OctoPrint VS mainsail

The cheapest way is to use OctoPrint. Octoprint itself is free, and although it's often run on a Raspberry Pi, it can be installed on many things, such as an old laptop runing Linux or even Windows, or a small single-board computer. OctoPrint would connect to the printer using a USB cable, and you'd send the slicer output to Octoprint over your WiFi.

Octoprint

2023-11-08 14:10:57,263 - octoprint.util.connectivity.connectivity_checker - INF O - Resolving octoprint.org is working

- Two LibreELEC (https://libreelec.tv/) mediaplayers in house (yes, one is not enough in my big family).

- One for hosting low usage applications at home network (Unifi controller and some more).

- Octoprint (https://octoprint.org) connected to the 3d-printer.

- One on my desk for hardware hacking – mostly as just a PC with GPIO.

- Some Raspberry Pi Zeros as security cameras.

Really quite easy, especially if you have ever dealt with a raspberry pi before. Once installed & set up, you manage everything over a web interface. I even added a webcam to it in order to see what's going on. Check out https://octoprint.org/

For other devices it can be harder, there are guides for installing on Linux on the octoprint website (I use an old laptop running Linux Mint). If using an old Android phone look for Octo4A.

I’d just get Octoprint setup and a camera for it

Klipper is awesome and once it’s installed and up and running I can control my printer via my LAN network and upload STL’s and control the printer using the Mainsail Web interface. https://docs.mainsail.xyz

I prefer Klipper. It requires another computer (such as a raspberry pi) but it is so much easier to modify and make changes. It also has built in leveling functions and other great benefits. https://docs.mainsail.xyz/ https://www.klipper3d.org/

It's https://docs.mainsail.xyz/

My recommendation if your just setting up: do yourself a huge favor and do not use OctoPrint. Instead I recommend using Mainsail of Fluidd. They’re both great web interfaces designed specifically for Klipper. Very fast, lightweight and take advantage of all available Klipper functions. Octoprint is very resource hungry.

Convert that thing to a corexy via Mercury One, throw a Stealthburner on it, and get yourself a raspberry pi to run Klipper/Mainsail.

In the past I used OctoPrint, but now I moved to Mainsail, because it has a better ui and some plugins are directly build in. You can install Kiauh and use it to install Mainsail or Fluidd next to OctoPrint.

Personally I prefer Mainsail. But Fluidd is also popular.

If you can get ahold of a Raspberry Pi, MainsailOS is a prebuilt sd card image that has everything preinstalled.