Maestro CGNAT ZeroTier - it works!

I had the goal of connecting a Maestro to a remote rig, which is behind a CGNAT network (no forward facing IP address). So no SmartLink.

After some slogging around with my networks, I now have the Maestro accessing my remote radio, which is behind Starlink CGNAT. Here’s the rundown of how I did it…

First off, create a ZeroTier network. Free! Then build and deploy a ZeroTier Bridge at the remote location. I run this on a Raspberry Pi. Danny K5CG and Roland HB9VQQ have great tutorials on setting up this portion - thanks guys! Note that I had trouble following ZeroTier’s tutorials- FWIW.

https://cloud.hamoperator.org/s/r8aPidbpzdocrwW
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yaIndMRmZDkrtQFa7ZSwfrtp_J3VW8qf/view

With this set up and functional, the ZeroTier client software can be loaded on PC’s, phones, tablets, etc. which gets these devices on the network local to the radio. Forwarding discovery packets, the radio shows up in the SmartSDR chooser menu, no SmartLink required. I have this running on Windows and MAC/IOS devices. Cool.

Ah, but what about the Maestro? Since there’s no loading the ZeroTier client, you’ve gotta take another step. Enter the GL.iNet GL-MT3000 Beryl AX Travel Router, which natively supports ZeroTier. It takes a little tweaking, but works great.

Now, I am a fledgling network ****, so take this all with a grain of salt. There are probably many ways to pull this off. This is how I did it.

First, I installed ZeroTier on the GL.iNet router. This is found under the Applications menu. Next, add/authorize this device to the ZeroTier network created previously. As with the Pi Bridge, tag the ‘Authorize Bridging’ and ‘Do not auto-assign IPs’ check boxes under the ZeroTier network’s Advanced Settings.

Now go into GL.iNet’s Advanced Settings - this is called ‘Luci’. Under Luci / Advanced Settings / Devices, select Configure ‘br-lan’. Here, link the ‘eth0’ Interface (lan) with the ‘zerotier’ Interface. Put a checkmark in the box for each of these Interfaces, and Apply. Note that the ZeroTier Interface name will be that of the specific ZeroTier network. Do not bridge the ‘wan’ Interface.

Now comes the fun part. You’ll need to have your device obtain an IP address on your remote network subnet. This can be done by manually configuring the IP address of the device. I went a different route. I disabled the GL.iNet DHCP server, which then has any device connected to ‘eth0’ - the LAN port (which is now bridged through ZeroTier) obtain its IP address from the DHCP server at the remote site. Best network practice has only one DHCP server on a network - multiples will get confused and fight one another.

So with all that, I now have a dedicated ethernet network connection to the remote site that passes/receives discovery packets to any device on the network. I can fire up the Maestro, select the radio, and operate the rig remotely. SSB. CW. Whatever. That said, my primary goal was to operate CW. This works fantastic. CW. Sidetone. Remote. Awesome!

What about latency? What about packet loss? Since nothing is perfect, here is my experience. Over the course of a million or so packets, dropped packets are less than 0.4%. Latency averages 80-100ms. All definitely workable. While I don’t know how to test it, I have a feeling that a big piece of the packet loss measurement is Starlink’s handing off the connection from satellite to satellite.

Yes, I know Starlink now offers a fixed IP plan, but that comes at an additional cost, and includes a data cap. So I want’t interested in changing plans.

Note that not all GL.iNet routers support ZeroTier - so if you go this route, shop carefully. I chose this model as I only wanted/needed one ethernet port to bridge. And it was cheap. Like $85 cheap.

So this should work for anyone that wants to remote into a radio that is behind a CGNAT network. Whether it be Starlink, a local WISP, Double NAT, or whatever - ZeroTier pulls the end-around, allowing you to hit your remote rig like you’re on-site.

As always, YMMV, but this is working in the Whiskey Bravo shack. Any questions? Fire away, and I’ll do my best.

73

Mike - ADØWB

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