No Maestro upgrade to 1.9 without internet

Stan VA7NF

My radio is at a site without the internet (radio, computer, Maestro on the same subnet).  I brought in 1.9 on an USB stick and upgraded SmartSDR and the radio with no problem.  Maestro however, is requesting the radio be downgraded to 1.8.

1.9 on computer, radio, and usb stick but no way for Maestro?

PE3DON

hi Stan
someway or the other your Maestro has to see the internet during the upgrade process.
put a UTP cable between the Maestro and your internet modem and it will upgrade to the new version.
After this you can switch back to your home network that doesnot necessarily has to be attached to the internet while in operating mode.

73, de PE3DON

Steve K9ZW

I recently confirm with FRS that a Maestro needs to see via live internet connection the server for the Maestro software.

This need it only at the update/upgrade phase.

As the sequence is that a Maestro initialization sequence is:

First connect with a Network selection

Second select which Radio you will be using

Third select which Software Version you wish to run

Your Maestro needs access to a radio (it doesn't perhaps have to be your radio) to do the upgrade.

I have two remote island setups (Maestro plus 6700 and W9EVT's Maestro plus 6300) that I am going to update in a week.  I'm bringing the internet to their respective Maestro<->Router<->Radio networks, using temporary means where needed.

FRS scheme that everything works isolated from the world wide web, but cannot update without connectivity, is a common strategy in the Internet of Things world.

I'd like to see an addition to their strategy to allow an update from a prepared USB that is plugged into the radio in this instance. 

73

Steve K9ZW

Tim - W4TME

This is not a problem, but the way the product is designed.  The Maestro needs to have access to the radio and the Internet in order to download the proper software components for a successful upgrade. 

Eric-KE5DTO

Note that once v1.9.7 is installed, you can actually do Maestro software downloads without being connected to a radio.  This will allow folks that have their Maestro in a location without internet to more easily take the Maestro and download a different version before returning to the operating position.

Steve K9ZW

@Eric KE5DTO

This is an excellent way of handling it - if I understand correctly that for SmartSDR for Maestro version 1.9.7 onwards, that a Maestro alone can download newer (higher versions) and then populate Flex-6000 radios it later comes in contact with?

So after v 1.9.7 I can simply temporarily take the Maestros from these non-internet locations to somewhere where the Maestro has internet, that the Maestro will then be able to gather & download newer SmartSDR versions (both Maestro and Windows) which when returned to the original location will update the off-the-net radio?

Thank you FRS & 73,

Steve K9ZW

Eric-KE5DTO

You are correct.  Once the Maestro has the software downloaded, the software can be run back at the operating position.

Eric-KE5DTO

There is not a USB port on Maestro through which to upgrade.

Steve K9ZW

@Eric

Quick question - presuming everything is on SmartSDR 1.9.7 or higher, will a properly upgraded Flex-6000 radio propagate an upgrade to a non-upgraded Maestro?

To explain - again presume all equipment was already at 1.9.7 and let's call the upgrade 1.10.1 for now.

If Maestro Unit #1 is connected to the internet and obtains the 1.10.1 package, I understood that if I take to a remote site that it will upgrade the radio there from 1.9.7 to the same 1.10.1.  Makes sense.

Now if I disconnect Maestro Unit #1 and connect with Maestro Unit #2 that is running 1.9.7 against the just updated radio with 1.10.1, the question is will the radio share 1.10.1 to Maestro Unit #2?

What I am asking is can up take an upgraded Maestro to each non-internet site, update that site's radio AND then let that site's radio update the Maestro that usually is paired with that site's radio in return?  Or do I need to still arrange that each Maestro see's the internet to update?

Hope I haven't been too confusing, and very pleased to learn of the new capability going forward past 1.9.7. 

73

Steve K9ZW

Tim - W4TME

Now if I disconnect Maestro Unit #1 and connect with Maestro Unit #2 that is running 1.9.7 against the just updated radio with 1.10.1, the question is will the radio share 1.10.1 to Maestro Unit #2?

No.  If you connect the radio firmware will be downgraded to 1.9.7. There is no mechanism for Maestros to share software upgrades.

All Maestros will need to be taken to a location that can access the Internet and update their software individually.

Eric-KE5DTO

This is possible, but is not within our current update design.  Let me explain why.  We have taken great care to protect the radio and Maestro from threats like viruses.  Any interface that allows input to the system can be a vector for such threats.

The current update methodology helps to ensure that updates are trusted and coming only from FlexRadio.

k3Tim

Given the trade off of even the remote chance of a virus Vs. updating a Maestro via wireless only I'd go with the later anytime. 
It's been since the past century that I update a cell phone via a PC / USB.

Steve K9ZW

@ Tim & Eric - Thank you for the clarification.  Understood and appreciate the insight.

For everyone else, as a background the remote stations are on Washington Island, Wisconsin (US Island WI-001L) which is a 6 miles/10km across the "Death's Door" straight boat ride out in Lake Michigan. 

One Maestro with a Flex-6300 is at the George W9EVT shack (check his mega-shack out on QRZ  http://www.qrz.com/db/W9EVT - an amazing place) where I set up the Maestro on a hardwired separate network to keep it clear of the internet chaos two providers with overlapping wireless gear in four/five closely nested buildings has created.  To upgrade this setup I hope to be temporarily hardwiring this independent network to a providers router or if that is problematic I will wirelessly do the link.

The other is paired with a Flex-6700 at my Island home about a mile southeast of the W9EVT shack.  There I can get wireless to both the Radio's physical wired network and the Maestro, though the provider is dicey.  So I will do enough diagnostics on the incoming to pick a window of time that looks fairly solid to let the Maestro do its updating.

Thank you again & 73,

Steve K9ZW

k3Tim

Hi Steve
Understand your situation and I hope the HF noise level is down in the dirt.
Can you set a LTE capable smartphone up as a Hotspot? If not maybe Flex needs a way to update of HF.  :-)

GL and hope to wrk U on the air.

Tim

Steve K9ZW

@Tim K3Tim - thank you for your kind words. Longer term I need to work with W9EVT to reconfigure and clean up the Internet/Network issues legacy from a tech who talked the talk but knew not enough and had no forward vision. Their system needs rebuilding from the connection onwards at some point when guests are not staying at their rentals. On my place I am working with Frontier to get the aDSL reliability up to standards. Cellular wireless is similarly hit or miss. But the RF conditions are fabulous as are the night sky for star watching. 73 Steve K9ZW

Gary

Tim,

Ok ... so I installed 1.9.7. on the computer - didn't remove the previous version. The Maestro had worked with 1.8.4 in itself and the radio ... after installing the program on the computer I ran SSDR and turned on the radio. Maestro is off at this time. It went through all its processes and showed upgrade which I did and all went fine ... used it a bit on the computer ... then I shut down SSDR on the computer and shut down the radio. (note the radio and Maestro are both plugged in to a WIFI/LAN router which of course goes to the computer) So now I turned on the radio and the Maestro... all comes up I select the radio which it sees on the network - when it shows versions it only shows the 2 previous versions! 1.8.4 and 1.7 something ... no 1.9.7! It goes on to say 1.8.4 would be an upgrade for the radio! Now what? [the computer is of course connected to the internet]

g.

Tim - W4TME

Sounds like the Maestro is not accessing the Internet.  This is indicated by the icon in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen when the Select Radio screen is displayed.  If there is a red "x" or a "!" in a yellow triangle on the network type indication icons, then the unit is not accessing the Internet to get the update.  Refer to the Maestro User's Guide for the details.

Gary

you are probably right - how/why it connected when I first got it going is beyond me. I'm not a network engineer (nor do I care to be). This is what I have now: there is no red X symbol. There is a wifi signal symbol (all bars) and next to it is a yellow exclamation point... next to this is a network symbol - no red X. So THAT would seem to indicate there is internet (or at least nothing indicating there isn't - ps: I've yet to find the definition of the yellow exclamation point in the Maestro Quick start or the main manual). When I go to the PC network check it shows my main wifi connection to the Charter Wifi router ... it shows it has internet access. Then I see the Wifi from the wifi router that the radio/Maestro are plugged in to - then I see "Network 2" which I can only assume is the LAN portion of that router to which the radi/Maestro are plugged in and it says "no internet access". How I GIVE it access is beyond me. I've clicked on this that and most everything - there's nothing overly obvious. There is a 'share' tab - that seems to indicate sharing of the internet but when I click it then my main wifi goes away and the whole computer doesn't indicate internet access. Instead of hijacking threads do I need to just submit a ticket? I'd hoped it would be easier than this but I do have some understanding that you don't have any control over what network connection methods a user might have... its just as a user I really don't want to have to research network connections just to get the radio to work with the Maestro.  

Gary

Ok... so I removed the Wifi router ... put in its place a switch... now its cooking with gas... I'm downloading now.

Here's one point of confusion: I don't see (sorry if I missed it) any form of topology drawing for connections! Minimum of two: Wired vs. wireless. So I know the Maestro has wifi built in ... but if I wanted to connect the radio directly to the Maestro using wifi and NOT the main computer (which is connected to the house wifi) I thought I'd need to have it plugged in to a wifi router ... not so? I got this radio used - and with it came this Wifi router...

Mike VE3CKO

oh, oh. What if there is a zombie apocalypse or what N.Korea is threatening an EMP attack and no internet? How will we upgrade our Maestros? Seriously though, perhaps in the future Maestro can look for specific localhost server where a specifically named shared directory can host the necessary file.

Jay Nation

Who knows what the future will bring! The zombie apocalypse idea sounds intriguing, though. Probably more fun than doing without the internet. 

 SDRgadgets

73, Jay - NO5J