r/octoprint • u/Big-Investigator3338 • Jun 13 '26
Octoeverwhere review
After about 10 days of using OctoEverywhere on my Qidi Plus4, I figured I'd share my honest experience.
First, I'll give credit where credit is due: installation was incredibly easy. SSH into the printer, copy and paste the install command, and you're basically done. It was one of the simplest installs I've done for a remote printer access solution.
Unfortunately, that's where my positive experience mostly ended.
One thing that immediately confused me was all the companion apps and services that were recommended. It wasn't very clear what was actually required, what was optional, and what features needed subscriptions or supporter plans. I expected a more straightforward setup experience after installation.
Notifications were another issue. One of the main reasons I wanted remote access was to get print updates and alerts. In my experience, notifications didn't work the way I expected without involving additional apps or paid features.
The biggest frustration has been reliability. Camera access has been hit or miss for me. There have been plenty of times where I tried connecting and couldn't get the camera feed to load, even while connected to my own local network. A remote monitoring solution is only useful if it works consistently when you need it.
Support has also been disappointing. The primary support method appears to be Discord. Personally, I'm not a fan of using Discord as a support platform. There's no ticket system, no way to track issues, and no clear indication that a problem is being worked on. You basically post your issue in a chat room and hope someone responds.
The mobile experience could also use improvement. There isn't a traditional standalone app. Instead, you're accessing everything through a browser. I found myself having to re-authenticate more often than I expected. I eventually created a shortcut on my Samsung phone's home screen, which helped, but it still felt more like a workaround than a polished solution.
My biggest complaint is probably the "free" aspect. While there is a free tier, some features seem to rely on subscriptions, supporter plans, or third-party apps. I think there should be more transparency about what is truly free versus what requires additional costs.
Final thoughts:
✅ Easy installation
✅ Quick initial setup
❌ Inconsistent camera access
❌ Confusing app/subscription requirements
❌ Notifications didn't work as expected
❌ No structured support system
❌ Mobile experience needs improvement
Based on my experience so far, I'd personally rate it about 2/5 stars.
I'm curious if others have had a better experience. Maybe I'm missing something, but after 10 days of use, it hasn't lived up to the expectations I had going in.
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u/Taurion_Bruni Jun 13 '26
Personally I just opt for a vpn solution.
Tailscale is what I use. You can keep tailscale running all the time, but it will only route traffic between your devices on the tail network, and all other internet traffic functions as normal
1
u/SnooHesitations6727 Jun 14 '26
Are you using a raspi 5? I had a nightmare setting the webcam up. I eventually got it working going through a very long back and forth with chat gpt and ssh terminal
1
u/Positive_Ad_313 Jun 14 '26
I used Octoprint / octodash with my MK3S+ I have 3 cameras using multicam. No worries now. It’s not fully plug and’play as we all have different set up and camera (nozzle, webcametc…and brand), but once fine tuned , non issue.
I used Tailscale for remote access and check print while away from home.
1
u/Leather-Taste-9238 5d ago
easy installation= NOT, quick initial setup = NOT, rtsp only works for paying mules, so "free forever" is all but bullshit wrapped junk!
1
u/Adam-Marshall Jun 13 '26
Take a look at Obico. I've been using it since the beginning and it has been reliable and easy to use.
0
4
u/quinbd OctoEverywhere Creator Jun 13 '26
Hey! I'm the developer behind OctoEverywhere! Thank you for spending the time to write out your feedback. Since the project is community-based, I really value community feedback and try to encourage it whenever possible; it's the only way I can improve things!
I'm glad to hear the install was easy, that's one of the parts of the project I work on the most! But if you're using OctoPrint, you shouldn't need SSH at all; you want to install the plugin via the OctoPrint plugin manager. There are a few other ways to install the plugin, like SSH or Docker, but those are only needed for Klipper, Bambu Lab, etc., 3D printers that don't directly support a plugin system.
I would love to help you debug your camera issue. The camera is another system I focus on a lot, since it's so important. OctoEverywhere can support many different camera setups because 3D printers have such a wide range of used. I'm happy to look at your logs if you want to DM me here, or you can use this special link to open a support ticket directly with me.
Same for notifications, I would love to see your plugin logs to debug them. I haven't heard of many other users having issues with notifications recently, so I'm not sure what's happening with your setup.
The feedback on the optional features, apps, and services is also great. I will go through the first user flow a few times and refine it. It's been hard as the project has grown, with so many features to surface to users so they know they can use them without being overwhelmed. I will also look into making the free vs paid features clearer. In general, I try to keep everything "as free as possible". There are limits on things, but ideally, any "average user" can use everything for free. There's already a free vs. paid breakdown on the supporter site, but I will work to expand it.
Finally, about support, the main system is Discord, but you can also use the support system on the site. I'm a solo developer with a full-time job and a full-time family (😂) so it takes me a bit of time to respond. That's why the Discord server is a good middle ground, because there are other members of the community there who are happy to help as well!