Network Interface

Smoothieboard has an RJ45 connector, which can be used to connect the board to your local Ethernet network and communicate with it over TCP/IP.

This works similarly to how you would access your 2D printer or other network devices.

Settings

Smoothie supports Ethernet access, which must be enabled in the configuration file.

To enable the network, set to true.

The IP address can be set statically or set to use DHCP.

However, due to buffer size limitations, some DHCP servers are not supported.

Here is an example of a setup using DHCP (meaning that the router automatically assigns an IP address to the Smoothieboard):

V1 Configuration (flat namespace):

# network settings
network.enable                               true            # enable the ethernet network services
network.webserver.enable                     false            # enable the webserver
network.telnet.enable                        false            # enable the telnet server
network.plan9.enable                         true             # enable the plan9 network filesystem
network.ip_address                           auto             # use dhcp to get ip address

V2 Configuration (INI sections):

[network]
enable = true            # enable the ethernet network services
webserver_enable = false # enable the webserver
shell_enable = false     # enable the telnet server (renamed from telnet.enable)
ip_address = auto        # use dhcp to get ip address

And an example of how to set up with a static IP:

V1 Configuration (flat namespace):

# network settings
network.enable                               true             # enable the ethernet network services
network.webserver.enable                     false            # enable the webserver
network.telnet.enable                        false            # enable the telnet server
network.plan9.enable                         true             # enable the plan9 network filesystem
network.ip_address                           192.168.3.222    # the IP address
network.ip_mask                              255.255.255.0    # the ip mask
network.ip_gateway                           192.168.1.254    # the gateway address

V2 Configuration (INI sections):

[network]
enable = true             # enable the ethernet network services
webserver_enable = false  # enable the webserver
shell_enable = false      # enable the telnet server (renamed from telnet.enable)
ip_address = 192.168.3.222    # the IP address
ip_mask = 255.255.255.0       # the ip mask
ip_gateway = 192.168.1.254    # the gateway address

The basic network configuration options can be seen at the end of the Config Sample.

If your configuration file does not contain the network section, it probably means the version of Smoothie that shipped with your board is too old.

You need to use the latest edge firmware and use the latest configuration file.

See Flashing Smoothie Firmware and Configuring Smoothie.

All Options

| Option | Example Value | Explanation | | —— | ————- | ———– |

V1 Setting	V2 Setting	Description
		Master enable Network Master enable switch for the entire Ethernet network functionality. When disabled, the network module is completely unloaded to free system resources (approximately 8KB RAM). Must be set to `true` to use any network features including webserver, telnet, Plan9, or SFTP services. Frees ~8KB RAM when disabled
		HTTP false If set to `true`, enable the web server service on port 80, which provides a control and upload web interface. The web interface allows you to control the machine, upload files, and monitor status from any web browser on your network. Sample configurations commonly set this to true
		Telnet false If set to `true`, enable the telnet service on port 23, which behaves much like a Serial interface. Telnet provides command-line access to Smoothie over the network, useful for streaming G-code or running console commands remotely. Sample configurations commonly set this to true Renamed to shell_enable in V2
	Not in V2	Plan9 false Requires custom build If set to `true`, enable the Plan9 (9P/Styx) network filesystem on port 564, which allows mounting the Smoothieboard SD card as a network filesystem on Linux systems. This provides direct filesystem access similar to NFS or SMB. NOT built into Smoothie by default - requires rebuild with PLAN9=1
		IP Configuration auto Configures the IP address assignment method for the Smoothieboard. Set to `auto` to use DHCP for automatic configuration, or specify a static IP address (e.g., `192.168.1.100`). When using a static IP, you must also configure `network.ip_mask` and `network.ip_gateway`. If shows 173.222.239.190, DHCP failed - use static IP instead
		IP Configuration 255.255.255.0 Defines the subnet mask for static IP configuration. The netmask determines which portion of the IP address identifies the network and which portion identifies the host. Only used when `network.ip_address` is set to a static IP (not `auto`). When using DHCP, this setting is ignored and the subnet mask is provided automatically by the DHCP server. 255.255.255.0 = Class C network (254 hosts)
		IP Configuration 192.168.1.254 Specifies the default gateway (router) IP address for static IP configuration. The gateway is used for routing traffic outside the local network. Only used when `network.ip_address` is set to a static IP (not `auto`). With DHCP, the gateway is provided automatically by the DHCP server. Common home router: 192.168.1.1
	Not in V2	MAC Address Rarely needed Allows manual override of the Ethernet MAC (Media Access Control) address. By default, Smoothieboard auto-generates a unique MAC address based on the CPU's serial number using a cryptographic hash. Only set this if you experience MAC address conflicts on your network or need to preserve a specific MAC address after hardware replacement. Each device on a network must have a unique MAC address Auto-generated format: 00:1F:11:02:04:xx
		DHCP DNS Name Sets a hostname that is sent to the DHCP server during IP address requests. Some DHCP servers register this hostname in local DNS, allowing you to access the Smoothieboard by name (e.g., `http://smoothie-cnc/`) instead of IP address. Only used when `network.ip_address` is set to `auto` (DHCP mode). Has no effect with static IP configuration. Hostname support depends on DHCP server capabilities smoothie-cnc, laser-cutter, printer3d

Wiring

To access your Smoothieboard, you need to connect it to your network by plugging an Ethernet cable into the Smoothieboard at one end and into your Ethernet router at the other end.

Please note that you can’t connect a Smoothieboard directly to your computer unless you use a special type of cable and configuration on your computer.

You want to use a router for this.

Once configured and plugged in, reset the Smoothieboard and wait for it to connect to the network.

Accessing Smoothie

To access Smoothie over the network, you first need to know its IP address. If you are not sure what IP address Smoothie has been assigned, you can use one of the following methods:

If you have a panel connected to the Smoothieboard, the panel should display the IP address.
If you have access to your network’s main router’s administration interface, it should tell you the IP address of all peripherals connected to it.
If you are connected to the board via USB, you can use a program like Pronterface to send the @net command, which gives you the current IP address.
If you are running Linux, you can use a command like nmap -sn 192.168.0.0/24 to find all accessible peripherals on the network.
NOTE: If the IP address shows 173.222.239.190, then it means that DHCP did not get an IP address assigned. (Try a static IP instead).

You can access Smoothie by using its network services:

Telnet (port 23) to run commands, stream G-code to Smoothie, or connect from Pronterface (see below)
HTTP web server (port 80) allows control from your web browser
Simple File Transfer Protocol (port 115) allows uploading of files from an SFTP client.
(NOT SUPPORTED needs to be enabled and compiled) Plan9 (9P/Styx) (port 564) provides remote access to the file system from compatible clients (typically Linux)

Telnet (port 23)

You can use a terminal to connect to your board via telnet by typing in a terminal:

telnet ip_of_smoothie:23

Pronterface can also connect to Smoothie over the network by using telnet - just enter ip_of_smoothie:23 instead of the serial port before clicking ‘Connect’. Where ip_of_smoothie is the IP address of your Smoothie. You must check the box under Settings Menu that says TCP streaming mode.

Raw telnet provides console access to run console commands or G-code, useful network commands here are net and netstat. See the smoothie-stream.py example for streaming.

Web Server (port 80)

You can access the default user interface by going to this address in your web browser:

http://ip_of_smoothie/

Custom web pages can be accessed from the SD card, for example:

http://ip_of_smoothie/sd/webif/index.html

Smoothie ships with a very basic web interface, however, you can install better ones by following these instructions: Installing the new web interface.

DO NOT use the web interface and telnet at the same time. This will crash Smoothie.

For Smoothieboards v1, make sure you never access or refresh the web interface while the machine is executing a G-code file. This can result in a crash. Just make sure you don't do it, load the page while it's not running, then use the page but do not refresh or re-load it. This is a limitation of the current firmware, we expect it to be possible to fix in v2.

If you have several interfaces, or installed a new one, whenever changing from an interface to another, make sure you fully clear your cache. See the documentation for your browser, or google about it, to find exact instructions for your setup.

The web interface allows you to control the machine over the network

Simple File Transfer Protocol (port 115)

Note: Simple File Transfer Protocol (NOT secure file transfer!) allows uploading of files. See the smoothie-upload.py example.

Plan9 Network Filesystem (port 564)

NOTE: Plan9 is not built into Smoothie by default. To include it, rebuild Smoothie with make PLAN9=1. See Compiling Smoothie.

The Plan9 network file system can be used on Linux to directly mount the Smoothieboard over the network. First, activate the option and restart your Smoothie. After that, you can mount with:

mount -t 9p 192.168.2.120 -o dfltuid=1000,dfltgid=1000 /mnt/smoothie

Now you can access the SD card of the Smoothieboard like a normal filesystem!

The dfltuid/dfltgid are the uid/gid of the user which owns the files in the mount. It is recommended to set these to the uid/gid of the user who will write to the filesystem.

If you want, you can also add the filesystem to your /etc/fstab as follows:

# /etc/fstab
# <file system> <mount point> <type> <options>                      <dump> <pass>
... your other stuff ...
192.168.1.6     /mnt/smoothie 9p     user,noauto,dfltuid=1000,dfltgid=1000 0      0

Using a Hosts File

If IP addresses are getting you down, you can address your Smoothie by name if you add a line to your computer’s hosts file. For example, assuming your Smoothie’s address is 192.168.2.120, you could add:

192.168.2.120        smoothie

And then simply use smoothie:23 in the Port field of Pronterface, and simply http://smoothie in your web browser.

This only works from the computer you edit the hosts file on and requires Smoothie to have a constant IP address, either through configuring Smoothie as a static IP or by configuring your DHCP server to always assign Smoothie the same IP address.

Hardware Requirements

To use the network capabilities of the Smoothieboard (4X and 5X, note the 3X board does not have Ethernet capabilities), an RJ45 Magnetic Modular Jacks aka RJ45 network transformer like the Hanrun HR911105A needs to be soldered onto the board.

They are available from various electronics suppliers (search for “HR911105A” or “RJ45 magnetic modular jack”).

Versions of Smoothieboard starting August 2014 have the Ethernet connector soldered by default.

Note it must be a Mag (Magnetic) Jack; a standard RJ45 connector will not work. The only officially supported connector is the Hanrun HR911105A.

Hostname

You can configure a hostname for the DHCP server as such:

V1 Configuration:

network.ip_address  auto          # use dhcp to get IP address
network.hostname   smoothie1   # optionally set this hostname for dhcp

V2 Configuration:

[network]
ip_address = auto          # use dhcp to get IP address
hostname = smoothie1       # optionally set this hostname for dhcp

Note the is optional. (see section 3.14 RFC 2132)

Net Command

If your network interface doesn’t work as it should, you can get some debugging information (such as the current IP) by sending the net command (@net from Pronterface) via the console (USB or UART).

IP Addr: 192.168.1.100
IP GW: 192.168.1.254
IP mask: 255.255.255.0
MAC Address: 00:1F:11:02:04:C9

API

Creating a custom interface, a script that talks to a Smoothieboard, or helping with Smoothie’s web interface (please do!)?

Here’s the API you can expect the board to answer to over HTTP.

GET /sd/file

Retrieves the content of a file from the SD card. You can use this to retrieve the configuration file, but make sure to try both “/sd/config” and “/sd/config.txt” as both are valid filenames.

GET /query

Returns the same as the “?” command over serial, or the “get status” command over any interface.

Example output:

<Idle|MPos:-700.0000,0.0000,360.0000,0.0000|WPos:-700.0000,0.0000,360.0000|F:4000.0000|T:163.5,0.0|B:178.4,0.0>

Much faster than sending “get status” using /command.

POST /command

Parameter: The command you want to execute as the POST data/parameter.

Returns: Whatever the command returned.

POST /command_silent

Parameter: The command you want to execute as the POST data/parameter.

Returns: Nothing. Faster than /command, prefer whenever possible.

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