Nebula Documentation

Welcome to the Nebula documentation. There are 3 versions of Nebula. Versions 1 & 2 are free installs of the Nebula demonstration app. Version 3 is the purchased Nebula development platform where you can build your own applications.

Version 1 of Nebula is free and is installed by selecting the app from Google Play. It supports up to 4 Android only devices. There is no log output to watch other than what shows in the app text boxes. This app is used to evaluate Nebula with an Android only VPN. If you installed Nebula from Google Play on at least 2 Android devices you can skip to Setup.

Version 2 of Nebula is free and contains only the executable binaries of Nebula. Version 2 comes as a .zip file download when “Try Nebula” is clicked on the Galixsys website. This documentation will explain how to install the binaries, build a VPN and how to use Nebula. Version 2 limits log output and allows only 4 devices for the VPN. The 4 devices allow a complete evaluation of Nebula if configured as follows:

Device 1 - Device 1 requires special consideration. It can be a Linux, Windows, Mac (not iPhone) or Android device and may have 3 ports forwarded to it. Port forwarding is only necessary if you want to control home devices from a mobile device. A base port (default 50500) is entered during the setup of Device 1. The next 2 sequential ports (default 50501 & 50502) are derived from the base port entry and are used for data-stream-in and data-stream-out. Nebula listens for commands on base port whenever it’s running. It establishes socket-servers on the stream ports only while a video or file stream is running.
Device 2 - Linux, Windows, Mac (not iPhone) or Android on the same network (WiFi SSID or Ethernet) as Device 1.
Device 3 - A mobile Android phone or tablet to evaluate commands while mobile. Note that while mobile it uses data, especially while streaming video between devices. Non-streaming commands use negligible bytes of data.
Device 4 - An 8266 WiFi device that has a USB port for uploading a program file. Preferably an ECP8266 module like this. The 32x128 OLED display control is implemented in the Nebula program and used for user prompts.
Version 3 of Nebula is a purchased version. Nebula can be purchased as individual APK, JAR or BIN modules or ALL 3 bundled together. When purchased you will receive an email with a link to download the ordered package project files for use in an Integrated Development Environment (IDE).
  • Nebula_APK uses Android Studio IDE
  • Nebula_JAR uses Intellij Idea IDE
  • Nebula_BIN uses the Arduino IDE
The source code of a particular demonstration package can be opened, compiled, uploaded to a device, run, modified and saved on your local development computer through the IDE. With the purchased version you control all aspects of the VPN and extensive log output clearly shows what’s happening when commands are sent and received.
  • Follow the sidebar Navigation links to install and learn about Nebula.