I’ve always wanted to create a remote control device, like an unmanned boat, that could travel long distances along rivers and streams. The idea was to use cellular networks for control. I started researching and tried building a similar setup using a Raspberry Pi and a 4G router, but I found it to be too complex to operate and not very reliable. Most of the products available on the market were designed for drones and were quite expensive. That’s when I decided to create Puffin—a low-cost, easy-to-use solution that would allow DIY enthusiasts to easily integrate remote control capabilities into their own projects. I wanted to make it affordable and accessible so that anyone could unleash their creativity and apply it to whatever they imagine.

The delay in controlling these devices is crucial, so I decided to use WebRTC and customized it to reduce latency. Through this modification, I was able to achieve a control delay of around 100ms, ensuring smooth and responsive operation. This was key to making Puffin a reliable solution for remote control and video transmission, offering real-time performance even over cellular networks.