Video - Software mod to increase radio range - hostapd.conf

Glad the factory reset sorted it. Generally the factory reset isn't too painful and does the job.
 
>>>AS OF THE UPCOMING FIRMWARE THIS MOD IS NO LONGER NECESSARY<<<

Also note that modding any file in the SoloLink system means that it won't update when you update the copter. To revert to using the defaults, SSH into both Solo and Controller and do: sololink_config --settings reset

You will need to re-pair after the settings reset.


Note: @Judicator has automated this process too, the Windows program can be downloaded from here: Solo Tweaker

I've just finished this video today, it's relevant to the latest firmware as well. Amongst other things this allows the Solo to use any pair of channels from 1 to 12, whereas before the mod it is limited to using only channels 6 and 11.

This has increased my range in both congested and non-congested Wi-Fi areas. The cost of doing this mod is exactly $0.00.

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The software to download to perform this mod is:
A hackable text editor for the 21st Century
Bitvise SSH Client Download

The IP address of the Solo controller is: 10.1.1.1
The IP address of the Solo is: 10.1.1.10

The username is: root
The password is: TjSDBkAu

The changes to make to the hostapd.conf file are:
acs_num_scans=8
#chanlist=6 11
beacon_int=999
wmm_ac_vi_cwmin=2
wmm_ac_vi_txop_limit=136
wmm_ac_vo_txop_limit=1
disassoc_low_ack=0

The command to run to update the MD5 is:
md5sum /etc/hostapd.conf > /etc/hostapd.conf.md5[/QUOTE
Will this reset work on Mac?
 
Thanks for pointing that out. Didn't go back and read the updated note


So I reverted by changing the values back to stock setting in the hostasp. Is the settings reset command line that Ian mentions needed then?
 
Thanks for pointing that out. Didn't go back and read the updated note


So I reverted by changing the values back to stock setting in the hostasp. Is the settings reset command line that Ian mentions needed then?
Apparently yes, you must use the command line or the tool (which executes the command line) as the file will still appear as modified and the new update will not overwrite the file to give you the new changes.
 
>>>AS OF THE UPCOMING FIRMWARE THIS MOD IS NO LONGER NECESSARY<<<

Also note that modding any file in the SoloLink system means that it won't update when you update the copter. To revert to using the defaults, SSH into both Solo and Controller and do: sololink_config --settings reset

You will need to re-pair after the settings reset.

Ian -- Actual command is "sololink_config --settings-reset" (with the hyphen between "settings" and "reset". You may want to edit that in your first post on this thread.

Thanks!
 
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Won't a Factory Reset do the same thing? SOLO Tweaker "revert"?

Where exactly do I type this command "sololink_config --settings-reset" after I SSH into the Controller and then SOLO? Can I do the original IAN video and change the values back to the original values?

Which is the easiest? I have performed a Factory Reset once, followed the video, no problems.
 
Ian -- Actual command is "sololink_config --settings-reset" (with the hyphen between "settings" and "reset". You may want to edit that in your first post on this thread.

Thanks!
So i run this "sololink_config --settings-reset" on both controller & Solo with the command: "md5sum /etc/hostapd.conf > /etc/hostapd.conf.md5" correct?
this will reset to factory settings. should i expect to re link wife also?

3Dr said told me update due in about 2 weeks.
Thanks
 
I reverted my hostasp.conf. Couldn't connect to solo after that. Ended up having to do a factory reset and re-pair. Everything is good now.

It appears you updated only the hostapd.conf either the Controller or Solo and not both, or forgot to run 'md5sum /etc/hostapd.conf > /etc/hostapd.conf.md5sum' command with root privileges? When I found my error, the Controller hostapd.conf somehow was the original, the one on Solo was updated. I had to hit the Pair button on Solo for little over a second and the Controller re-connected. After I fixed and insured both .conf files were correct, I had to re-pair again and all was good. Are you SURE you followed the instructions to the letter? Had no reason to perform a factory reset, just fix the .conf files and hit the Pair button on Solo while the Controller and Solo were powered up. See my previous post above.

Cheers
 
Last edited:
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Didn't have time to root through and change all the numbers in the config file. I just ran solo tweaker and reverted changes. It was supposed to update the solo and controller. It obviously failed so a quick factory reset and good to go.

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk
 
I also had to do a factory reset! For some reason while doing the Conf reset the controller froze. I could not ssh back into the controller. It kept telling me the link to the controller had changed. Even tried the default password with no success. So total reset and repair. Then updated to current firmware. Is this going to give me any problems that I'm not aware of?
 
I also had to do a factory reset! For some reason while doing the Conf reset the controller froze. I could not ssh back into the controller. It kept telling me the link to the controller had changed. Even tried the default password with no success. So total reset and repair. Then updated to current firmware. Is this going to give me any problems that I'm not aware of?
As you did a reset I'd expect you'd be fine. Did you run the command on the Solo first then the controller? I'm not sure it matters, but I'd have run it on the Solo, then the controller, then power cycled both.
 
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As you did a reset I'd expect you'd be fine. Did you run the command on the Solo first then the controller? I'm not sure it matters, but I'd have run it on the Solo, then the controller, then power cycled both.

He must have had something amiss in the hostapd.conf file that got changed that should not have? If you read my previous post, I had modified the hostapd.conf file on Solo and somehow missed proper update on the Controller. Appears the Controller hostapd.conf file configures the Sololink password, not the hostapd.conf file on Solo as the Solo hostapd.conf file was updated (with same password I have stored) and somehow the Controller hosapd.conf was at factory settings with the default 'sololink' password, even though I had changed the password. How I wound up with the default .conf file on the Controller is beyond me, even being Linux literate. Again, all I did was fix the Controller hostapd.conf file to proper configuration and hit the PAIR button on Solo, password worked, mod worked.

Cheers
 
As you did a reset I'd expect you'd be fine. Did you run the command on the Solo first then the controller? I'm not sure it matters, but I'd have run it on the Solo, then the controller, then power cycled both.
No, I made changes on the controller 1st. Afterwards I had thought the solo should had been done first. Seems to me that if a total reset works that would be a better way then modifying the conf files. Anyway the final result seems to have worked. Thanks!
 
Didn't have time to root through and change all the numbers in the config file. I just ran solo tweaker and reverted changes. It was supposed to update the solo and controller. It obviously failed so a quick factory reset and good to go.

Same here...needed a factory reset and re-pair.
 
As you did a reset I'd expect you'd be fine. Did you run the command on the Solo first then the controller? I'm not sure it matters, but I'd have run it on the Solo, then the controller, then power cycled both.
I went in and did a quick check on the etc directory. After running the reset command and updating firmware, the firmware seems to have deleted all my old backup files.

The new hostapd.conf enables more channels but starts the channel availability at channel 4, despite giving channel 1 a selection advantage (0.8). I didn't comb through to see what all the other changes were to compare them to the original mod but clearly it's not an exact copy.

I wasn't able to go fly after updating and it looks like a week of rain from today on for us here. Will just have to wait and see how this works out on my bird in my area.
 
Yea I decided to do a factory reset after updating since I see folks saying these changes won't work if the mod was done. Happy to say I reset then updated solo then controller turned them both off, same time and now both seem fine. I'll go test in a bit, everything functions and looks great and I think I'm in the clear. Thanks for the tips folks.
 
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The new hostapd.conf enables more channels but starts the channel availability at channel 4, despite giving channel 1 a selection advantage (0.8). I didn't comb through to see what all the other changes were to compare them to the original mod but clearly it's not an exact copy.

That's correct, not sure why the channels start at 4, but I'm assuming there's a reason 3DR have done that, so I'm going to see how well it works before modding it back to all channels.
 
That's correct, not sure why the channels start at 4, but I'm assuming there's a reason 3DR have done that, so I'm going to see how well it works before modding it back to all channels.
I left the modified hostapd.conf as is and did the update. It was a bit troublesome as it changed the Solo link password back to the default. Then I had to re-pair the controller and Solo.

Took Solo out yesterday and all was good. I went out to around 2000' at only 180' up and still had a very good connection. My video never got choppy either.
 

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