EchoWarp

EchoWarp is a versatile network audio streaming tool designed to transmit audio streams between a server and a client over a network. It supports both audio input and output devices, adapting to various audio streaming scenarios. EchoWarp can operate in either server or client mode, with robust configuration options available via command-line arguments or an interactive setup.

Key Features

• Cross-Platform Compatibility: Works seamlessly on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
• Flexible Audio Device Selection: Choose specific input or output devices for audio streaming.
• Real-Time Audio Streaming: Utilizes UDP for transmitting audio data and TCP for control signals (on one port).
• Robust Encryption and Integrity Checks: Supports AES encryption and SHA-256 hashing to secure data streams.
• Automatic Reconnection: Implements heartbeat and authentication mechanisms to handle reconnections and ensure continuous streaming.
• Configurable through CLI and Interactive Modes: Offers easy setup through an interactive mode or scriptable CLI options.
• Ban List Management: Server maintains a ban list to block clients after a specified number of failed connection attempts.

Important Notes

Correct Usage

Running the Utility:

• The utility must be run both on the client and the server.
• Start the Server First: The server should be started first. If the client cannot connect to the server, it will throw an error.

Server and Client Roles:

• Server: The server is the host where the audio stream will be captured (e.g., the microphone on the host with Moonlight).
• Client: The client is the host where the captured audio stream from the server will be transmitted over the network (e.g., the host with Sunshine/Nvidia GameStream).

Interactive Mode

• In interactive mode (where values are offered for selection), you do not need to manually enter default values. Simply leave the input field empty and press Enter, and the default value will be automatically accepted.

Firewall and Ports

• Ensure that your firewall settings allow traffic through the necessary ports:
  • Port: Used for both audio streaming (UDP) and authentication/configuration exchange and connection status checking (TCP). Default is 4415.

VPN Considerations

• If you are using a VPN, make sure it is configured to allow traffic through the necessary ports.
• Verify that the server IP address specified on the client is correct and accessible through the VPN.
• If you encounter connection issues, try disabling the VPN to see if the problem persists.

Common Issues and Solutions

[WinError 10049]

• This error indicates that the specified address is not available on the interface. Possible solutions:
  • Check if the IP address specified is correct and reachable.
  • Ensure that the VPN is configured correctly and does not block the necessary port.
  • Verify that the firewall allows traffic on the specified port.

timed out

• This error indicates that the connection attempt to the specified address timed out. Possible solutions:
  • Ensure the server is running and accessible from the client.
  • Verify that the server IP address and port specified on the client are correct.
  • Check if the server's firewall allows incoming connections on the specified port.
  • Ensure that the VPN, if used, is properly configured to allow traffic through the necessary port.
  • Verify network stability and connectivity between the client and the server.
  • If the server has a dynamic IP address, ensure it hasn't changed since the last connection attempt.

403 Forbidden (Client is banned)

• This error indicates that the client has been banned by the server. Possible solutions:
  • Verify that the client is not making repeated failed connection attempts, which could lead to a ban.
  • Check the server's ban list to see if the client's IP address is listed and remove it if necessary.
  • Ensure that the client's configuration matches the server's requirements to avoid being banned.

401 Unauthorized (Invalid password)

• This error indicates that the password provided by the client is invalid. Possible solutions:
  • Ensure that the correct password is being used.
  • Verify that the password matches the one configured on the server.
  • Check for any typos or encoding issues in the password.

409 Conflict (Client version mismatch)

• This error indicates a version mismatch between the client and server. Possible solutions:
  • Ensure that both the client and server are running compatible versions of EchoWarp.
  • Update the client or server to the latest version to ensure compatibility.
  • Verify that the version specified in the client configuration matches the server's version.

Prerequisites

• Operating System: Windows, Linux, or macOS.
• Python Version: Python 3.6 or later.
• Dependencies: Includes libraries like PyAudio, and Cryptography.

PyPi Repository

EchoWarp is also available as a package on the Python Package Index (PyPi), which simplifies the installation process and manages dependencies automatically. This is the recommended method if you wish to include EchoWarp in your Python project.

Features of Installing via PyPi:

• Automatic Dependency Management: All required libraries, such as PyAudio and Cryptography, are automatically installed.
• Easy Updates: Simplifies the process of obtaining the latest version of EchoWarp with a simple pip command.
• Isolation from System Python: Installing via a virtual environment prevents any conflicts with system-wide Python packages.

Installation with PyPi (pip)

To install EchoWarp using pip, follow these steps:

1. Set up a Python virtual environment (optional but recommended):

   python -m venv .venv
   source .venv/bin/activate  # On Windows, use `.\.venv\Scripts\activate`

2. Install EchoWarp using pip:

   pip install echowarp

Updating EchoWarp

To update to the latest version of EchoWarp, simply run:

   pip install --upgrade echowarp

This ensures that you have the latest features and improvements.

For more information and assistance, you can visit the EchoWarp PyPi page: https://pypi.org/project/echowarp/

Installation from source

Clone the repository and set up a Python virtual environment:

git clone https://github.com/lHumaNl/EchoWarp.git
cd EchoWarp
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows, use `.\venv\Scripts\activate`
pip install -r requirements.txt

Usage

EchoWarp can be launched in either server or client mode, with settings configured interactively or via command-line arguments.

Interactive Mode

Simply run the main.py script without arguments to enter interactive mode:

python -m echowarp.main

Follow the on-screen prompts to configure the utility.

Command-Line Arguments

EchoWarp supports configuration via command-line arguments for easy integration into scripts and automation workflows.

Arguments Table

Argument	Description	Default
-c, --client	Start utility in client mode (Mode in which the device receives an audio stream from the server over the network and plays it on the specified audio device).	Server mode (Mode in which the audio stream from the specified device is captured and sent to the client over the network)
-o, --output	Use the output audio device for streaming (like speakers and headphones).	Input device (like microphones)
-u, --udp_port	Specify the UDP\TCP port for audio data transmission\authorization.	4415
-b, --socket_buffer_size	Size of socket buffer.	6144
-d, --device_id	Specify the device ID directly to avoid interactive selection.	None
-p, --password	Password for authentication.	None
-f, --config_file	Path to config file (ignoring other args, if they added).	None
-e, --device_encoding_names	Charset encoding for audio device.	System default encoding
--ignore_device_encoding_names	Ignoring device names encoding.	False
-l, --is_error_log	Write error log lines to file.	False
-r, --reconnect	Number of failed connections (before closing the application in client mode\before ban client in server mode). (0=infinite)	5
-s, --save_config	Save config file from selected args (ignoring default values).	None
-a, --server_address	Specify the server address (only valid in client mode).	None
--ssl	Enable SSL mode for encrypted communication (server mode only).	False
-i, --integrity_control	Enable integrity control using hash (server mode only).	False
-w, --workers	Set the maximum number of worker threads (server mode only).	1

Use these arguments to configure the utility directly from the command line for both automation and manual setups.

Launching with Config File

You can launch EchoWarp using a configuration file to avoid specifying all the arguments manually. Create a configuration file with the desired settings and use the --config_file argument to specify the path to this file.

Example of a configuration file (config.conf):

[echowarp_conf]
is_server=False
udp_port=6532
socket_buffer_size=10240
device_id=1
password=mysecretpassword
device_encoding_names=cp1251
is_error_log=True
server_address=192.168.1.5
reconnect_attempt=15
is_ssl=True
is_integrity_control=True

To launch EchoWarp with the configuration file with CLI args:

python -m echowarp.main --config_file path/to/config.conf

Ban List Management

EchoWarp server maintains a ban list to block clients after a specified number of failed connection attempts. This feature helps to secure the server from unauthorized access attempts and repeated failed authentications.

How Ban List Works

1. Failed Connection Attempts: Each client connection attempt is monitored. If a client fails to authenticate multiple times (as specified by the --reconnect argument), the client is added to the ban list. Setting --reconnect to 0 in server mode disables the ban list feature.
2. Banning Clients: Once a client is banned, it cannot reconnect to the server until the ban list is manually cleared or the server is restarted.
3. Persistent Ban List: The ban list is saved to a file (echowarp_ban_list.txt) to maintain the list of banned clients across server restarts.

Example of Ban List File

The ban list file (echowarp_ban_list.txt) contains the IP addresses of banned clients, one per line:

192.168.1.100
192.168.1.101

Additional Features

• Heartbeat Mechanism: Ensures the continuous connection between client and server by periodically sending heartbeat messages.
• Thread Pooling: Utilizes thread pooling for handling concurrent tasks efficiently.
• Logging: Comprehensive logging for both normal operations and errors, with an option to enable error logging to a file.

Examples

Consult the help output for detailed command-line options::

python -m echowarp.main --help

Client Mode with Custom Server Address and Port:

python -m echowarp.main --client --server_address 192.168.1.5 --udp_port 6555