Connecting to the User Interface

Introduction

These instructions cover connecting a PC to a NEPI device remotely. If you are working directly on a NEPI device, you can skip this section.

Connecting a PC to a NEPI Device

Connecting with a Network Cable on Windows

Example: PC Network Adapter Settings

IP Address: 192.168.179.5

Submask: 255.255.255.0

Connecting with a Network Cable on MacOS

Example Static Network Settings for macOS

IP Address: 192.168.179.5

Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

1) Open Network Settings: Open System Settings. Scroll and select Network from the sidebar.

2) Select Your Ethernet Interface: Choose Ethernet from the list of available network interfaces.

NOTE: If you do not see Ethernet listed, plug in your Ethernet adapter and reopen Network settings.

3) Open IP Configuration: Select the Details button next to Ethernet, then choose the TCP/IP tab.

4) Change IPv4 Configuration: Locate the Configure IPv4 dropdown menu and select Manually.

Fill in the NEPI-Compatible Static IP following fields (if not done automatically):

IP Address: 192.168.179.5

Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

Select OK, then close the window. Your Mac will now use the static address.

5) Test Connectivity: Open the Terminal app (found in Applications → Utilities → Terminal). Input the following command:

ping 192.168.179.103

NOTE: Press Ctrl + C to stop the ping process and return to the normal Terminal prompt.

Accessing and Navigating the NEPI Device's RUI

NOTE: On the initial power up of a NEPI device, you may need to wait a few seconds for the RUI to connect.

NOTE: It is critical that after entering an input field, you hit the enter key. Before hitting enter, the text in the field will be red. Once you hit the enter key, the RUI will send the input to the NEPI engine backend software and change the input to black text, indicating that it was accepted and sent.

NOTE: While the RUI provides a convenient user interface to the NEPI software system, all of the data and controls you see have documented backend API interfaces (ROS and HTML) for automation programming and interfacing to a connected system.

Connecting to the Internet

This tutorial covers connecting and configuring internet connections for NEPI devices.

Ethernet Internet Connection Setup

If your NEPI device is connected to an internet connected switch through an Ethernet cable, you can configure the NEPI device's Ethernet settings to enable internet connections in the RUI's "System/Device" tab where you will find a section labeled "ETHERNET". In this section you will see the NEPI device's base IP address, a switch to enable DHCP support if you want your system to connect to the internet, a box and controls for adding or removing additional IP addresses that are added on top of the system's base address, two network bandwidth usage indicators, and a control for limiting the system's max ethernet transmit bandwidth, which is useful if you are connecting over wireless or cabled network with limited bandwidth. A value of "-1" applies no limiting.

WiFi Internet Connection Setup

If your NEPI device has either an integrated WiFi board or you have a WiFi USB adapter attached, you will see a WIFI section available under the ETHERNET section on this page. If you want to connect to the internet through an available WiFi network, click the Client Enabled switch, wait for the "Available Networks" dropdown box to populate, then select the WiFi network you want to connect to, and enter the WiFi password in the "Passphrase" box. Be sure to hit return after entering the password. If the NEPI software was able to connect with the password you entered, you should see the "Connected" indicator turn Green. If the WiFi network you connected to has internet access, you should see the "Internet Connected" indicator above the "Ethernet" section turn Green as well.

PC Shared Internet Connection Setup

If your PC has internet access, either through a wired or WiFi connection, you can share that internet connection with your NEPI device by configuring a WiFi access point on your PC that is connected to your PC's internet connection, then connect your NEPI device to the PC's WiFi access point to connect to the internet. This is valuable when a WiFi hotspot requires additional login authentication not configurable through the NEPI device's WiFi settings.

1) Set up a mobile hotspot on your internet connected PC using the instructions in the following links:

Linux PC

https://www.makeuseof.com/create-wireless-hotspot-on-linux/

Open a terminal on your Linux PC connected to the internet and install the required software:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:lakinduakash/lwh
sudo apt update
sudo apt install linux-wifi-hotspot

Then create the WiFi hotspot by running:

sudo create_ap wlp2s0 wlp2s0 <HOTSPOT_NAME> <PASSWORD>

Example:

sudo create_ap wlp2s0 wlp2s0 guranto_PC ILoveCats

Windows PC

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/windows-11/how-to-set-up-a-mobile-hotspot-in-windows-11/m-p/2764785

2) Open your NEPI device's RUI "System/Device" tab, enable WiFi Client connection, find the newly created mobile hotspot access point in the "Avail. Networks" dropdown box.

Enter the password you configured in the mobile hotspot setup and hit Enter.

The entered Network and Passphrase will turn Black, and the Connected icon will turn Green.

Check that your NEPI device is connected to the internet. When connected, the indicator next to the "Internet Connected" label on the top right of the RUI "System/Device" tab will turn Green.