Category: Steampunk

Raspberry Pi Internet Speed Monitor

DIY, Python, Raspberry Pi, Steampunk

I was looking wistfully at the Lack Rack from my arm chair, admiring the (faux) copper conduit that covered the primary inbound internet link to the switch. I thought it would be cool looking to have an antique steam gauge attached to the piping. Two things caused that idea to quickly change – 1. the going prices for antique steam gauges right now, 2. once I was thinking about it as a gauge I thought an ‘internet speed gauge’ would be perfect. Alas, even if said gauge could be acquired without breaking the bank, converting MBPS to PSI and making it functional is above my level of engineering. So on to the next best thing – a Raspberry Pi hack.

Materials:

  • Raspberry Pi (3 or 4) with Raspbian 32-bit OS
  • Case with 3.5 in LCD Display
  • Copper spray paint 😉
  • Attention to detail at the command line

Speedtest CLI

Once you’ve got your Raspberry Pi up and running start with the Installing the Speedtest CLI instructions at https://pimylifeup.com/raspberry-pi-internet-speed-monitor/. Complete steps 1-6. When the article gets to Writing our Speed Test Python Script, you can skip that section. I do recommend it from a learning perspective, but the code from that step won’t be used in the final project.

Assuming this is a new installation, you will need to install InfluxDB and Grafana. Complete the respective instructions for each.

Continue with the primary article’s instructions for Using Grafana to Display your Speedtest Data.

If you’ve made it along this far, you should have a working Grafana dashboard displaying Upload Speed, Download Speed, and Ping (Latency). If you’re hitting a glitch – go back through what you’ve coded and double check that any references to the user (default = Pi) are accurate for the user on your device. You should be seeing updated data based on the frequency you specified in crontab -e.

Install Grafana Kiosk

Next, we want to set up our device as a kiosk, and have it boot and display the Network Speed dashboard automatically.

Install Grafana Kiosk from https://github.com/grafana/grafana-kiosk. For my installation I used the ARM v6 grafana-kiosk.linux.armv6 release.

Running the Dashboard on startup:

We’re going to use a yaml file to store our dashboard configuration:

Create a new file, config.yaml and populate it as such:

general:
  kiosk-mode: full
  autofit: true
  lxde: true
  lxde-home: /home/(user)
target:
  login-method: local
  username: admin
  password: (password)
  playlist: false
  URL: http://localhost:3000/d/bdf20d32-c4ff-4578-a3f4-7a38e1f722b9/network-speed?orgId=1
  ignore-certificate-errors: false

Be sure to substitute the proper ID wherever you see (user). The URL for the dashboard can be copied from the web interface of the dashboard.

Edit /home/(user)/.config/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart

Add a line: (one line, may show as wrapped)

@/usr/bin/grafana-kiosk -lxde-home /home/(user) -c /home/(user)/config.yaml

Save & Exit.

Now when you reboot the Pi, the dashboard should come up full screen after login.

Forensic Imaging Station – Steampunk Edition

DFIR, Forensic Imaging, Steampunk

I’ve worked remotely for the past 6 years which means I spend a lot of time in my home office.  Last year we moved into a new house with much better space for my office, and I’ve been shaping it more and more to my tastes.

I do a lot of forensic imaging. I’ve got a pretty basic but rock solid setup that works for me (see Forensic Imaging a Microsoft Surface Pro).  Since I use it frequently I’m hesitant to put it away, but at the same point I don’t like looking at a pile of wires and devices when not in use. That brings us to the latest home office update, the Forensic Imaging Station (Steampunk Edition).

For this project I grabbed a small wooden box from Hobby Lobby.  A good cigar box will also work.  That was going to be my first choice but the only spare box I had on hand said “Corona” on the face and… you know. This box looks nice but it’s composed of mostly particle board, so go slow drilling.

I drilled four holes in the box. A 1/2 inch hole on the front face under the locking clasp for the USB-C cable, and three 5/8 inch holes – 2 on the side and one on the back, to accommodate the rest.

Inside the box I’ve arranged a USB hub connecting:

  • Paladin flash drive
  • External WD hard drive 
  • Keyboard (USB)
  • RF dongle for mouse.
  • Pass through for “universal” laptop power adapter
Cheap wood makes for messy holes.

This box had plenty of space to arrange the components. The laptop power adapter comes in the back of the box and then back out on the side.  The USB connector for the hub is also passed through the side. The cable for the keyboard passes through the front.

The finished set-up

The setup is completed with an Azio Retro Compact keyboard, (with replacement copper-edged keys) and a sort of matching mouse.

When it’s time to image, just sit the laptop on top, connect the USB cable and power, and you’re good to go.

Post Update:

Because I’ve come to learn that a project is really ever finished at version 1 – a close up view after details added. (Rubber grommets for the cable holes and decorative details and rubber feet on the top for laptop.