Basic Troubleshooting Guide Before Contacting Support – Starfront Observatories

Overview

This guide walks you through essential troubleshooting steps to resolve common equipment and connectivity issues before opening a support ticket. Most problems can be resolved in just a few minutes by following these procedures.

Estimated Time: 5–10 minutes

Completing these steps helps our support team diagnose legitimate hardware and network problems more quickly. Failure to attempt basic troubleshooting may result in additional charges if support staff must perform these same steps on your behalf.

Prerequisites

Before starting, you'll need:

Access to your remote power controls (KASA Smart Plug, KASA Power Strip, Digital Loggers Web Power Switch, etc.)
Access to your VPN configuration (WireGuard, Starfront VPN, etc.)
The software you use to interact with your equipment (ASIAIR, NINA, Voyager, SharpCap, PHD2, Remote Desktop, etc.)
Physical access to your site (recommended for Step 9)
Discord account or access to https://status.starfront.space (recommended for Step 6)

Step 1: Identify the Problem

Before making changes, determine which category best describes your issue:

Telescope or mount not responding
ASIAIR or mini PC issue
Camera, focuser, filter wheel, or accessory not detected
VPN connection issue
Cannot remotely access equipment
Power issue
Software issue
Other

Identifying the failing component will make troubleshooting much easier.

Step 2: Verify Device Power

Using your remote-controlled power equipment:

Verify that the affected device is actually powered ON
Look for:
- Power indicator LEDs (should be illuminated)
- Current power status in your power strip interface
- Outlet status
- Any unexpected OFF state

Many support requests are caused by equipment that simply lost power due to weather events, power surges, or accidental disconnection.

Step 3: Perform a Standard Restart

Restart the affected equipment. This may include:

Telescope
Mount
Camera
ASIAIR
Mini PC
Network switch
Router

Important: Wait approximately 10 seconds after turning off the device before restoring power. Allow several minutes for the equipment to fully boot before testing again.

Expected boot times:

ASIAIR: 1–2 minutes
Mini PC: 2–5 minutes
Mount/camera: 15–60 seconds

Step 4: Perform a Full Power Cycle (If Needed)

If restarting does not resolve the issue:

Turn the affected device completely OFF
Leave power disconnected for 30–60 seconds (this fully discharges the device)
Restore power
Allow the device to fully initialize before testing

Some hardware requires a complete power discharge before recovering properly.

Important: A power cycle is different from a restart. Restart means rebooting via software or briefly cycling power. A power cycle means completely removing power for 30–60 seconds.

Step 5: Restart Your Computer

If you are using a PC or Mac for imaging or remote access:

Close all imaging software and remote desktop applications
Restart the computer completely
Reopen only the software needed for testing

Many connection issues are resolved by restarting the client computer. Do not assume software automatically updated its device list after hardware restarted; close and reopen it.

Step 6: Check Observatory Status

Before opening a support ticket, verify that the observatory is operating normally.

Many questions regarding roof closures, weather conditions, maintenance, or known service interruptions can be answered without opening a support ticket.

Starfront Discord Community

Join our Discord community to stay updated on observatory status:

https://discord.gg/starfront

Once connected, check the following channels:

#weather-and-roof-operations — Current weather conditions and automated roof operations
#all-roofs — Live roof status updates across all observatories
#customer-announcements — Scheduled maintenance, service interruptions, and important announcements

Starfront Status Page

Visit: https://status.starfront.space

The current roof status is displayed prominently at the top of the page, along with any active operational notices.

Please verify whether your observatory is:

Operating normally
Closed due to weather
Under scheduled maintenance
Experiencing a known service interruption

If your issue is already covered by a posted announcement, there is generally no need to submit a support ticket unless your problem appears unrelated.

Step 7: Verify Your VPN Connection

If your system uses a VPN connection (WireGuard, Starfront VPN, etc.):

Disconnect the VPN
Wait approximately 10 seconds
Reconnect the VPN
Verify the VPN connects successfully
Verify you are connected to the correct observatory
Verify your assigned equipment IP address is reachable

WireGuard Users: Critical Limitation

Your WireGuard VPN configuration must only be active on one device at a time.

Running the same WireGuard configuration on multiple devices simultaneously causes:

Packet loss
Connection instability
Slow file transfers
Frequent disconnects
Intermittent device communication

If switching devices: Disconnect the VPN on your first device (phone, tablet, laptop) before connecting with your second device.

Step 8: Verify Network Connectivity

After connecting to the VPN, test the following:

Can you ping the assigned device IP?
Can you connect through the expected software?
Can you access SMB/network shares (if applicable)?
Can you reach the remote desktop?

If the VPN connects but the device cannot be reached, include this information in your support ticket (this indicates a legitimate network problem).

Step 9: Verify Physical Connections (If On-Site)

If you have physical access to your equipment:

Check all USB cables are fully seated
Check all Ethernet cables are fully connected
Check power supplies are firmly connected
Verify no loose connectors
Check for damaged cables

Loose or damaged connections account for a surprisingly large number of hardware issues.

Step 10: Restart the Software

Close and reopen the application experiencing problems. Applications to consider restarting:

ASIAIR
NINA
Voyager
SharpCap
PHD2
Remote Desktop
AnyDesk
RustDesk

Step 11: Test Once More

Before opening a ticket, repeat your task one more time. Many temporary communication issues resolve after equipment has fully restarted and stabilized.

What to Include in Your Support Ticket

When opening a support ticket, please provide:

What equipment is affected
What changed before the problem occurred
Which troubleshooting steps you completed (from this guide)
Exact error messages (word-for-word if possible)
Screenshots or log files, if available
Approximate time the issue occurred
Whether the problem is repeatable or intermittent

Providing this information significantly reduces resolution time.

Do Not Open a Ticket For

Before submitting a ticket, verify the issue is not one of the following:

Device simply powered off (check Step 2)
VPN disconnected (check Step 7)
Multiple WireGuard sessions using the same configuration (check Step 7 WireGuard section)
Software that only needed restarting (check Step 10)
Equipment still booting after a restart (wait for full boot time)
Loose or disconnected cables (check Step 9)
Observatory closed due to weather or maintenance (check Step 6)

Change One Thing at a Time

When troubleshooting, change only one thing at a time. If you power-cycle five devices simultaneously, it's difficult to identify what resolved (or caused) the issue. Work through the steps methodically.

Need Help?

If you've completed all steps above and the issue persists, contact Starfront Support with the information listed in "What to Include in Your Support Ticket." Be specific about which steps you've completed and what the results were.