Connect to a Remote Radio Through SmartLink¶
SmartLink lets you connect to a FLEX-8600 that is at a different location from your computer. Use this procedure when the radio is not on your local LAN and you have a FlexRadio SmartLink account.
Before you start¶
- You have a FlexRadio SmartLink account (email and password).
- The FLEX-8600 at the remote station is powered on and registered to your SmartLink account.
- AetherSDR is running and no radio is currently connected.
Steps¶
- Open the Connection Panel. It appears automatically when no radio is connected. If a radio is already connected, go to
Settings > Connect to a Radio...to open it. - Click Remote with SmartLink in the mode button row at the top of the panel. The panel switches to the SmartLink page. This sets
ConnectionModetoSmartLinkMode. - In the SmartLink account group, enter your FlexRadio account email in the Email field. AetherSDR saves this value as
SmartLinkEmail. - Enter your password in the Password field. The password is not saved after you close the application.
- Click Sign In. AetherSDR authenticates with SmartLink. Wait for the status label to confirm you are signed in.
- In the Remote radios list, click the radio you want to connect to.
- Click Connect Remote Radio. AetherSDR establishes a WAN connection to the selected radio.
What each control does¶
| Control | Description | Persisted key |
|---|---|---|
| Local / SmartLink / Manual mode buttons | Switch the panel among the three connection modes. Default is Local. | ConnectionMode |
| Remote with SmartLink mode button | Switches the panel to SmartLink mode. | ConnectionMode |
| Email field | Your FlexRadio SmartLink account email address. | SmartLinkEmail |
| Password field | Your SmartLink password. Not saved between sessions. | — |
| Sign In | Authenticates with SmartLink and populates the Remote radios list. | — |
| Sign Out | Logs out of SmartLink and clears the radio list. | — |
| Remote radios list | Shows all FLEX-8600 radios registered to your SmartLink account that are currently online. The list has a fixed display height; if you have many radios, scroll within the list. | — |
| Connect Remote Radio | Starts a WAN connection to the radio selected in the Remote radios list. This button appears below the list, outside the radios group. | — |
| Available radios list | Lists LAN radios discovered via mDNS/Flex discovery. Has a bounded height — use the scrollbar if more radios are found than fit. | — |
| No local radios found yet indicator | Callout shown when discovery is empty. | — |
| Retry Discovery | Re-runs LAN discovery. | — |
| Connect Selected Radio | Connects to the highlighted LAN radio. | — |
| Connect by IP | Shortcut to the Manual page. | — |
| Radio IP address field | Manual IP to connect to. | ManualRadioIp |
| Connect by IP (manual) | Starts the manual/VPN connection. | — |
| Source path combo box (Advanced) | Picks the local network interface used for the manual connection. Available on the Manual page. | ManualBindSource |
| Use low bandwidth mode checkbox | Enables reduced-rate audio and data streams. Use this on slow or metered internet connections. | LowBandwidthMode |
| Connect to last radio on start up checkbox | When checked, AetherSDR auto-connects to the last used radio on startup and on broadcast-discovery / routed-radio probe. When unchecked, the connection dialog opens and the user must pick a radio manually each session. Defaults to checked. Added in v0.9.7. | AutoConnectToLastRadio |
| Open Network Diagnostics | Opens the Network Diagnostics dialog to help troubleshoot connection issues. Available from both Local and Manual pages. | — |
| Network Diagnostics | Opens NetworkDiagnosticsDialog from the Manual page. | — |
| Disconnect | Disconnects from the current radio. | — |
Tips¶
- If the connection is sluggish or audio breaks up, enable Use low bandwidth mode before clicking Connect Remote Radio.
- The status label below the controls shows the current connection state. If it shows an error, sign out and sign in again to refresh the SmartLink session.
- Connect to last radio on start up is checked by default so that existing users keep their previous behavior after upgrading. Uncheck it if you want to choose a radio manually at each startup.
- SmartLink login fields now include accessibility hints and object names that help password managers (macOS Passwords, Windows Authenticator, KDE Wallet) correctly associate your credentials with the SmartLink login form.
- Right-click a radio in the local Available radios list to set a custom nickname for non-Flex radios (HL2, simulator, etc.). This nickname is saved locally and appears on subsequent discoveries. This option is not available for Flex radios, whose names are set via the radio's own Radio Setup.
- The radio list height is bounded to ensure the Connect Selected Radio and other controls below the list remain reachable, even on small displays (e.g., 1024x600). Use the vertical scrollbar to see all discovered radios.
Troubleshooting¶
- Remote radios list is empty after signing in — The remote radio may be offline or not registered to this account. Confirm the radio at the remote station is powered on and that you are signed in with the correct account.
- Sign In does not respond — Check your internet connection. If you are behind a restrictive firewall, SmartLink traffic may be blocked. Use the Open Network Diagnostics button to verify connectivity.
- Status label shows an error after clicking Connect Remote Radio — Another client may already hold the maximum number of connections allowed by the radio. Ask any other operators to disconnect, then retry.