The purpose of this article is to explain what is VNC and how it works with Fluke Power Quality instruments.
VNC is a well established method of communicating with devices through a virtual front panel.
VNC is a Virtual Network Computer, from a Fluke point of view the measurement instrument is the computer in this case.
VNC is a communication method that allows your PC or tablet (phone) to connect to the instrument in a way that resembles the way in which you would operate the front panel of the instrument.
The laptop/tablet is described as the client and the instrument the server. The server software is already inside the instrument.
To access the instrument it is required that you install client software on the PC/tablet.
These are our recommended client options:
|
IOS (iPhone etc.) |
Mocha VNC Lite RealVNC |
|
Android |
TightVNC Mocha VNC Lite VNC Viewer |
|
Windows |
TightVNC VNC Viewer |
It is possible for your device to connect directly to the instrument by choosing the network connection provided by the instrument Wi-Fi hotspot (or Ethernet for 174X products) or connecting via Wi-Fi if the instrument is connected to an accessible Wi-Fi network.
If you are connected directly to the instrument then the an IP address of 10.237.186.1 should be entered in the VNC client as the address to communicate with.
Once you’ve connected you will be able to operate the instrument from your device (PC/tablet), it is not possible to download data through this method, that needs to be done using the Fluke Energy Analyze software which is available for download from the Fluke website.
The instruments that are currently supported are: Fluke 1732 (if Wi-Fi is installed), Fluke 1734, Fluke 1736 and Fluke 1748.
Optionally it is possible to activate the VNC server in the Fluke 1742, Fluke 1746 and Fluke 1748 instruments.
This requires the installation of a license in the instrument (see instructions for license installation).
The client software for PC or tablet is available for download at no cost from a variety of places, for IOS devices go to the App Store, for Android go to the Google Play store and for PC’s search for ‘PC VNC software’.
Note: If you are using Fluke 174X products the front panel is virtual and does not include every available function of the instrument. It does allow you to set up and see some measurements though.
Note: A license is required for Fluke 174X products as VNC is not a completely secure protocol and may not be allowed on corporate sites for this reason.