Recommendation: FlashAir and Flashpap - Wifi data transfer from CPAP to PC

[Crimson Nape]

No, it will not work.  I've been trying to gain access to its firmware code without success for the past month.    I've been trying other brands without success as well.  I've even written to the manufacturers without receiving any replies.  The only one that had promise, Transcend, is no longer in production and harder to find than the FlashAir.  I will be blasting away on the board if for some reason I'm ever successful on any of them.

[Sheepish]

Do any of our hardware and software experts know if the ezShare card can be configured to work in place of the Toshiba FlashAir card.

My machine has been working nearly flawlessly with a 16gb FlashAir card since mid-June 2019, but I'd like to have a backup, just in case the existing card dies.

@Crimson Nape is correct. I initially tried the ezShare card, as it was less expensive, and was unable to get it to work. So I caved in and got a Toshiba FlashAir and that has worked fine since. It's a shame they're so hard to find anymore. If our guru with a little extra sun on the back of his neck eventually figures out a solution for a replacement, I hope he'll also post it in this thread, which I'm following with interest.

[GordK]

Good Day,
Thanks to all who provide valuable to info to us "newbs" who find themselves in the dark when it comes to the various software developed to enhance our CPAP experience. You have made my life easier since day one of my journey started in March of 2018.

Today, I am against the wall with data transfer from my Airsense 10 to Sleepy Head/OSCAR. I had this working fine a couple of years ago in Ubuntu 16.04 but not been successful in either 18.04 or 20.04. I cannot get past the java requirements. Seeing errors related to javafx support not found. I have tried every iteration of java I have come across in various forum entries on this subject. 
I recently found reference to Sleep Master and it looks like something that may work. I am willing to try anything at this point. BUT...the links to http://www.sleepmaster.org/ go to a Go Daddy page with no connection to this software.

Any info you could shed on this (Sleep Master) is appreciated.
Cordially,
GordK
Take care and be safe.

[Crimson Nape]

With the demise of the FlashAir WiFi SD card, it seems that SleepMaster.org has gone dark.   I will inform the system administrator of this so they can edit the links.

I had the same problem when my LM 19(at the time - Now 20.1) upgraded from 8 to 10 (now 11 - I think!).  Below, is the code that brought it back to life.

Code:

#!/bin/bash

cd /home/A10/FlashPAP
export DISPLAY=:0
java --module-path /usr/share/openjfx/lib --add-modules ALL-MODULE-PATH -jar FlashPAP.jar user=A10 exit=yes

I hope it may help.

I forgot to mention that in order for FlashPAP to run in Linux, you have to be logged in to your account, because it required a graphic output display to be active, or it will error out. You can not run FlashPAP as a cron job if not logged in. Because of this, I have switched from FlashPAP to using the WebDAV option on the FlashAir and use "rsync" within a bash script to auto download the data, using crontab. This works like a charm!

- Red

[GordK]

Thank you Crimson Nape,
Your info gives me some roadway to explore. Sadly, most of it goes right over my head. BUT...nothing ventured, nothing gained. I will have to dust off my linux manuals and start scouring google to get to the bottom of some of this.

I have been seeing the Webdav stuff just recently but have not been successful with that yet. It looks promising.
I gain confidence from past challenges...switching to linux was a biggie. This FlashAir data transfer has been especially frustrating but I keep coming back to it. The frustration comes partly from having it working in a previous version of Ubuntu. I am confident that I will eventually, fall into a successful conclusion! Not sure when and not sure if I will be able to folllow my bread crumbs back to record what was required. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step! Currently at step 21,747.
I will come back here and post when I am successful.

Thanks again for your time and expertise. It is greatly appreciated.
Cordially,

GordK

[Crimson Nape]

Here is a brief rundown on using WebDAV and rsync with the FlashAir on Linux.  Another member was kind enough to write a Mac version a while back.

• FlashAir - SD_WLAN/CONFIG:
  
  1. Use a static IP - IP_Address=xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
     Replace the x's with your IP values. (ex: 192.168.1.38)
     (Side note: I use the IP range of 150 - 250 for the DHCP addresses. 1-149 and 252-254 are reserved for static IP devices.)
     
  2. Add WEBDAV=2
     
  3. Remember to replace the asterisks("*") with your password in the APPNETWORKKEY parameter on each edit of this file.
     
  
  
• Linux:
  
  1. Install and config the DAV filesystem daemon
     • sudo apt-get update -y
       
     • sudo apt-get install -y davfs2
       Note: During install you will be prompted to allow all users to mount the WebDAV devices, select "Yes".
       
  2. Create mounting point and mount the WebDAV drive:
     • Either use /mnt or /media for your mountpoint location and a mountpoint name of your choosing.
       For this example, I'm using /mnt/and FlashAir.
       • sudo mkdir /mnt/FlashAir
         
       • sudo mount -t davfs -o noexec  http://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx/ /mnt/FlashAir/
         You will be prompted for a username and password.  Press <ENTER> to these prompts.
         Note: You can enter in a listing for this connection in the /etc/davfs2/secrets file to bypass these prompts, but that is for another day...
         
  3. Rsync command:
     • rsync -a /mnt/FlashAir/ /home/username/CPAP_Data
       Note:
       • "CPAP_Data" is only the example name for your local folder that stores the FlashAir's data files.
         
       • The "-a" is equivalent to using the "-rlptgoD" options.
         

I hope this may help. Good luck!

- Red

[GordK]

SUCCESS!! 

As I stated in my last post...I can't tell you what I did differently this last time as compared to all the previous attempts. Something obviously. 
Hopefully, I won't have to cover this ground again for a while. With my luck, it will be far enough down the road that it will be brand new territory...AGAIN! The grey matter IS slowly turning to concrete.

Maybe ResMed will turn to wifi enabled equipment that might lessen our misery.

Thanks again to Crimson Nape and all the others who provide us with support and encouragement.

Take care and be safe.
Cordially,

GordK
Out of the dark...for now!

[Ratchick]

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone on this thread (and others about using FlashAir. I managed to find a 32b W4 card for a VERY reasonable price (only a little over the old RRP) and got it to work with FlashPAP (eventually... Java is not my friend). It did conk out on me a few days ago - for some reason, my ISP managed to kill all of the neighbourhood's connections and even after restarting my router/wifi extender a bunch of times, it wouldn't connect. Until the next day, when the internet blipped again and the next reboot fixed it. Go figure. But aside from that, it's proven to make my life SO much easier, and no more fears about forgetting to replace it in the machine!

[Crimson Nape]

Unlike most current devices, the FlashAir only announces itself to the network at power-up and at no other time. It also boots up faster than most other devices on the network. Because of its behavior, if you ever lose power, wait until everything is back up online and then recycle the power on the FlashAir. Doing this will guarantee that other devices (Wi-Fi access point) will be listening when it makes its handshake broadcast.

[Ratchick]

Aye, I spotted that in the various threads, and I tried... many times. It just wasn't having it. I tried changing various settings in the config file. Heck, I even copied the data off, reformatted it using the FlashAir tool, and then carefully re-entering the data all over again to make sure something wasn't corrupted in the file or something. I guess something just wasn't playing nicely between my router/extender and the card.