A combination of Raspberry Pi and SoftEther VPN for controlling research devices via the Internet
This research was supported by a grant from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (Kakenhi 16K17366). The author thanks Yasuhiro Suga and Wataru Hayakawa at Aichi Bunkyo University for their technical support, Rogelio Escobar at National Autonomous University of Mexico for sharing his Arduino® programs, Yuto Mizutani at Aichi Gakuin University for conducting an independent test of the present method, Carlos Cançado at Universidade de Brasília for his assistance in testing the remote control from Brazil and for his helpful comments on the earlier version of this manuscript, and anonymous Raspberry Pi® users who share their information online.
Abstract
Remote control over devices for experiments may increase the efficiency of operant research and expand the area where behavior can be studied. This article introduces a combination of Raspberry Pi® (Pi) and SoftEther VPN® that allows for such remote control via the Internet. The Pi is a small Linux computer with a great degree of flexibility for customization. Test results indicate that a Pi-based interface meets the requirement for conducting operant research. SoftEther VPN® allows for establishing an extensive private network on the Internet using a single private Wi-Fi router. Step-by-step instructions are provided in the present article for setting up the Pi along with SoftEther VPN®. Their potential for improving the way of conducting research is discussed.
