Network Setup
Before allowing the truck full autonomy, I need to collect some video for testing. I.e. manually drive it around using the RC controller while the Pi5 records and use those files to test navigation. Well in order to do that I need to start/stop recording on the Pi, which means some type of access. I'd like to be able to start/stop recording, etc. After a good bit of thought, I figured getting everything networked together was best done up front. This way, I can control it manually via a remote PC. And if I can do that, I can do anything else necessary, like stream the video camera live.
I went with tailscale VPN. It's free and super easy to setup and it works on Windows, Linux, Mac, and phones. I'll be using it on Windows and Linux. I'm currently using a tethered iPhone to get Internet access, but I may actually purchase a real hotspot since bandwidth sucks when tethered (yes I twiddled the TTL on Linux to 65). In case you don't know what I'm talking about apparently Verizon throttles devices on the cellular networks when it sees a TTL < 65 assuming it's a tethered device. Setting it to 65 on the Pi5 means they see 64 once it leaves the iPhone. I did before/after testing with speedtest-cli and it seems to make a big difference.
I have a small HTTP UI for connecting to a live video stream and a few buttons to control steering and throttle.
