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INTERNET_SETUP_README.md

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E-ink Display Manager - Internet Access Setup

Complete guide to set up secure internet access to your E-ink display using Cloudflare Tunnel with authentication.

🚀 Quick Setup

Prerequisites

  • Cloudflare account (free)
  • Domain name added to Cloudflare (free .tk domain works fine)

Step 1: Get a Domain

If you don't have one:

  • Free option: Get a .tk domain from dot.tk
  • Cheap option: Buy a .xyz domain (~$2/year) from Namecheap

Add your domain to Cloudflare and wait for activation (5-30 minutes).

Step 2: Run Setup

./setup_internet_access.sh

This will:

  • Install cloudflared
  • Authenticate with Cloudflare
  • Create a tunnel
  • Set up DNS
  • Configure system service
  • Set up admin authentication

Step 3: Start Server

./start_internet_server.sh

🌐 Result

Your E-ink display will be accessible at: https://eink.yourdomain.com

🎨 TouchDesigner Integration

Use these settings in WebClient DAT:

  • URL: https://eink.yourdomain.com/upload
  • Authentication Type: None
  • Custom Header:
    • Name: X-API-Key
    • Value: [your-api-key-from-.env-file]

🔧 Management

# Check tunnel status
sudo systemctl status cloudflared.service

# View logs
sudo journalctl -u cloudflared.service -f

# Restart tunnel
sudo systemctl restart cloudflared.service

🔐 Security Features

  • ✅ Admin password protection
  • ✅ HTTPS encryption (automatic)
  • ✅ Server binds to localhost only
  • ✅ API key authentication for TouchDesigner
  • ✅ No port forwarding needed

📁 Files

  • setup_internet_access.sh - One-time setup
  • start_internet_server.sh - Start the Flask server
  • setup_admin_password.py - Set/reset admin password
  • .env - Your credentials (auto-generated)

🖥️ Headless Pi Setup

If you're running without a GUI (headless):

  1. Authentication: When the setup asks for browser authentication, copy the URL and open it on your phone/laptop
  2. Domain setup: Add your domain to Cloudflare from any device with a browser
  3. Everything else works the same

🎨 TouchDesigner Configuration

WebClient DAT Settings:

  • URL: https://eink.yourdomain.com/upload
  • Method: PUT (automatically optimized for tunnel)
  • Authentication Type: None
  • Custom Header:
    • Name: X-API-Key
    • Value: [your-api-key-from-.env-file]

Smart Upload Method:

The system automatically detects your connection:

  • Local network (192.168.x.x) → Uses PUT with uploadFile
  • Internet tunnel (domain) → Uses POST with binary data

No configuration changes needed! Same code works everywhere.

Getting Your API Key:

# Your API key is in the .env file
cat .env | grep API_KEY

TouchDesigner Upload Code:

# Use WebClient DAT - works both locally and through tunnel
connection_id = op('webclient1').request(
    'https://eink.yourdomain.com/upload',
    'PUT',
    header={'X-API-Key': 'your-api-key-here'},
    uploadFile='/path/to/image.jpg'
)

Benefits:

  • ✅ Same code works locally and through internet
  • ✅ Automatic optimization for each connection type
  • ✅ No manual switching between methods

🔧 Troubleshooting

"Please select the zone" Error

  • Problem: No domain in your Cloudflare account
  • Solution: Add a domain to Cloudflare first (free .tk domain works)

"Host Error" on Domain

  • Problem: DNS record conflict (parking page A record exists)
  • Solution:
    1. Go to Cloudflare Dashboard → DNS → Records
    2. Delete existing A record for your domain
    3. Run: cloudflared tunnel route dns TUNNEL_ID yourdomain.com

DNS Route Creation Failed

  • Problem: Existing DNS record conflicts with tunnel
  • Solution: Delete conflicting records in Cloudflare dashboard first

"Authentication required" Error

  • Problem: Missing or wrong API key
  • Solution: Check your .env file for the correct API key

"Connection timeout" Error

  • Problem: Tunnel service not running
  • Solution: sudo systemctl start cloudflared.service

Pi Zero Installation Issues

  • Problem: Architecture mismatch
  • Solution: The script automatically detects Pi Zero and uses the correct ARM binary

Random URL Changes

  • Problem: Using quick tunnels instead of named tunnels
  • Solution: You need a domain in Cloudflare for permanent URLs

🔐 Security Notes

  • Admin password: Set a strong password (12+ characters)
  • API key: Keep it secret, regenerate if compromised
  • HTTPS only: Cloudflare provides automatic SSL
  • Localhost binding: Flask server only accepts local connections
  • No port forwarding: Tunnel makes outbound connections only

📊 API Endpoints

All endpoints require authentication (web login or API key):

Endpoint Method Purpose
/ GET Web interface
/upload POST/PUT Upload files
/api/files GET List files with thumbnails
/display_file POST Display specific file
/delete_file POST Delete file
/clear_screen POST Clear display
/status GET Server status

🆘 Getting Help

  1. Check the logs: sudo journalctl -u cloudflared.service -f
  2. Test locally first: curl http://localhost:5000/status
  3. Verify tunnel: sudo systemctl status cloudflared.service
  4. Check Flask server: Look for error messages when starting

🎉 Success!

Once everything is working, you'll have:

  • ✅ Secure internet access to your E-ink display
  • ✅ Admin web interface with authentication
  • ✅ TouchDesigner integration with API keys
  • ✅ Permanent HTTPS URL
  • ✅ No router configuration needed

That's it! Clean and simple. 🎉