BlueOS 4G/LTE Telemetry Setup¶
This page explains how to install and configure a 4G/LTE telemetry module for use with BlueOS assuming this setup has already been completed. These instructions were originally posted on this blog post
BlueOS’s official wiki is here
Recommended Hardware¶
LTE modem compatible with RPi and capable of IPv4 (but not IPv6). Known working modems include:
A compatible SIM card like those from IIJmio in Japan or Hologram
Custom cable to connect the Ochin Tiny Carrier Board V2 to the 4G/LTE modem
Check Internet Connectivity¶
Power on the vehicle and wait a few minutes for BlueOS to start and for the modem to connect to the 4G/LTE network
On the PC open a Chrome browser to http://blueos-avahi.local/ (BlueOS should appear)
From the top right menu select the globe icon and confirm “usb” shows a green globe meaning internet is available
Optionally change the priority of 4G/LTE vs wifi by changing the order of “usb” and “wlan” in the list
ZeroTier Setup Part 1¶
Create a ZeroTier account (see https://www.zerotier.com/)
Create a new ZeroTier network, record the Network ID
On the PC:
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Start the ZeroTier App
On bottom right tray, select orange ZeroTier icon, Join new network, paste in the Network ID
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BlueOS Setup¶
On the PC open a Chrome browser to http://blueos-avahi.local/ (BlueOS should appear)
From left menu select Extensions, find ZeroTier and push the “Get” button (installation will take a few minutes)
From left menu select ZeroTier Manager, in the “Network ID” field enter the Network ID recorded above and push “Join”
Enable MAVLink Server:
From top right menu click on the Pirate mode icon (smiling Buddha face), Enable Pirate Mode
From left menu select “MAVLink Endpoints”
Find the “GCS Server Link” section and ensure the blue slider is to the right
ZeroTier Setup Part 2¶
From a web browser, open zerotier.com and “Log In”. The browser should automatically forward to https://my.zerotier.com/
From the list of Networks, select the Network created in “Part 1” above
Scroll down to the “Members” area, and look for new entries corresponding to the PC and vehicle
Check the “Auth?” column for each, then click on the “Edit” column and fill in the “Name” field
Optionally also change the “IP Assignments” field’s last digit to an easy-to-remember value between 1 and 255
Copy the vehicle’s “Managed IP” address (it will be needed below)
Connecting with Mission Planner¶
Ensure PC has internet access
Start the ZeroTier App, from the bottom right tray, connect to network
Open a web browser and enter the vehicle’s IP address (see above), BlueOS should appear
Open Mission Planner, it should automatically connect. If it does not, from top-right drop-down select UDPCI, enter the vehicle’s IP address, port:14550
Connecting with QGC¶
Use the same procedure as Mission Planner but if QGC does not automatically connect
Select top-left icon, Application Settings, Comm Links
Add, Name: vehicle, Type:UDP, Port:14550, Server Address:, Add Server, OK
Connecting with Cockpit¶
Alternatively the BlueOS’s built-in GCS, Cockpit, can be used by opening a Chrome browser, entering the vehicle’s IP address into the URL and once BlueOS appears, select Cockpit from the left menu