QeBoard

QeBoard is a standalone, network-agnostic keyboard sharing utility. It allows you to control a remote computer's keyboard from your local machine, seamlessly switching between local and remote input with a simple hotkey.

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Features

• Standalone Architecture: Two single files (sender.py and receiver.py) with zero pre-configuration.
• Auto-Dependency Management: Automatically detects and installs required packages (rich, paho-mqtt, cryptography, etc.) on first run.
• Hybrid Networking:
  • LAN: Low-latency direct TCP connection with mDNS auto-discovery.
  • WAN: Automatic fallback to MQTT Relay for controlling devices across the internet (NAT traversal).
• End-to-End Encryption: All keystrokes are encrypted using Fernet (symmetric encryption) derived from a unique session pairing code.
• Terminal UI (TUI): Beautiful, real-time dashboard powered by rich.
• Cross-Platform: Works on Windows, Linux (X11), and macOS.

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Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Python 3.11 or higher.
• An active internet connection (for initial dependency install and WAN mode).

Installation

No manual installation is required. Just download the scripts.

Using uv (Recommended):

uv run --no-project receiver.py
uv run --no-project sender.py

Using Standard Python:

python receiver.py
python sender.py

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Usage Guide

1. Receiver (Target Device)

Run receiver.py on the computer you want to control.

• It will generate a Device ID and a Pairing Code.
• It listens for both local (LAN) and remote (WAN) connections.

2. Sender (Input Device)

Run sender.py on the computer you want to type from.

• Discovery: It automatically scans for devices on your local network and the global lobby.

• Connect:
  • Press c and enter the Device ID shown on the Receiver.
  • Enter the Pairing Code to establish a secure encrypted tunnel.

• Rescan: Press r to refresh the device list.

3. Controlling

• Toggle Mode: Press Ctrl + F12 to switch between:
  • LOCAL: Your keyboard controls your own computer.
  • REMOTE: Your keystrokes are sent to the connected Receiver.
• Visual Feedback: The TUI changes color (Green = Local, Red = Remote) to indicate the current state.

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How It Works

Architecture

QeBoard uses a dual-stack approach to ensure connectivity:

1. Service Discovery:

   • LAN: Uses Zeroconf (mDNS) to broadcast presence on the local network.
   • WAN: Publishes a "heartbeat" to a public MQTT Lobby (qeboard/v1/lobby) so devices can find each other even behind firewalls.

2. Connection Handshake:

   • The Sender attempts to connect via TCP (port 5555) first.
   • If the LAN connection fails (timeout or firewall), it automatically falls back to MQTT (port 1883) using a public broker (broker.hivemq.com).

3. Security:

   • A Pairing Code (Fernet Key) is generated by the Receiver.
   • This code is never transmitted over the network during discovery.
   • The Sender must manually input this code.
   • All subsequent traffic (keystrokes) is encrypted with this key, ensuring that even if the MQTT broker is public, your data remains private.

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Future Scope

• Clipboard Sharing: Automatically sync clipboard content (text/images) between the Sender and Receiver when switching modes.
• Custom Keymaps: Remap keys on the fly (e.g., Mac to Windows layout translation).
• Mouse Support: Transmit mouse movements and clicks (requires more bandwidth/lower latency optimization).
• Private Broker: Option to host a private MQTT broker for enterprise environments.

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Support

I built this because I was too broke to buy a wireless keyboard. If you find it useful, please consider buying me a coffee! ☕

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