/IP network protocol. TCP/IP is the same language which is used for Internet connections.
The SkyFi unit is very compact (a little larger than an iPhone) and is very straightforward to attach to a telescope mount or a tripod. It comes supplied with double-sided Velcro for this purpose. The SkyFi unit takes four AA batteries which can power it for a period of approximately 8 to 12 hours - depending upon the conditions and extent of use. The SkyFi unit can also be operated via an external supply (e.g. power tank, car battery, or power supply unit).
Once first in operation, the SkyFi starts by creating its own W-LAN network. This makes use of an open network it calls 'SkyFi'. This can be renamed and made secure at any time, if so required. Simply connect your iPhone, laptop or PC to the network, obtain an IP address from the DHCP server, and no further settings are required.
You will need an RS-232 interface cable for the operation of the SkyFi unit. This is already included with new telescopes in most cases. If not, it is supplied as an accessory from a range of different manufacturers. We recommend you use the 'Voyager' program for your PC or MAC, and the 'SkyVoyager' app, which can be simply downloaded from the iTunes online shop, for your iPhone, iPod Touch or I Pad.
Telescope compatibility
The SkyFi unit can be connected to any telescope possessing a standard RS-232 interface. The following models have been successfully tested and can be used with the SkyFi unit without reservation:
- Meade LX 200 Classic and GPS versions
- Meade LX 90, ETX, LXD, LX 400 ACF with an AutoStar hand control
- Meade Magellan I and II
- Celestron Ultima 2000
- Celestron NexStar 5/8, 5i/8i, GPS, SLT, SE
- Celestron CGE, CGEM, CPC, EdgeHD
- Orion Sirius, Atlas, SkyView Pro
- SkyWatcher mounts with a SynScan hand control
- Takahashi Temma 2
- ServoCAT Argo Navis, Sky Commander, Losmandy DSC
- Astro-Physics GTO, Losmandy Gemini, Vixen SkySensor 2000
In the absence of an RS-232 interface, the following telescopes are not compatible with SkyFi:
- iOptron SmartStar and MiniTower mounts with a GoToNova hand control.
- Meade ETX-LS
- Vixen mounts with a StarBook controller
