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Meshtastic Daemon

Overview

meshtastic-daemon is a Python script that connects to a Meshtastic node via TCP, retrieves position information and metrics from detected nodes, and generates a GeoJSON file used by the BRouter map to display LoRa mesh network nodes.

The daemon runs automatically every minute via a cron job and updates the file /data/brouter/www/meshtastic_nodes.json containing active node positions.

Key Features

  • TCP connection to Meshtastic node (using TCPInterface)
  • Position extraction (latitude, longitude) and metrics (battery, SNR, last contact)
  • Active node filtering (last heard < 7 days)
  • GeoJSON file generation for BRouter map display
  • Atomic file writing (using temp file + os.replace)

How it Works

Daemon Execution

The daemon is executed every minute by cron:

* * * * * root /data/brouter/meshtastic-daemon.py <NODE_IP>

The Meshtastic node IP address is passed as an argument and configured during installation via the Ansible variable recoverybox_meshtastic_node.ip.

Detailed Process

  1. Connection: The script establishes a TCP connection to the Meshtastic node
  2. Collection: It iterates over all visible nodes (interface.nodes)
  3. Filtering: Only nodes with valid coordinates and lastHeard < 604800 seconds (7 days) are kept
  4. GeoJSON Generation: Each node is converted to a GeoJSON feature with its properties
  5. Atomic Writing: The file is written to a temporary file then renamed to prevent corruption

GeoJSON Structure

Each node is represented as a GeoJSON point with the following properties:

{
  "type": "Feature",
  "geometry": {
    "type": "Point",
    "coordinates": [longitude, latitude]
  },
  "properties": {
    "name": "Node name",
    "id": "Node ID",
    "battery_level": 85,
    "snr": 9.5,
    "last_heard": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z"
  }
}

File Interactions

Main Files

File Description
/data/brouter/meshtastic-daemon.py Main daemon script
/data/meshtastic_env/ Python virtual environment containing the meshtastic package
/etc/cron.d/meshtastic-daemon Cron configuration running the daemon every minute
/data/brouter/www/meshtastic_nodes.json Output GeoJSON file (auto-updated)
/data/brouter/www/recoverybox-mesh.js Client-side JavaScript for map display
/data/brouter/www/mesh-node.png Icon for nodes displayed on the map

Configuration

The daemon uses the following configuration defined in /etc/recoverybox/custom_config.yml:

recoverybox_meshtastic_node:
  mac: "00:00:00:00:00:00"
  ip: "192.168.200.101"

Advanced Configuration

Modifying the Node IP Address

To change the IP address of the Meshtastic node connected to the daemon:

  1. Edit the configuration file:
nano /etc/recoverybox/custom_config.yml

  1. Modify the recoverybox_meshtastic_node.ip value

  2. Restart the cron service to apply changes:

systemctl restart cron.service

Verification

You can verify the current cron configuration by checking the file /etc/cron.d/meshtastic-daemon.

Modifying the Execution Frequency

To change the daemon execution frequency (default: every minute):

  1. Edit the cron file:
nano /etc/cron.d/meshtastic-daemon
  1. Modify the cron line according to your needs. For example, to execute every 5 minutes:
*/5 * * * * root /data/brouter/meshtastic-daemon.py <NODE_IP>
  1. Save and exit. Changes will be applied automatically.

Debug

Check Cron Status

systemctl status cron.service

View Cron Logs

journalctl -u cron.service -f

Verify Output File

Check that the GeoJSON file is being updated:

ls -lh /data/brouter/www/meshtastic_nodes.json
cat /data/brouter/www/meshtastic_nodes.json | head -20

Manual Daemon Execution

To test the daemon manually:

python3 /data/brouter/meshtastic-daemon.py 192.168.200.101

Replace 192.168.200.101 with your Meshtastic node's IP address.

View Daemon Logs

The daemon does not write persistent logs. In case of errors, you can redirect output to a file:

python3 /data/brouter/meshtastic-daemon.py 192.168.200.101 > /tmp/meshtastic-debug.log 2>&1

Common Issues

Issue Probable Cause Solution
Empty JSON file Meshtastic node unreachable Check IP and network connectivity
ModuleNotFoundError Python environment not configured Reinstall daemon via Ansible
No nodes displayed No active nodes in range Verify Meshtastic nodes are powered and in range

Connectivity Testing

Test connection to Meshtastic node:

ping <NODE_IP>

Verify TCP port is accessible:

nc -zv <NODE_IP> 4403

External Documentation