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Operating Remotely over SmartLink

SmartLink lets you connect to a FLEX-8600 that is at a different location from your computer. This page covers how to sign in to your SmartLink account and connect to a remote radio from AetherSDR's connection screen.

Before you start

  • Your FLEX-8600 must be powered on and connected to the internet at the remote location, with SmartLink enabled in its firmware.
  • You must have a FlexRadio SmartLink account (email and password).
  • AetherSDR must not already be connected to a radio. If it is, disconnect first.

Steps

  1. Open the connection screen. It appears automatically when no radio is connected. You can also reach it via Settings > Connect to Radio....
  2. Click Remote with SmartLink. This selects the SmartLink mode and shows the SmartLink account and remote radio controls.
  3. In the SmartLink account: Email field, enter your FlexRadio account email address.
  4. In the SmartLink account: Password field, enter your password. The password is not saved between sessions.
  5. Click Sign In. The status label updates to show the progress of authentication.
  6. Once signed in, the Remote radios list populates with the radios available to your account. Select the radio you want to use.
  7. If your link to the remote site is slow (satellite, cellular, or congested broadband), check Use low bandwidth mode before connecting.
  8. Click Connect Remote Radio. The status label tracks the connection progress. When the connection succeeds, the main AetherSDR interface opens.

What each control does

Control What it does Persisted setting
Remote with SmartLink (mode button) Switches the connection screen to SmartLink mode. ConnectionMode
SmartLink account: Email Your FlexRadio account email. SmartLinkEmail
SmartLink account: Password Your SmartLink password. Not saved after the session ends. —
Sign In Authenticates with SmartLink and populates the Remote radios list. —
Sign Out Logs out of SmartLink and clears the remote radio list. —
Remote radios Lists SmartLink WAN radios available to the signed-in account. The list has a fixed display height; if you have many remote radios, scroll within the list to see all of them. —
Use low bandwidth mode Reduces stream data rates for slow or metered links. LowBandwidthMode
Connect Remote Radio Starts a WAN connection to the radio selected in Remote radios. —
Connect to last radio on start up 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. AutoConnectToLastRadio

Connecting by IP (Manual mode)

If your radio is on a VPN or a routed network that is not visible via LAN discovery, use Manual mode instead of SmartLink.

  1. Click Connect by IP on the Local page, or click the Manual mode button at the top of the connection screen.
  2. In the Radio IP address field, type the IP address of the radio. The field accepts IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. AetherSDR normalizes the address when you connect.
  3. The Radio IP address control is a drop-down as well as a text field. It stores up to three recently used addresses (saved as RecentConnectByIpAddresses). To reuse a previous address, click the drop-down arrow and select it from the list.
  4. If needed, select the local network interface to use in Advanced: Source path. A Source warning label appears beneath the selector if the chosen interface is stale or unreachable.
  5. Click Connect by IP (manual). The Manual result label shows whether the probe succeeded or failed.

Tips

  • SmartLinkEmail is persisted, so your email address is pre-filled the next time you open the connection screen. Your password is not persisted and must be entered each session.
  • If the Remote radios list is empty after signing in, the remote radio may not have SmartLink enabled, or it may be offline.
  • The Radio IP address drop-down remembers up to three recent addresses across sessions. If you previously used the LastRoutedRadioIp setting (from a version before v0.9.7), AetherSDR imports it automatically into the recent-address list on first launch.
  • Connect to last radio on start up is checked by default. If you work with multiple radios and want to choose explicitly each session, uncheck it.

Troubleshooting

  • Remote radios list is empty after Sign In — The radio at the remote location may be offline or SmartLink may not be enabled on it. Confirm the radio is powered on and registered to the same FlexRadio account.
  • Sign In fails or the status label shows an error — Check that your email and password are correct. Verify that AetherSDR has outbound internet access and that no firewall or proxy is blocking the SmartLink connection.
  • Audio is choppy or drops frequently — Enable Use low bandwidth mode before connecting to reduce stream rates for the link.
  • Manual connection fails or the Manual result label shows an error — Confirm the IP address is correct and reachable from this machine. Check that the selected source interface in Advanced: Source path is active; dismiss any Source warning label by selecting a valid interface.
  • AetherSDR connects to the wrong radio on startup — Uncheck Connect to last radio on start up so the connection screen opens on every launch and you can select the intended radio.
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