Warning 2: on some android phones, the OS decides to kill SynScan app when it’s running in the background, presumably because it’s using too much resources or battery. The only way to drive your telescope on iOS using the SynScan app is currently to have it running on another device (either iOS or android). Warning 1: On iOS, it is not possible to have the SynScan app running in the background.

Once the telescope is setup, start Stellarium Mobile PLUS (keeping SynScan app running in the background) and connect to it using a “Network” connection type, on host 127.0.0.1, port 11882. The SynScan app opens a TCP socket on the phone on port 11882 emulating a regular SynScan hand controller protocol. For this, you need to install the officialĪpps and use it to connect to the telescope, configure and align it. SynScan-based Wifi mounts such as the SkyWatcher Az-GTi can be controller without hand controller. Using the SynScan app as a bridge between Stellarium Mobile PLUS and the telescope Once you define the type of link between the scope and phone, this is basically it! Stellarium Mobile Plus will try hard to automatically recognize the protocol, the type of mount, and mount status and all other available information about the hardware whenever possible.

“BT/USB/TCP Bridge Pro” (3.49€ on Play Store)

On Android, for many phones models, it is also possible to connect to the mount using a USB Host adapter cable, and a third party app creating a local TCP socket redirecting ot the USB port. Tested controllers for many type of mounts can be for example found on In many case, the telescope mount hand controller exposes a Serial RS232 port which needs to be plugged into a Serial-to-WIFI or Serial-to-Bluetooth converter so that the phone can access to it. This one works only on Android, because iOS doesn’t allow apps to use Bluetooth SPP.

Currently bluetooth 2.0, using SPP profile. This covers Wifi enabled telescopes, LAN connection, or SynScan mounts when using the SynScan app (see below). Network connection (serial over a TCP socket).In order to have your phone talk to the telescope controller, you first need to connect it to your mount or hand controller. Most (but not all) of the current GOTO telescope are compatible with one of these protocols. Since version 1.1.0 Stellarium Mobile PLUS allows to control a GOTO telescope directly from the phone, by using NexStar/SynScan or LX200 serial protocols.

Stellarium android free