diff --git a/src/cli/qr-terminal.ts b/src/cli/qr-terminal.ts
index 6d6caf6..f9504e4 100644
--- a/src/cli/qr-terminal.ts
+++ b/src/cli/qr-terminal.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@
  *   node --import=tsx src/cli/qr-terminal.ts ...      # with tsx
  */
 
-import { readFileSync, existsSync } from 'fs';
+import { readFileSync, existsSync, openSync, closeSync } from 'fs';
+import { ReadStream } from 'tty';
 import { generateQRMatrix } from '../core/qr/qr_encode';
 import { packetize } from '../core/sender/packetizer';
 import { scheduleFrames } from '../core/sender/scheduler';
@@ -141,21 +142,40 @@ function main() {
     clearInterval(interval);
     clearScreen();
     showCursor();
+    if (ttyFd !== null) {
+      try { closeSync(ttyFd); } catch {}
+    }
     process.stdout.write('QR terminal display stopped.\n');
     process.exit(0);
   }
 
-  // Keyboard handling
-  if (process.stdin.isTTY) {
-    hideCursor();
-    process.stdin.setRawMode(true);
-    process.stdin.resume();
-    process.stdin.setEncoding('utf8');
-    process.stdin.on('data', (key: string) => {
+  // Keyboard handling — try /dev/tty first so it works even when stdin is a pipe
+  let ttyFd: number | null = null;
+  try {
+    ttyFd = openSync('/dev/tty', 'rs');
+    const stream = new ReadStream(ttyFd);
+    stream.setRawMode(true);
+    stream.setEncoding('utf8');
+    stream.on('data', (key: string) => {
       if (key === 'q' || key === 'Q' || key === '\u0003') {
         cleanup();
       }
     });
+    stream.resume();
+    hideCursor();
+  } catch {
+    ttyFd = null;
+    if (process.stdin.isTTY) {
+      hideCursor();
+      process.stdin.setRawMode(true);
+      process.stdin.resume();
+      process.stdin.setEncoding('utf8');
+      process.stdin.on('data', (key: string) => {
+        if (key === 'q' || key === 'Q' || key === '\u0003') {
+          cleanup();
+        }
+      });
+    }
   }
 
   process.on('SIGINT', cleanup);
diff --git a/src/cli/terminal_raster.ts b/src/cli/terminal_raster.ts
index 79ce48c..5fea2a1 100644
--- a/src/cli/terminal_raster.ts
+++ b/src/cli/terminal_raster.ts
@@ -15,14 +15,22 @@ const BLOCK_EMPTY = ' ';
 /**
  * Render a QR boolean matrix to terminal lines.
  * @param matrix 2-D array where true = dark module
+ * @param quietZone number of white modules to pad on each side (default 4)
  * @returns Array of terminal strings (one per screen row)
  */
-export function renderToTerminal(matrix: boolean[][]): string[] {
+export function renderToTerminal(matrix: boolean[][], quietZone: number = 4): string[] {
   const size = matrix.length;
+  const totalWidth = size + quietZone * 2;
   const lines: string[] = [];
 
+  // Top quiet zone — each terminal row covers 2 QR modules vertically
+  const padRows = Math.ceil(quietZone / 2);
+  for (let i = 0; i < padRows; i++) {
+    lines.push(' '.repeat(totalWidth));
+  }
+
   for (let y = 0; y < size; y += 2) {
-    let line = '';
+    let line = ' '.repeat(quietZone);
     for (let x = 0; x < size; x++) {
       const top = matrix[y][x];
       const bottom = y + 1 < size ? matrix[y + 1][x] : false;
@@ -37,9 +45,15 @@ export function renderToTerminal(matrix: boolean[][]): string[] {
         line += BLOCK_EMPTY;
       }
     }
+    line += ' '.repeat(quietZone);
     lines.push(line);
   }
 
+  // Bottom quiet zone
+  for (let i = 0; i < padRows; i++) {
+    lines.push(' '.repeat(totalWidth));
+  }
+
   return lines;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/tests/cli_rendering.test.ts b/src/tests/cli_rendering.test.ts
index fce2448..8f0e10d 100644
--- a/src/tests/cli_rendering.test.ts
+++ b/src/tests/cli_rendering.test.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
 
 describe('Terminal Rasterizer', () => {
-  it('should render a simple 2×2 matrix', async () => {
+  it('should render a simple 2×2 matrix with default quiet zone', async () => {
     const { renderToTerminal } = await import('@/cli/terminal_raster');
 
     // 2×2 matrix: all dark
@@ -18,13 +18,17 @@ describe('Terminal Rasterizer', () => {
     ];
 
     const lines = renderToTerminal(matrix);
-    // 2 rows → 1 terminal line (two QR rows per terminal row)
-    expect(lines.length).toBe(1);
-    // both QR rows dark → ██
-    expect(lines[0]).toBe('\u2588\u2588');
+    // default quietZone = 4
+    // padRows = ceil(4/2) = 2, totalWidth = 2 + 8 = 10
+    expect(lines.length).toBe(5); // 2 top + 1 QR + 2 bottom
+    expect(lines[0]).toBe(' '.repeat(10));
+    expect(lines[1]).toBe(' '.repeat(10));
+    expect(lines[2]).toBe('    \u2588\u2588    '); // 4 spaces + ██ + 4 spaces
+    expect(lines[3]).toBe(' '.repeat(10));
+    expect(lines[4]).toBe(' '.repeat(10));
   });
 
-  it('should render mixed 4×4 matrix', async () => {
+  it('should render mixed 4×4 matrix with default quiet zone', async () => {
     const { renderToTerminal } = await import('@/cli/terminal_raster');
 
     const matrix = [
@@ -35,27 +39,31 @@ describe('Terminal Rasterizer', () => {
     ];
 
     const lines = renderToTerminal(matrix);
-    expect(lines.length).toBe(2); // 4 QR rows → 2 terminal rows
+    expect(lines.length).toBe(6); // 2 top + 2 QR + 2 bottom
+
+    // First QR line starts after 2 top rows (index 2)
+    const qrLine0 = lines[2]!;
+    expect(qrLine0.length).toBe(12); // 4 + 4 + 4
 
-    // Row 0: top=TG, bottom=FB for each column
     // Col 0: top=true, bottom=false → ▀ (U+2580)
-    expect(lines[0]![0]).toBe('\u2580');
+    expect(qrLine0[4]).toBe('\u2580');
     // Col 1: top=false, bottom=true → ▄ (U+2584)
-    expect(lines[0]![1]).toBe('\u2584');
+    expect(qrLine0[5]).toBe('\u2584');
     // Col 2: top=true, bottom=false → ▀
-    expect(lines[0]![2]).toBe('\u2580');
+    expect(qrLine0[6]).toBe('\u2580');
     // Col 3: top=false, bottom=true → ▄
-    expect(lines[0]![3]).toBe('\u2584');
+    expect(qrLine0[7]).toBe('\u2584');
 
-    // Row 1: top=row2[TG], bottom=row3[FB]
+    // Second QR line (index 3)
+    const qrLine1 = lines[3]!;
     // Col 0: top=true, bottom=false → ▀
-    expect(lines[1]![0]).toBe('\u2580');
+    expect(qrLine1[4]).toBe('\u2580');
     // Col 1: top=true, bottom=false → ▀
-    expect(lines[1]![1]).toBe('\u2580');
+    expect(qrLine1[5]).toBe('\u2580');
     // Col 2: top=false, bottom=true → ▄
-    expect(lines[1]![2]).toBe('\u2584');
+    expect(qrLine1[6]).toBe('\u2584');
     // Col 3: top=false, bottom=true → ▄
-    expect(lines[1]![3]).toBe('\u2584');
+    expect(qrLine1[7]).toBe('\u2584');
   });
 
   it('should handle odd number of QR rows', async () => {
@@ -69,19 +77,19 @@ describe('Terminal Rasterizer', () => {
     ];
 
     const lines = renderToTerminal(matrix);
-    expect(lines.length).toBe(2); // 3 QR rows → 2 terminal rows
+    expect(lines.length).toBe(6); // 2 top + 2 QR + 2 bottom
 
-    // Row 0: QR rows 0+1
-    expect(lines[0]!.length).toBe(3);
+    // First QR line (index 2): QR rows 0+1
+    expect(lines[2]!.length).toBe(11); // 4 + 3 + 4
 
-    // Row 1: QR row 2 + bottom=false (out of bounds)
-    expect(lines[1]!.length).toBe(3);
+    // Second QR line (index 3): QR row 2 + bottom=false (out of bounds)
+    expect(lines[3]!.length).toBe(11);
     // Col 0: top=true, bottom=false → ▀
-    expect(lines[1]![0]).toBe('\u2580');
+    expect(lines[3]![4]).toBe('\u2580');
     // Col 1: top=false, bottom=false → ' '
-    expect(lines[1]![1]).toBe(' ');
+    expect(lines[3]![5]).toBe(' ');
     // Col 2: top=true, bottom=false → ▀
-    expect(lines[1]![2]).toBe('\u2580');
+    expect(lines[3]![6]).toBe('\u2580');
   });
 
   it('should render an all-white matrix', async () => {
@@ -93,8 +101,8 @@ describe('Terminal Rasterizer', () => {
     ];
 
     const lines = renderToTerminal(matrix);
-    expect(lines.length).toBe(1);
-    expect(lines[0]).toBe('  '); // space + space
+    expect(lines.length).toBe(5);
+    expect(lines[2]).toBe(' '.repeat(10));
   });
 
   it('should render a full-block matrix', async () => {
@@ -106,8 +114,37 @@ describe('Terminal Rasterizer', () => {
     ];
 
     const lines = renderToTerminal(matrix);
+    expect(lines.length).toBe(5);
+    expect(lines[2]).toBe('    \u2588\u2588    '); // full block + full block with quiet zone
+  });
+
+  it('should support custom quiet zone size', async () => {
+    const { renderToTerminal } = await import('@/cli/terminal_raster');
+
+    const matrix = [
+      [true, true],
+      [true, true],
+    ];
+
+    const lines = renderToTerminal(matrix, 2);
+    // quietZone=2, padRows=ceil(2/2)=1, totalWidth=2+4=6
+    expect(lines.length).toBe(3); // 1 top + 1 QR + 1 bottom
+    expect(lines[0]).toBe(' '.repeat(6));
+    expect(lines[1]).toBe('  \u2588\u2588  '); // 2 spaces + ██ + 2 spaces
+    expect(lines[2]).toBe(' '.repeat(6));
+  });
+
+  it('should support zero quiet zone', async () => {
+    const { renderToTerminal } = await import('@/cli/terminal_raster');
+
+    const matrix = [
+      [true, true],
+      [true, true],
+    ];
+
+    const lines = renderToTerminal(matrix, 0);
     expect(lines.length).toBe(1);
-    expect(lines[0]).toBe('\u2588\u2588'); // full block + full block
+    expect(lines[0]).toBe('\u2588\u2588');
   });
 });
 
diff --git a/src/tests/outer_ec_benefit.test.ts b/src/tests/outer_ec_benefit.test.ts
index cddcc1d..cdf4004 100644
--- a/src/tests/outer_ec_benefit.test.ts
+++ b/src/tests/outer_ec_benefit.test.ts
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ describe('Outer EC Benefit', () => {
         ? `${(((framesNeededWithoutEC - framesNeededWithEC) / framesNeededWithoutEC) * 100).toFixed(1)}%`
         : 'N/A (without EC failed)',
     });
-  });
+  }, 15000);
 
   it('should recover when a whole source generation is missing', async () => {
     // Small payload: 3 source gens + 1 parity = 4 total