Bad wifi radio?

[zenn1999]

When i first Setup my Crab I finally got it connected to wifi after a battle with the config file and it even connected to my cloud server. I did have to setup its own wifi connection as it dosent like special charcters in the password or ssid. It worked for about 5 hours then it disconnected from wifi and hasnt reconnected yet. It still works just no longer has wifi. Did the radio die?

[Darren Kitchen]

It's difficult to say with certainty based on what you've said. It sounds like from what you've said that it hasn't crashed - it's still recording images locally. When the Screen Crab was connected to your Cloud C2 server, it would have reported its LAN IP address. Are you able to ping it on the same network? 

[zenn1999]

It does not ping, and it does not connect to the router. When i plug it in The led is green for a few seconds then turns blue like it did at first but then after about 30 seconds it flashes red once then shows multi color briefly before turning off (just the led turns off). Then a few seconds later the blue led shines again till i shut it down. My wifi router never shows it connecting nor does the dhcp server on the main router. I did try to check the log but from the log all looks well, some what.

 

DEBUG_LOG|CrabConfig:	 CONFIG ARG ON|CrabConfig:	 DEBUG LOG CONFIG OPTION SET TO: ON|CrabConfig:	 CONFIG OPTION WIFI_SSID|CrabConfig:	 CONFIG ARG <NETGEARGuest>|CrabConfig:	 CONFIG OPTION WIFI_PASS|CrabConfig:	 CONFIG ARG <mypass>|
CrabConfig:	 WIFI CONFIGURED|Util:	 exec [source /system/bin/crab && diff_config_enable_wifi <NETGEARGuest> <mypass>]|Util:	 psk wifi config shell exited value: 0|CrabConfig:	 WiFi configured successfully|SDREADER:	 NO FILE AT PATH|SDWatch:	 SD Watch Thread Starting|Util:	 exec [source /system/bin/crab, watch_sd_location]|ButtonListener:	 Button Listener Thread Starting|Util:	 exec [source /system/bin/crab, wait_for_button_press]|
RunThread:	 STARTING C2 THREAD|LEDRunner:	 LED Runner Thread Starting|Util:	 exec [source /system/bin/crab, led_off]|C2Run:	 C2 Thread started|C2Run:	 C2 notification added to device queue: Capture Starting|Util:	 LEDRunner shell exited value: 0|C2Run:	 C2 Update crab config called|C2Device:	 C2 FLAG SEND UPDATED STATE|C2Run:	 C2 Waiting for capture thread to start|RunThread:	 STARTING NEW CAPTURE THREAD|CaptureThread:	 CAPTURE THREAD START|CaptureThread:	 Signal Check request sent|Mirror:	 REQUEST RECEIVED|Mirror:	 HDMI Status Updated 8213ms ago|Mirror:	 HDMI Status Updated 8213ms ago|Mirror:	 ---------- WAITING FOR INPUT TO SETTLE |Mirror:	 HDMI Status Updated 9213ms ago|Mirror:	 ---------- WAITING FOR INPUT TO SETTLE |Mirror:	 INTENT SIGNAL CHECK check|
Mirror:	 Response sent:SIGNAL|CaptureThread:	 Response:SIGNAL|CaptureThread:	 CRAB HAS VIDEO SIGNAL|C2Run:	 C2 Update crab config called|CaptureThread:	 STARTING IMAGE CAPTURE|Util:	 exec [source /system/bin/crab && get_current_temp]|Util:	 tempcheckexit value: 0|Util:	 tempcheckshell output : 47223|CaptureThread:	 CURRENT TEMP: 47223|Util:	 exec [source /system/bin/crab && get_next_capture]|Util:	 GetNextCapexit value: 0|Util:	 GetNextCapshell output : /storage/0000-0000/LOOT/970|CaptureThread:	 Capture Request Sent/storage/0000-0000/LOOT/970.jpg|Mirror:	 REQUEST RECEIVED|
Mirror:	 WAITING FOR CAPTURE TO COMPLETE|Util:	 exec [source /system/bin/crab, blue]|Util:	 LEDRunner shell exited value: 0|Mirror:	 WRITING CAPTURE TO SD|Mirror:	 CAPTURE COMPLETE484ms|Mirror:	 Response sent:/storage/0000-0000/LOOT/970.jpg|CaptureThread:	 Response:/storage/0000-0000/LOOT/970.jpg|
Util:	 exec [source /system/bin/crab && has_signal_log]|Util:	 NoSignalLog shell exited value: 0|CaptureThread:	 capture interval 5000ms|CaptureThread:	 Time spent capturing 649ms|CaptureThread:	 Capture sleep 4351ms|CaptureThread:	 149487 captures avail|Util:	 exec [source /system/bin/crab && get_next_capture]|Util:	 GetNextCapexit value: 0|Util:	 GetNextCapshell output : /storage/0000-0000/LOOT/971|CaptureThread:	 Capture Request Sent/storage/0000-0000/LOOT/971.jpg|Mirror:	 REQUEST RECEIVED

Here is the relevant snippet, I believe. I have not tried using my pineapple yet to see if its trying to connect to something. I will try that after work.

[zenn1999]

S i finally got time to do more troubleshooting. I started up my pineapple and started a 2 minute recon on 2.4ghz. I then started my crab up and waited for the recon to finish. I did not find a like mac address in the list or see any probes for the ssid. I setup that ssid just for the crab and the owl since they needed passwords without special characters. So i powered down the crab and changed the ssid to Open since this is one ssid I already have up on the pineapple. Before i powered up the crab i connected my phone the the open ssid so i was sure it was accessible. I then powered the crab back up and waited for a connection. It never did though. here is the log snippet showing it using the settings.

Util:	 exec [stop adbd]|Util:	 stop adbd shell exited value: 0|Util:	 exec [stop logd]|Util:	 stop logd shell exited value: 0|Util:	 exec [source system/bin/crab && upgrade_check_on_boot]|Util:	 Service start shell exited value: 0|Util:	 exec [source /system/bin/crab && do_gpio_setup && leds_off]|Mirror:	 NEW HDMI Status; Input: true|Mirror:	 HDMI INSERTED|Mirror:	 camera opened 1920 x 1080|Util:	 RunThread shell exited value: 0|Util:	 exec [source /system/bin/crab && upgrade_framework 1.0.6]|Util:	 crabframeworkupgrade shell exited value: 0|CrabFramework:	 Crab framework up to date|Util:	 exec [source /system/bin/crab && red]|ShellThread:	 setCPU Shell Thread Starting|Util:	 exec [source /system/bin/crab, source /system/bin/crab && sleep 120 && do_cpu_setup]|Mirror:	 SETTING UP PREVIEW|Util:	 Main setLEDsNow() shell exited value: 0|Util:	 exec [source /system/bin/crab && wait_for_sd_location]|
Util:	 waitforSD shell exited value: 0|Util:	 exec [source /system/bin/crab && led_off]|Util:	 Main setLEDsNow() shell exited value: 0|DeviceConfig:	 C2 Device.config PARSE COMPLETE|RunThread:	 C2 ENABLED|RunThread:	 CREATING C2 THREAD|RunThread:	 Loading Crab Config from SD|Util:	 exec [source /system/bin/crab && locate_sd && touch /storage/0000-0000/version.txt && echo 1.0.6 > /storage/0000-0000/version.txt]|Util:	 versionfile shell exited value: 0|CrabConfig:	 CONFIG OPTION DEBUG_LOG|CrabConfig:	 CONFIG ARG ON|CrabConfig:	 DEBUG LOG CONFIG OPTION SET TO: ON|CrabConfig:	 CONFIG OPTION WIFI_SSID|CrabConfig:	 CONFIG ARG <Open>|CrabConfig:	 WIFI CONFIGURED|
Util:	 exec [source /system/bin/crab && diff_config_enable_wifi <Open>]|Util:	 open wifi config shell exited value: 0|CrabConfig:	 WiFi configured successfully|SDREADER:	 NO FILE AT PATH|SDWatch:	 SD Watch Thread Starting|Util:	 exec [source /system/bin/crab, watch_sd_location]|ButtonListener:	 Button Listener Thread Starting|Util:	 exec [source /system/bin/crab, wait_for_button_press]|RunThread:	 STARTING C2 THREAD|
LEDRunner:	 LED Runner Thread Starting|Util:	 exec [source /system/bin/crab, led_off]|C2Run:	 C2 Thread started|C2Run:	 C2 notification added to device queue: Capture Starting|Util:	 LEDRunner shell exited value: 0|C2Run:	 C2 Update crab config called|C2Device:	 C2 FLAG SEND UPDATED STATE|RunThread:	 STARTING NEW CAPTURE THREAD|CaptureThread:	 CAPTURE THREAD START|CaptureThread:	 Signal Check request sent|Mirror:	 REQUEST RECEIVED|Mirror:	 INTENT SIGNAL CHECK check|Mirror:	 Response sent:SIGNAL|CaptureThread:	 Response:SIGNAL|C2Run:	 C2 Waiting for capture thread to start|CaptureThread:	 CRAB HAS VIDEO SIGNAL|C2Run:	 C2 Update crab config called|CaptureThread:	 STARTING IMAGE CAPTURE|Util:	 exec [source /system/bin/crab && get_current_temp]|Util:	 tempcheckexit value: 0|Util:	 tempcheckshell output : 50961|
CaptureThread:	 CURRENT TEMP: 50961|CaptureThread:	 149218 captures avail|Util:	 exec [source /system/bin/crab && get_next_capture]|Util:	 exec [source /system/bin/crab, blue]|Util:	 GetNextCapexit value: 0|Util:	 GetNextCapshell output : /storage/0000-0000/LOOT/1268|CaptureThread:	 Capture Request Sent/storage/0000-0000/LOOT/1268.jpg|Mirror:	 REQUEST RECEIVED|Mirror:	 WAITING FOR CAPTURE TO COMPLETE|Util:	 LEDRunner shell exited value: 0|
Mirror:	 WRITING CAPTURE TO SD|Mirror:	 CAPTURE COMPLETE458ms|Mirror:	 Response sent:/storage/0000-0000/LOOT/1268.jpg|CaptureThread:	 Response:/storage/0000-0000/LOOT/1268.jpg|Util:	 exec [source /system/bin/crab && has_signal_log]|Util:	 NoSignalLog shell exited value: 0|CaptureThread:	 capture interval 5000ms|CaptureThread:	 Time spent capturing 658ms|CaptureThread:	 Capture sleep 4342ms|CaptureThread:	 149217 captures avail|Util:	 exec [source /system/bin/crab && get_next_capture]|Util:	 GetNextCapexit value: 0|Util:	 GetNextCapshell output : /storage/0000-0000/LOOT/1269|

[zenn1999]

I put this aside for a while as i was not getting anywhere. Now with some time on my hands i would like to figure this out if i could. I decided to reconnect my crab to my pc screen, pulled out a new sd card and loaded it in the crab. After powering it on it seems like it is booting properly so i waited for about 15 minutes, pushed the button and waited for a green led to pull the card. The crab loaded the appropriate files on the card but had no loot or a log file. Also while the crab is running i cant tell what color the led is so it probably isnt blue...

[zenn1999]

Turns out the crab dosent like hdmi adapters. My monitor dosent have a native hdmi port instead i have an digital to hdmi adapter and the color of the led was no signal color. I moved it to my tv and i got a blue led again. Still trying to figure out the wifi though. I work in IT and right now to install this on a customers monitor or tv would enable me to do easier no contact service calls. That is why i started diving back into getting this up and running. I am sure its user error somewhere, I am just missing something small. Anyone that has wifi up and running on theirs, my question is how is the ssid and password enclosed if at all in your config. 

[Skinny]

Here's what I did: 

 

The problem is that it doesn't work all the time, but it's worth a try. I'm beginning to think it might be a hardware issue, but I'm not sure. I'm about to get my hands on another unit to see if it behaves differently.

[zenn1999]

Ok. I do have mine in quotes. And in my router's log i don't even see it trying to connect....... I'm not sure what else to try. Yes it is still useful without the wifi but it is a feature i planned to use reguarly.

Just for a recap, I did have it connected at one time. As well as connected to my C2 server. I used the guest account on my router as it would not accept the password with a $ in it. I hooked it to my cable box and all was working for a few hours. i noticed it gets pretty hot so i let it dangle in the air. But after a few hours it then stopped doing anything and the led reflected it lost signal. I rebooted the cable box and the crab but from that point it no longer attempted a wifi connection. I even used my pineapple to verify this. I am stumped.

[Skinny]

@zenn1999 Mine also gets very warm. It started out working two days ago when I set it up for another infrastructure, and then stopped working yesterday. I went into the office and grabbed two more. I'll test them Monday to see if they are having the same problem and get back to you.

[zenn1999]

I am Really stumped now..... I looked at my config again to make sure i had just wifi options and all else comented out. I did I then noticed the loot folder was still filling despite the fact it wasnt suppose to be capturing. I had deleted the pictures previously so i should have had an empty folder. The pictures were also still following the same number sequence also as if the other pictures were still there in front of it. This gave me a clue. I opened the three files in the loot folder and deleted the contents of each so they were empty. I then reinserted the sd in the crab plugged it back in and it reconnected to the internet and the c2 server???? was it not even reading my config file? Dont get me wrong i am extremely happy but i need to know why......

[zenn1999]

So far My Crab has been running online, and connected to my c2 server for the whole weekend with no issue. I tried to reproduce the problem but have not been able to. I still believe It was more user error than anything but this is what i think happened: The company i work for tried adding a TV service that i had been demoing. The STB boxes were mag 257w1. These boxes caused a lot of issues with several devices, like tv's and HDMI splitters. This is the box my crab was connected to when it stopped working. the box was notorious for overheating and freezing. I believe when it froze it caused the crab to have no signal thus not doing anything. My assumption that it had something to do with wifi caused me to mess with the config and wifi access credentials. So i worked my way back to a working configuration connected to a device that doesn't disagree with it. Thanks for the help along the way. Also One more user error tid-bit, As this device show up as an android device to my dhcp server on my router, I overlooked it a couple times thinking it was one of the android phones in the house....

 

[Skinny]

Meanwhile, I'm still having trouble with the WiFi radio. I now have 3 screen crabs in my possession. I grabbed a brand new one and placed an SD card inside of it with a config file, containing just the WIFI SSID and password, and the device.config file from c2. The screen crab worked great. It connected to the AP and called back to C2 perfectly. After letting it grab a few screenshots over the course of several minutes, I pressed the button and let the light go green. I removed the microSD letting the light go red. I disconnected power from the crab.

Next, I placed the microSD back into the screen crab and connected power. The crab came on, the light went blue, but it never connected to the AP and therefore never connected to c2. I cycled power again, but still no connection.

I then repeated everything above with another mint condition screen crab. It did the exact same thing. Now I have 3 screen crabs that are in the same situation. Just by cycling power after the first run, it will not reconnect to the AP. 

Unfortunately, I can't find a reliable setup or course of action to get consistent behavior.