System Requirements

To be useful, this app requires access to a Science On a Sphere® (SOS) installation. For further information about SOS, see our web site. The app does nothing interesting until it is connected to a running SOS system.

For full functionality of this app, your SOS computer must be running SOS version 5.5.0.

Your iOS device must be running a minimum of iOS version 15.4.

The app requires Wi-Fi access to the SOS computer that is being controlled (specifically TCP port 2468).

There are two basic approaches to getting that Wi-Fi access. The first is to use the existing Wi-Fi infrastructure at your site. The second is to add a Wi-Fi router to your SOS installation. In either case, you will want to consult with your network and security team for advice on the best approach for Wi-Fi connectivity at your site. In extreme cases, Wi-Fi network security policies may entirely preclude the use of the SOS Remote App. A direct connection to a dedicated Wi-Fi router is preferred for performance reasons, since the remote control protocol is “chatty” and sends lots of messages back and forth between the iPad and the SOS computer.

If your site has an existing Wi-Fi infrastructure, you may be able (or required by policy) to use it to connect to your SOS system. The details of this will be specific to your site, so you will need to consult with your networking team for the specifics at your site. Many sites have multiple Wi-Fi networks, typically a low-security one for visitors and casual access, and one or more high-security for access to internal computers at the site. You will want to use the one that provides network access to your active SOS computer (TCP port 2468). There will be network passwords and/or VPN instructions that are specific to your site. See your network team for the details.

For the most responsive control of your SOS system by the app, you can connect a Wi-Fi router directly to your SOS computer. Doing this in a secure way requires some network expertise, so be sure to consult with your network team before attempting this. You may need to select a Wi-Fi channel that doesn’t conflict with other Wi-Fi networks, for example. Using the minimum transmitter power that you need is always a good idea. And WPA2 encryption is probably the minimum level of encryption you will want to use. You might want to turn off the beacon identifier for your Wi-Fi router to make it less obvious to casual visitors at your site. You might also consider limiting access to the specific MAC addresses of your portable devices. The details of router configuration are beyond the scope of this document, so consult with your network team when in doubt.

The SOS computer has two network interfaces: one to the external Internet, and one for a private subnet. The private subnet provides maximum security in the event your router is compromised, since the private network doesn’t allow connecting beyond the SOS computer.

Alternative to the Wi-Fi approach described above, a Bluetooth connection can be used to connect the app to the SOS computer. This is a two step process. First, the SOS computer has to be configured to use a Bluetooth Personal Area Network (PAN), and then the iPad has to be paired with the SOS computer. For full instructions on setting up Bluetooth, please see the Connecting the iPad to the SOS Server via Bluetooth guide.