Support Proxy Connection Refused (157.245.83.174:10001) Even After Following All Configuration Steps

ArduCopter Copter 4.6
1

Dear ArduPilot Community,

I’m encountering a frustrating “Connection Refused” error when trying to use Support Proxy for remote drone parameter tuning via Mission Planner, even after strictly following the official documentation (https://ardupilot.org/dev/docs/support_proxy.html & https://ardupilot.org/dev/docs/support_proxy_supportengineer.html). I’ve exhausted all troubleshooting steps I can think of and would greatly appreciate your expertise to resolve this issue.

Environment Details

  • Mission Planner Version: [1.3.83]

  • Drone Firmware: [ArduCopter 4.5.7]

  • Drone Model: [MicroAir H743 + DIY Quadcopter]

  • Both ends (user Windows 10 & support engineer Windows 11) , system time synchronized to NTP (time difference < 1 minute)

What I’ve Configured (Both User & Engineer Sides)

  1. MAVLink2 Signing Setup (Both sides completed):

    • Navigated to Setup -> Advanced -> Mavlink Signing

    • Clicked “Add”, entered the same shared initial random key (provided by the engineer)

    • Set a friendly name (e.g., “SupportKey”), clicked “Save”

    • Confirmed the key is active (visible in the Mavlink Signing list)

    • BOTH have click “use“ and click “SAVE“

  2. Support Proxy Connection Flow (Strictly followed official steps):

    • User Side:

      • First connected drone locally via USB (confirmed: can read parameters, drone status is “Connected”)

      • Navigated to Setup -> Advanced -> Support Proxy

      • Entered user-assigned port (10001, provided by engineer)

      • Left server address as default support.ardupilot.org

      • Clicked “Connect”

  • Engineer Side:

    • Selected “TCP” in Mission Planner’s main connection dropdown

    • Entered support.ardupilot.org as “remote host”

    • Entered engineer’s assigned port (e.g., 10001) and clicked “CONNECT”

Error Message

Enginner Side’s Mission Planner throws:

plaintext

Connection refused by target machine. 157.245.83.174:10001

   at System.Net.Sockets.TcpClient..ctor(String hostname, Int32 port)
   at MissionPlanner.Comms.TcpSerial.InitTCPClient(String host, String port) in C:\Users\mich1\Desktop\CubePilot\MissionPlanner\ExtLibs\Comms\CommsTCPSerial.cs:line 161
   at MissionPlanner.Comms.TcpSerial.Open() in C:\Users\mich1\Desktop\CubePilot\MissionPlanner\ExtLibs\Comms\CommsTCPSerial.cs:line 151
   at MissionPlanner.MAVLinkInterface.OpenBg(IProgressReporterDialogue PRsender, Boolean getparams) in C:\Users\mich1\Desktop\CubePilot\MissionPlanner\ExtLibs\ArduPilot\Mavlink\MAVLinkInterface.cs:line 960
   at MissionPlanner.Controls.ProgressReporterDialogue.RunBackgroundOperation(Object o) in C:\Users\mich1\Desktop\CubePilot\MissionPlanner\ExtLibs\Controls\ProgressReporterDialogue.cs:line 111

Troubleshooting Already Tried

  • Double-checked the shared MAVLink2 key (100% identical on both sides)

  • Disabled Windows Firewall and third-party antivirus (no network blocking)

  • Verified support.ardupilot.org is reachable (ping succeeds: avg latency 300ms)

  • Confirmed no port conflicts (10001 are free on both machines)

  • Tried different user/engineer port pairs (e.g., 10002/20002) → same error

  • Restarted Mission Planner/PCs after key configuration

Request for Help

Has anyone encountered this exact issue with Support Proxy? I’m confused because all steps are followed as per the docs, but the connection is still refused. Could this be a server-side issue (e.g., 157.245.83.174:10001 not being listened to by ArduPilot’s proxy server) or a missing configuration step I’m overlooking?

Any guidance, logs to check, or additional troubleshooting steps would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance for your help!

Best regards,

2

Who was this? They should be providing the support necessary to connect.

Or are you running your own instance of the support server?

3

Hi there! Thanks for your reply and clarifying questions.

To answer directly:

  1. I’m the one acting as the support engineer here — my goal is to set up a remote tuning channel for my client’s drone.

  2. We are not running our own support server instance. Both my side (engineer) and the client’s side (user) are trying to connect via the official ArduPilot proxy server: support.ardupilot.org, exactly as outlined in the documentation.

I’m still stuck because we’ve followed all the configuration steps (shared MAVLink2 key, correct port assignments, synchronized system time, disabled firewalls, etc.), but the “connection refused” error persists. I’m not sure if there’s a mistake in my operation flow, or if there’s an issue with the official support.ardupilot.org proxy server itself.

Would you have any further insights or additional troubleshooting steps to help narrow this down?

4

Keys are not generated randomly. The server is intended primarily for use by dev team members and partners who have been provided keys by the site administrator.

5

Hi there! Thank you so much for your previous clarification — it’s been incredibly helpful to understand the key requirements for the official Support Proxy.

I wanted to ask a follow-up question tailored to my use case: My client uses a Skydroid G20 controller to fly their drone, and the controller has a built-in ground station QGC. When the client encounters issues during flight (e.g., parameter mismatches, connection glitches) and the controller is connected to the internet, is there any way for me to establish a remote technical support channel directly with the ground station on their Skydroid G20? This would let me quickly troubleshoot and assist them without needing on-site support.

Since I’m not very familiar with networking, I’m hoping for a solution that’s relatively straightforward to set up (ideally without needing to build custom servers or complex configurations). Are there alternative methods (other than the official Support Proxy that requires admin-provided keys) to achieve this remote troubleshooting with a Skydroid G20 built-in ground station?

Any guidance or recommendations would be greatly appreciated! Thank you again for your time.

6

Any friendly neighborhood linux kiddo would be able to get a copy of the support proxy running for your use. I maintain one for my org (but really it just supports myself and a few pilots, so it’s not overly burdensome).

Instructions for getting it up and running are straightforward, and if you need a one-off support event in a hurry, send me a pm and I’ll see what I can do