Features:

  • Align and control your telescope wirelessly using your smartphone or tablet and Celestron’s free SkyPortal app for iOS and Android devices.
  • Tap any celestial object you see in the sky to identify it instantly. Tap again and your telescope slews to that object, centering it perfectly in the eyepiece.
  • Explore 100,000+ objects in SkyPortal’s database. While you observe, view astroimages and listen to audio descriptions for hundreds of the most popular objects including the planets, Orion Nebula, Hercules Globular Star Cluster, and more.
  • Sky Tour feature generates a list of all the best stars, galaxies and nebulae to view based on your exact time and location.
  • WiFi module is compatible with all current Celestron computerized telescopes and select older models. Unit does not require batteries or external power.
Wow! This works amazingly well! (SkyQ with 2 year old IPad, the free SkyPortal App and a Celestron CPC1100 11" telescope)

Oh my goodness! This device with the free SkyPortal app from Celestron (by Sky Safari) makes nighttime astronomy with my CPC 1100 telescope an incredible amount of fun. The old hand controller doesn't begin to compare to how easy this is to use, continue to learn and navigate about the sky. Quickly learning about star names, features, constellations and finding all those allusive deep nebula and clusters. Detailed information about anything in the sky is just a couple touches away, including full narration about what your looking at. Neptune and Uranus were awesome to see and the alignment procedure of my telescope is now so easy. Not sure what your looking at? Just point the telescope and the SkyPortal app (through the skyQ) Shows you the star name, particular information and the constellation you looking at all right on the screen. The app also had night time viewing (dim red) to keep your night vision in tact. The guys at Celestron definitely hit a home run with this one! This works with any of the Celestron go-to telescopes. I had some issues at first. It seems I was experiencing a conflict between the original hand controller and the SkyQ/SkyPortal App). I did not see in the instructions were told me to not have my hand controller plugged in but they must conflict somehow. Once I unplugged the hand controller and restarted everything, the telescope quickly becomes aligned everything worked perfectly. Update 10 June 2016. I upgraded my telescope to an 11" Edge HD telescope on a CGEM DX mount and have lots more use to report on. In warmer weather I still regularly use and prefer the WIFI Skyportal. When it's really cold I use the hand controller as I can wear gloves when operating. I did also upgrade to SkySafari Pro 5 and really like the extra features including comets, asteroids and identifying various satellites including alerts when the ISS International Space Station as well as Iridium flares will occur overhead. Just a note for no matter what kind of mount you have- be sure to balance your scope to maintain dead on goto accuracy. Update-22Nov 16. I am now using an Ipad Pro with Sky Safari 5 and it continues to work great and totally love it! EVERYONE- DONT FORGET TO UNPLUG YOUR HAND CONTROLLER when using Skyportal as the two do not work well together! I did add a photo of the compatibility list below:

Works well with 114LCM

Connected to my 114LCM. It was a little tricky to get it set up (especially to the wifi access point) but once it's set up, it works great. Can slew the scope, align, and more using the skyportal app. It's much easier and more fun to use the apps graphical interface to navigate the scope vs the hand control. You can still use the hand control to center objects while the skyportal is hooked up. I had to purchase a auxiliary splitter to use both at the same time. The only problem I had was updating the firmware for the hand controller via wifi. For whatever reason it bricked the hand controller with a bootloader error when I tried to update via wifi. I called Celestron and they had me do the update with a USB cable and all was well. They advised against updating via wi-fi and said the cable was the preferred method.

Works great! Latest version of SkyPortal app based on SkySafari 6!

I initially didn't think the Wi-Fi module came with any documentation. At the bottom of the small product box is a folded up white piece of paper with some instructions - I mistook this for the bottom of the box as the box itself is also white. You can find additional documentation online by searching for the device's previous name "SkyQ Link". I no longer have to input time and location during alignment - this information is provided by my iPhone via the SkyPortal app! This means the SkyPortal can replace functionality of SkySync GPS module in most circumstances. FYI, the SkyPortal app was updated June 2018 to be based on SkySafari 6 which is the current version, Previously, the SkyPortal app from Celestron was based on an older version of SkySafari.

First time trying went like this: I connected to the mount using my ...

I use this with a CGEM mount. It worked perfectly as advertised. First time trying went like this: I connected to the mount using my iphone and Sky Safari Pro. Choosing the "connect and align" option I was really impressed with how well this stuff worked literally the first time I turned it on. I checked the settings right away (before aligning) and saw that SS recognized the new scope as a Celestron German EQ mount and took me through a polar alignment like this.... 1) ensure mount is leveled, pointing due north and RA is set to your Latitude (or something like that). When finished pressed 'done' 2) choose a bright star in the East and press goto: I chose Mirach and the scope slewed to that direction. I adjusted the scope using the HC, about 8 full moons and hit align. 3) choose a bright start in the East and press goto: I picked Hamal. Scope was still about the same distance off. I adjusted and hit align. 4) choose a bright start in the West and press goto: I picked Deneb. Scope slewed about 180 and landed about the same distance off, but I only had to adjust in one direction. 5) choose a bright start in the West and press goto: I picked Vega. At this point I knew things were going well as Vega popped right in the cross hairs of the 12mm reticulated EP I was using. Sweet! Alignment complete. Since I was in the area I tested goto by hitting Albireo and the scope slewed perfectly. While the view in the crappy EP was not to die for it was certainly Albireo and it was nicely centered.

Great little addition to my CPC 800 deluxe

Great little addition to my CPC 800 deluxe. I can connect from my smart phone and computer. the only thing is if you make alignment using the hand controller, the software in the phone doesn't recognize it. So you should decide which method you use to control the telescope then make alignment using that method. The celestron app on the phone supports Starsense autoalign method, so it is a joy to use the telescope wirelessly. And it surprised me how small it is. You barely know it is there.

WORKS GREAT!

So, I dabble in astrophotography. My scope is the Celestron NexStar 5Se. Very happy with scope, and with handset fairly good alignment. For routine viewing a bit of drift makes no difference. With imaging though, you need the scope locked on to your target. And SkyPortal did an outstanding job. Calibrated easy and then located objects very, very well.

Eccellent add on for the scope, especially if using CCD or AP

I am using it with the CPC 1100 It can generate its own wifi network for when you are in out in a remote place and control the scope via a tablet or a smartphone connecting to such wifi If you are at home, you can switch to access point and basically the scope will now have the ability to connect you your home network. You can then control the scope from the iPad You can use the free app provided, however will work with Skysafari... For 15$ you get a much better app with many more functioanlities and a much more complete visualization of sky object and more complete list Controlling the scope is easy enough, and actually the scope respond very well. I,had a Celestron Evolution, and the native wifi of the evolution is very sluggish often unresponsive with the same Skysafari. the Skyportal wifi adapter seem not to have such issue You can do the regular alignment via the tablet, keep eventually using the HC if you want It also works if you have the Starsense installed, you can initiate the Starsense alignment with it, and refine it adding additional alignment star, like you would do with the Starsense HC Initially it was working at all with the CPC. Was generating the wifi, you could connect the iPad to it, but would not control the scope and you would get an error. It turned out that my CPC had a faulty MC board. It was fixed by Celestron and now works I found more intuitive to control the scope with the iPad having a display of the planetarium than just using the HC Make the observation experience much more pleasant ...once us d, you don't want to go back to just HC

The Future's

Good connection with my ipad and iphone. If you goow your location at a in and out of the app a lot it creates a lot of need to reconnect. If you do not like apple to know your location, it can create an issue with the celestron star guide as it will not be able to have a base location. Once you allow steve job's minions to know where and what you are doing at all times, this is one amazing thing to have, and the simplicity is grace.

Essential accessory for Celestron GoTo mounts

Must have accessory for Celestron AVX mounts. I assume it works just as well with other Celestron mounts too (it better, I plan to upgrade some day!). I hate the hand controller on my AVX mount. In the winter, the cord stiffens up and the LCD slows down and becomes unreadable. I also hate the hand controller holster clamp thing that never seems to hold the controller. Anyway, I MUCH prefer using my phone as a controller. The location and time are automatic, the display is infinitely more intuitive and informational, and a GoTo sky object is selected from a star map or search, rather than a long list. Works well, every time.

Awesome!

It connected very easy! This, combined with the star sense autoaligner and Sky Safari (or Celstron Sky Portal app) makes for an incredibly easy, fun viewing experience. The only thing I would change is really more of a software thing. You have to stay within the apps, or it will lose connection with the app. That is, the wifi is still connected to your phone, but if you exit out of the app even for a second, it will need to reconnected and sometimes even need to repeat the alignment process. It is much smaller than what I expected. It looked bigger that the picture. Like the size of a slightly oversized USB thumb drive. Great! Buck for buck, this may be the best $100 for your telescope. Recommended!

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