joshua-8
commented
3 years ago I'm drafting an email here: To: help@brown.edu cc: s4sw@brown.edu re: questions about wifi network from student club
Hello, I am a member of Brown's Scientists for a Sustainable World club with some wifi networking questions for a solar computer charging station we are starting to plan. No actions are wanted at this time, I just want to get some information about what will be possible to guide our development. If this is not the right place to ask these questions, I apologize, could you tell me who to ask? We would like to make a public website that displays some data from the station. We would like to use an ESP32 microcontroller in the station . Here are our questions: 1- This IT help article https://ithelp.brown.edu/kb/articles/connect-a-browserless-device-to-brown-s-wireless-network-printers-consoles-smart-tvs-etc makes me think the ESP32 could be connected to the Brown-Guest wifi network. Will this be on ok way to connect? I'm less sure about being able to connect to the normal network. 2- My main question is whether the ESP32 can be made publicly accessible on the internet so it can act as a server for its data. Can it be put in the DDMZ with an open port as described in this article https://ithelp.brown.edu/kb/articles/changes-in-brown-s-network-security-zones ? If more information is needed to determine if the ESP32 meets the security requirements, please just let me know how I can help. 3- My last question is will it be possible to get a URL that redirects to the ESP32? We would rather have the website be static and load data from the station, though we're open to other methods for getting data from the station to the website (like finding web hosting with more of a backend). I'd be happy to provide any more information to the best of my knowledge, if needed. I appreciate your time. Thank you, Joshua
Even if the website isn't hosted by the station, I think the station still needs to be set up as a server so it can be asked for the json data. Besides internet connection that we can probably do ourselves following this guide. That would mean making the esp32 publicly accessible and giving it at least a constant address if not a nice url. I think we want to be put in the DDMZ so we can be "accessed from the internet". I don't know how hard it is to get an esp32 to pass their security scans. In theory you can get a url by going to the help desk and requesting a name though Luke's experience says we shouldn't expect this.
Alternatives not requiring anything from Brown IT: Have the station call the website instead of the website contacting the station. (sending a POST request with the data to the server?) This would probably require more of a back end for the website.
Have a second esp32 or a computer or server somewhere to receive data from the station and act as the backend for a static website. I'd rather not have the station relying on bouncing data off an esp32 at my parents' house, but in theory that would work. Another idea I don't really like but could theoretically work would be using google sheets as the backend database.