Use this page to connect AetherSDR to an Antenna Genius that is not on the local LAN — for example, across a VPN or a routed network — by entering its IP address directly. UDP discovery only works on the local subnet, so a manual IP entry is required for remote devices.
The Antenna Genius must be reachable from your machine at TCP port 9007. Confirm this with your network or VPN configuration before proceeding.
The Antenna Genius applet is hidden until a device is discovered or manually connected. If you do not see the AG tray button in the right sidebar, that is expected — it will appear after a successful connection.
Open the applet panel. If it is not visible, click View > Applet Panel.
Look for the AG tray button in the right sidebar. If the applet is already open, skip to step 4.
If no AG tray button is visible yet, proceed through the remaining steps — the button appears once a connection is established.
In the Antenna Genius applet, locate the Manual IP field (labelled "Manual IP:").
Type the IPv4 or IPv6 address of the remote Antenna Genius into the Manual IP field.
Press Enter. AetherSDR validates the address and connects to port 9007.
Watch the status label beneath the device combo. A successful connection shows Connected — <name> v<version>. An unreachable or refused connection shows Error: <msg>.
Selects which discovered AG device to connect to. Auto-selects and connects when the first device is discovered.
(populated from UDP discovery)
Populated from UDP discovery
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Connect / Disconnect
Connects to the selected device in the Device combo, or to the Manual IP address if no discovered device is selected. Becomes Disconnect when connected.
Connect
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Manual IP
Stores and uses an IP address to connect directly, bypassing UDP discovery. Pressing Enter triggers the connection attempt.
(blank)
IPv4 or IPv6 address
AG_ManualIp
Port A antenna buttons
Click to select an antenna on Port A; click again to deselect (antenna=0). Disabled/dim if the antenna is already selected on Port B. Blue = TX+RX, amber = RX only, dim = no permission on current band.
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Populated from AG antenna list
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Port A AUTO
Enables band-follow on Port A.
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Port B antenna buttons
Click to select an antenna on Port B; click again to deselect. Port B section hidden if the AG device reports only one radio port.
AetherSDR saves the last-used address to AG_ManualIp when you press Enter. The field is pre-filled with that address the next time you open the applet.
If the Device combo contains a discovered device, clicking Connect connects to that device, not the Manual IP. Clear or ignore the combo selection if you want the Manual IP to take effect via the Connect button. Pressing Enter in the Manual IP field always uses the typed address regardless of the combo state.
Port B is hidden automatically if the connected Antenna Genius reports only one radio port.
Auto-connect on discovery applies only to Antenna Genius devices. If a ShackSwitch is discovered on the same network, it is not auto-connected from this applet; it is handled by the ShackSwitch applet instead.
The antenna button grid is cleared when the device disconnects and rebuilt when a connection is established. This ensures the display and the model remain consistent while disconnected.
Antenna buttons are not rebuilt until the model has loaded the antenna list. If the grid appears blank briefly after connecting, wait for the antenna list response from the device.
Status label shows "Invalid IP address" — The text entered in Manual IP is not a valid IPv4 or IPv6 address. Correct the address and press Enter again.
Status label shows "Error: \<msg>" — AetherSDR reached the network layer but could not complete the connection. Verify that port 9007 is open and the Antenna Genius is powered on and reachable at the address you entered.
AG tray button never appears — The applet remains hidden until a connection is established. Check the status label inside the applet panel for error details. If the panel itself is not visible, enable it via View > Applet Panel.
A discovered device is not auto-connecting — If the first device discovered on the LAN is a ShackSwitch, the Antenna Genius applet will not auto-connect to it. The ShackSwitch applet handles that device. Check whether a separate Antenna Genius device is present on your network.
Antenna button grid is blank after connecting — This is normal if the antenna list has not loaded yet. Wait a few seconds for the model to receive the antenna list from the device. If the grid remains blank, disconnect and reconnect.