1.You have an LTE router on board
If you already have an LTE router with a SIM card installed in your mobile home, integrating the VanPi system is very easy. Depending on the device you are using, you can establish the connection either via a network cable or via WiFi.
DANGER!
If you use the VanPi system with the network, please make sure that you use the network interface of the Raspberry PI. If you use the display/Uart RJ45 socket, your router may be damaged.
DANGER!
If you want to integrate the system via Wi-Fi, you can find the settings for this in the config in the web interface.
Under the item "get available wifi" you start the search for the available wireless networks. The system starts the search mode and is not accessible for about 2 minutes. After this is finished, you connect as usual and can now search for your WiFi and enter the corresponding password. The system now establishes the connection and you can find it in your existing network under a new IP address.
You don't know how to find the IP address of the system? -> here's a little 1x1
2. You use an LTE USB STICK
By using an LTE stick, you can get your system online quickly and easily. All you need is a SIM card (without a PIN and with data volume) - to deactivate the SIM PIN, it is best to insert the card briefly into your phone - and an LTE stick. You can simply insert this into an existing USB port on the Raspberry PI and your system is online. The Internet is of course also passed on via the WiFi access point. Your VanPi system is now also an LTE router ;)
3. Your smartphone as a hotspot
You have connected to your VanPi system in AccessPoint mode, which means that the system provides the WiFi and you log in with your mobile phone. This works great for using all of your VanPi's functions locally. However, many smartphones switch on the existing cellular connection during this time. Your mobile phone is therefore not connected during this time and you cannot surf the internet or receive messages. That's why there is a little trick that you can use to easily get around this problem.
Actually, all smartphones are able to share their cellular connection via a hotspot. This is exactly what we do. So you set up the hotspot on your smartphone and then go to the config of your VanPi (you need a second device here - laptop/tablet etc.). There you proceed in the same way as described under point 1. After you have entered the password and pressed connect, you should see a dialed-in device on your smartphone that is sending the hotspot. Under the information about the device you will also find the IP address of your VanPI system. Your smartphone is also a DHCP server here -> more about the network in our 1x1 <-. You can now access your system at this IP address - http://"IP":1880/ui. Quickly save this as a bookmark and you're done. Every time you are in your VAN/BOOT you simply start your hotspot and your VanPi connects and is available under the bookmark without your phone being offline.
This solution is only partially suitable for remote access - point 4 - the smartphone hotspot must remain close to the system. But if you still have an old cell phone, you can of course use it and leave it in the VAN/BOAT. ;)
Many people often ask why we don’t have an APP, but only a web interface → There is a short article about this here.
4. Remote access Remote-RED
Now we come to the really interesting part, remote access and control on the go. For programmers and tinkerers, there are various options via VPN or other connections. However, we want to simplify it here and introduce an application called Remote-Red.
This app is available for iOS and Android and provides you with mobile access to your VanPI system (Node-Red) via an encrypted connection. The app is subject to a fee, but the price is manageable.
To install it, you need to go to the Node-Red backend and do a couple of steps there.
You can find instructions directly on the REMOTE-RED website.
5.Peakaway IOT BRIDGE
Battery, water levels, heating unit... accessible anytime and anywhere? This will be made possible by our IOT bridge - ready-to-use with an app for iOS and Android and a special IoT SIM card pre-installed by us. So you don't have to worry about anything anymore.
