I tried hard for a few hours trying to get my node connected for spending on SN. Nothing worked.

It wasn't for lack of trying. I've successfully connected my node to dozens of apps in the past.

I run my node on StartOS, which is natively over Tor. I frequently have issues connecting mobile apps to my node at home. Tor is probably one of the major reasons.

I tried using NWC, but then was told it was deprecated. I used Zues with the Lightning Terminal app on my node, which usually worked, but not reliably. Alby Hub was one of the best solutions, for a while, until it also stopped working.

My LN connections always stop working right when I need them, too. I go to pay at a merchant, and something fails connecting to my node. It's absolutely infuriating.

The only thing that's been absolutely reliable is to connect to my node from my laptop over Tor, then launch one of the LN wallet apps there. I can do this from anywhere in the world, and it always works. But it's not a mobile solution. I need something for my phone.

Mobile connections always have issues. These app connections are never reliable for very long.

I gave up trying to get SN to work with my Start9 node. It's been a year since I tried, but honestly, I've grown sick of trying to make LN work on my node.