Hi, we were recently doing some testing related to IR and April tags with our DEXI and noticed that we would lose connection to our DEXI when it got farther than 10 feet from the connected laptop. We’ve done extensive testing and troubleshooting in an attempt to fix this issue, with no effect on our Wi-Fi range.
How we tested the Wi-Fi range
To test the Wi-Fi connection range, we took the same steps every time: We had the DEXI LEDs constantly loop between red and blue using NODE RED. Since the DEXI commands are handled on the client of the connected laptop, connection issues or a connection break would be denoted by the LEDs locking up for several seconds at a time (temporary connection loss) or freezing entirely (connection break). I would slowly back away from the controlling laptop, noting the distance that the LEDs started malfunctioning. After passing the connection break distance, the controlling laptop had to reconnect to the DEXI Wi-Fi in order to send commands again.
Troubleshooting Process
We’ve tried the following troubleshooting methods:
- I have personally verified that the drone is configured to use the external antenna correctly. This is corroborated by the fact that unscrewing the external antenna from the drone causes an immediate disconnect, even if the drone is right next to the connected laptop.
- I’ve switched out the antenna (the removable part) for a much larger one. Despite being comically large, the drone still disconnected at the 10 foot mark of the distance test. I’ve attached an image below for your viewing pleasure.
- We used an entirely different laptop to conduct the test. I did the NODE-RED setup process on my machine, and copied the code that my DEXI programmer had used for testing. Again with the distance test, the results did not change at all. The LEDs would flash back and forth until I got 10 feet away from the controlling laptop, and then they would become laggy and eventually freeze completely.
- Since our school has two teams that are participating in this year’s competition, I have the privilege of having access to another DEXI. We connected their DEXI to our laptop, conducted the test, and I got fully outside of our robotics lab and about halfway down the hallway before I gave up on trying to determine the range of their DEXI.
As a result of our troubleshooting efforts, I’ve determined that the issue lies in a faulty Pi CM4. @droneblocks if you could help us get a replacement component, we would really appreciate it.
Our team’s first competition is November 9th, and I’d like to receive the replacement as soon as possible so that we can properly test the scoring capability of our DEXI before the competition.