Updating the Firmware on the AM3 Mount

I wanted to write a blog article on this process to hopefully save others some time because I have been down this road twice, and it is frustrating. Through those two well-spaced experiences I have found that the AM3 manual and even the internet is a struggle to understand what should be a very simple process. That is one of the reasons I started this website. Hopefully I can help simplify this all for you.

First off, you can use your data enabled cell phone to update the firmware. You just have to ensure you turn Bluetooth off, connect to the mount with Wi-Fi by looking for the SSID that says AMH…. And using the default password of 12345678

You can then open the SkyAtlas app on your data enabled phone, go to settings and in there you will see a section on updating the firmware. You can go ahead and do this because your phone will download the firmware update via your data plan and then communicate the firmware update to the mount via Wi-Fi. Please note YOU CANNOT DO THIS USING A BLUETOOTH CONNECTION TO THE MOUNT. That piece is NOT well documented.

I used that process last evening and it worked. There were some hair-raising moments, and it took me a good hour to finally figure it out.

A second method which I have not tried is to use your laptop with Wi-Fi to connect to the mount. Search for the SSID that begins with AMH and use the default password of 12345678. Once connected, open a browser page and type in 192.168.4.1

This will take you to a management page where you can see your firmware version. You can then use the network tab on that page to connect your mount to the internet via an internet enabled access point and retrieve the firmware update that way. I am going to test this next, but I am thinking you have to set this mount into station mode to do this. I will know more when I test it.

One more thing I want to add. I had a tough time switching between Alt-Az and EQ mode and this is because so much of this is so poorly documented by ZWO. When you power on the mount, holding the cancel button on the remote – the actual status light that you are looking for that changes red or green is the status light on the main mount panel up where the hand controller plugs in, not the LED on the power button. It will turn green for Alt-Az and Red for EQ mod. If it flashes between red and green after initially going solid it means that the mount does not have the latest time and date information. I am going to test this further as well, and I might make a video on this process for the Facebook page.

I really like ZWO’s products. I think they are well-made, cutting-edge and even well-priced. The one area this company really lacks in is communication, with poor documentation and a lack of online resources. I think ZWO needs to 1. Write their instructions, 2. Bring in a panel of 10 people and test them and then repeat this process by re-writing their instructions until it gets to the point where any sampling of 10 can do it without issues. That piece right there is never emphasized enough by many manufacturers. All that information may be there but it is scattered everywhere in the manual if at all.

If you have any questions or comments, please provide me with feedback via the form on the Gallery page and I will do my best to answer any questions.