I have a small observatory in my yard, and a CAT6 cable buried in the ground running from an ethernet switch in my home to the observatory. I was wondering if it is possible to have that cable send internet to the observatory, and also use that cable as a means for communicating with my observatory equipment from inside my house? There are motors to open the dome and also rotate it, and a telescope mount that is motor driven, all run by one piece of software. Sometimes I will use a laptop out there for control, and sometimes I will use my PC inside.

Would I be able to use my inside computer to control the automation of the observatory and communicate with the equipment, while also simultaneously sending an internet signal to the building when I’m out there supervising it/observing? Or do I need to lay another cable?

Thanks!

  • News8000@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Put a cheap 4-port gigabit ethernet switch at the observatory end of the existing cable then if the switch in the house is LAN-connected that new observatory switch will provide wired internet access too. Then plug a patch cable from the new switch to your equipment’s original ethernet connection port to run it, too.

    Plug a wifi AP into the observatory switch for added wireless access there, too.