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Bridge Connectors & Networking

Network security and the Bridge

By Jeremy Smith

• 8 articles

What is the SoLoPrint Bridge Connector and why is it required?

The Secure Middleman The SoLoPrint Bridge is a lightweight Rust-based application that sits on your local network (usually installed directly alongside OctoPrint or Klipper on a Raspberry Pi). Why not connect directly? Your 3D printer and its OctoPrint server reside behind your home or business router's firewall. To access it from the beach using a mobile phone, you traditionally have two choices: 1. Open your router ports (Port Forwarding), making your printer susceptible to ransomware. 2. Set up a VPN. The Bridge ignores both options. Instead, it securely dials out of your network to the SoLoPrint cloud, establishing a persistent, encrypted WebSocket tunnel. The SoLoPrint Dashboard then communicates exclusively through this tunnel. Do I always need a Bridge? Yes, unless you are using Bambu Lab Cloud natively. However, if you wish to run your Bambu Lab printers in LAN-Only Mode to keep your files local, a Bridge on the same network is required to proxy the traffic.

Last updated on Mar 31, 2026

Step-by-Step: Installing the SoLoPrint Bridge on a Raspberry Pi

Installation Guide (OctoPi / MainsailOS) Most makers run their 3D printers using a Raspberry Pi. Installing the Bridge takes less than 2 minutes. 1. Get your Bridge Key On your SoLoPrint Dashboard, log in and navigate to Settings > Bridges & Hardware. Click Add New Bridge and copy the resulting bridge_key. 2. Connect via SSH Open a terminal on your computer (or PuTTY on Windows). Type ssh pi@octopi.local (or whatever your Pi's IP address is) and hit enter. Enter your password (usually raspberry). 3. Run the Installer Paste the following command into your terminal: curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/SoLoVisionLLC/soloprint-bridge/main/install.sh | bash Follow the prompts to paste your bridge_key when requested. 4. Verify the Connection The script installs the Bridge as a systemd service so it auto-starts on boot. Head back to your SoLoPrint Dashboard. Within 30 seconds, your Bridge will show a status of Online. Your Pi is now securely tunneled.

Last updated on Mar 31, 2026

Step-by-Step: Installing the SoLoPrint Bridge on a Linux/Debian Host

Advanced Installation (NUCs, Micro PCs, Mini Forums) Many users prefer running Klipper arrays on x86 machines. The SoLoPrint Bridge natively supports Debian-based environments (Ubuntu, Mint, Debian). 1. Requirements - A Debian-based Linux distribution. - Sudo privileges. - curl installed. 2. Execution 1. Ensure you have copied a valid bridge_key from your SoLoPrint Settings > Bridges page. 2. Open your host's terminal. 3. Run the installer script: curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/SoLoVisionLLC/soloprint-bridge/main/install.sh | sudo bash 4. Follow the prompt to paste your bridge_key. 3. Log checking If you ever need to debug the outbound tunnel from your host, you can trace the logs using: journalctl -u soloprint-bridge -f

Last updated on Mar 31, 2026

Generating, managing, and rotating remote Bridge Keys

Security Tokens The bridge_key is uniquely generated when you click Add New Bridge in the dashboard. This defines the cryptographic claim that limits hardware to your SoLoPrint Workspace. Rotating a Key If you suspect someone gained unauthorized access to your Pi and read the configuration file, you should rotate the key: 1. Go to Settings > Bridges & Hardware. 2. Click precisely on the ... menu next to the compromised Bridge. 3. Select Reset Key. 4. Important: Your Bridge will instantly disconnect and go Offline. You must SSH back into your hardware and update the /etc/soloprint/bridge.env file with the newly generated key, then execute sudo systemctl restart soloprint-bridge. Deleting a Bridge If you decommission hardware, selecting Delete Bridge from the dashboard instantly revokes the connection. All physical printers tethered to that bridge will also be archived in your statistics.

Last updated on Mar 31, 2026

Troubleshooting: Why is my Bridge showing 'Offline'?

Connectivity Issues If your SoLoPrint dashboard shows an Offline indicator next to your Bridge, our cloud has lost the WebSocket heartbeat. 1. Is the Pi Powered On? The most common issue is that the Raspberry Pi or host computer was powered off, lost Wi-Fi, or crashed. Ensure the green networking LEDs are blinking on the Pi. 2. Is the Service Running? SSH into your Pi (ssh pi@octopi.local) and check the daemon status: sudo systemctl status soloprint-bridge If it says failed or exited, there may be a configuration error. 3. Was the Key Rotated? If you recently generated a new token in the dashboard, the Bridge is attempting to authenticate with a revoked token. Update /etc/soloprint/bridge.env with the new key. 4. DNS Issues In rare cases, your Pi's DNS setting acts up, meaning it cannot resolve soloprint.app. Try ping google.com from your SSH terminal to ensure outbound internet functions correctly.

Last updated on Mar 31, 2026

Understanding WebRTC: How SoLoPrint securely streams video

Zero-Latency Cameras Explained Traditional 3D printing apps grab screenshots (JPEGs) of your webcam every few seconds and send them to the cloud. This provides terrible framerates and multi-second delays. SoLoPrint uses WebRTC. How WebRTC Works When you open your Dashboard, the Cloud uses signaling to negotiate a direct peer-to-peer data stream between your web browser and the SoLoPrint Bridge sitting near the printer. Once connected, the video stream traverses directly over UDP to your screen. It doesn't pass through our centralized database, ensuring massive bandwidth capabilities (up to 60fps 1080p) with latencies frequently under 200ms. Your Network's Role The bridge handles NAT traversal (STUN/TURN) automatically. Simply install the bridge, plug in your USB camera to OctoPrint or Mainsail, and WebRTC does the rest.

Last updated on Mar 31, 2026

Configuring enterprise network firewalls for SoLoPrint WebRTC/UDP traffic

Commercial Print Farms If your SoLoPrint array is deployed in a school or enterprise locked behind an aggressive firewall (e.g., SonicWall, Fortinet), your camera feeds may fail to connect, showing a perpetual spinning wheel. Why? Enterprise firewalls often block non-standard outbound UDP ports, which are required for WebRTC peer-to-peer tunnels. The Solution You must whitelist the outbound traffic to ensure the Bridge and your Browser can successfully negotiate the tunnel. 1. Whitelist Domains: Ensure that wildcard domains *.soloprint.app and *.solovisionllc.com are allowed outbound HTTP/HTTPS. 2. STUN/TURN Servers: Our signaling infrastructure operates out of standard WebRTC ports. Please ask your IT administrator to allow outbound UDP traffic on ports 3478 and 443 directed toward standard AWS STUN ranges. If strict UDP blocking remains in place, SoLoPrint will fall back to deeply routed TCP relays (TURN), which will function but may result in slightly higher latency.

Last updated on Mar 31, 2026

[Coming Soon] Configuring high-availability Bridges for print farm redundancy

Zero Downtime For enterprise customers managing 50+ printers on a single network, running a single Raspberry Pi as a SoLoPrint Bridge introduces a single point of failure. Coming Soon: Bridge Clustering We are developing a clustering architecture that will allow you to deploy the SoLoPrint Bridge on multiple edge nodes (e.g., three separate Raspberry Pi 4s) on the same subnet. If the primary node drops off the network, the secondary node will instantly assume the heartbeat and WebSocket duties for traversing your OctoPrint/Klipper HTTP data to the cloud. Stay tuned for the High-Availability beta release!

Last updated on Mar 31, 2026