Communication Module Configuration

A file called de_comm.config.module.json exists in /home/pi/drone_engage/de_comm/. This file is written in JSON format. However, you can still add comments to the file. To those who do not know JSON just consider it a text file that you need to edit only few lines in it.

Accessing the Configuration File

Login to your Raspberry-PI board using ssh.

ssh pi@raspberry_pi_ip_address

Navigate to the configuration directory:

cd /home/pi/drone_engage/de_comm/
ls

Open the configuration file:

nano de_comm.config.module.json

Configuration Fields

Configuration Fields

Field Name

Description

Example

module_id

A name and GUID for this module

“MT_1”, “COMM_MAIN”

unit_type

Type of unit. Use “control_unit” for drone modules

“control_unit”

s2s_udp_listening_ip (*)

IP address for the de_comm module to communicate with other modules

“127.0.0.1” if all modules on same board, else “0.0.0.0”

s2s_udp_listening_port (*)

UDP port used to communicate with other modules

“60000”

s2s_udp_packet_size (*)

Maximum size of UDP packets, should be same value in all modules

“8192”

auth_ip (*)

Authentication server IP address

“127.0.0.1”, “andruav.com”, “droneengage.com”

auth_port (*)

Authentication server port (number, not string)

19408

auth_verify_ssl (*)

Enable SSL verification for authentication

false

ignore_original_comm_server (*)

Don’t authenticate and connect directly to a drone server

false

root_certificate_path (*)

Path to SSL certificate (required if auth_verify_ssl is true)

“./root.crt”

userName (M)

Your account username

“user@example.com”

accessCode (M)

Your account access code

“your_access_code”

unitID (M)

A readable name for your drone that will be displayed

“drone1”, “D1-Copter”

groupID (*)

Group identifier for your drone

“1”

unitDescription (M)

A brief single line description of vehicle

“My X8 Drone”

logger_enabled (*)

Enable logging (creates log files in Logs folder)

false

logger_debug (*)

Enable debug logging

false

ping_server_rate_in_ms (*)

Ping rate to the server in milliseconds

1500

max_allowed_ping_delay_in_ms (*)

Maximum allowed ping delay before restart attempts

5000

max_offline_count (*)

Maximum failed reconnection attempts before app exits

5

led_pins_enabled (*)

Enable power LED indicator (GPIO module only)

true

buzzer_pins_enabled (*)

Enable buzzer indicator (GPIO module only)

true

Legend

  • (*) You can keep default value unless you have specific requirements

  • (M) You need to change it based on your account

Important Notes

Important

If you change unitDescription and unitID then you need to delete file de_comm.local Use rm de_comm.local to delete it.

Note

userName and accessCode can be generated from your DroneEngage account.

Example Configuration

{
    /*
        This is a JSON file with ability to add c-like comments.
    */

    // A name and GUID for this module
    "module_id": "MT_1",
    "unit_type": "control_unit",

    // IP & Port Communication Module is listening to.
    "s2s_udp_listening_ip": "0.0.0.0",
    "s2s_udp_listening_port": "60000",
    "s2s_udp_packet_size": "8192",

    // Drone-Engage Communication Server Connection
    "auth_ip": "127.0.0.1",
    "auth_port": 19408,
    "auth_verify_ssl": false,
    "ignore_original_comm_server": false,

    // SSL certificate path (optional if auth_verify_ssl == true)
    "root_certificate_path": "./root.crt",

    "userName": "your_email@example.com",
    "accessCode": "your_access_code",
    "unitID": "drone_cairo",
    "groupID": "1",
    "unitDescription": "My Drone Unit 1",

    // Logger Section
    "logger_enabled": false,
    "logger_debug": false,

    // Connection management
    "ping_server_rate_in_ms": 1500,
    "max_allowed_ping_delay_in_ms": 5000,
    "max_offline_count": 5,

    // Hardware indicators (GPIO module only)
    "led_pins_enabled": true,
    "buzzer_pins_enabled": true
}

SSL Configuration

If you need to connect to a server with SSL verification enabled:

  1. Set “auth_verify_ssl”: true

  2. Provide the path to your SSL certificate in “root_certificate_path”

  3. Ensure the certificate file is accessible by the application

Connection Troubleshooting

If you experience connection issues:

  1. Check that auth_ip and auth_port are correct

  2. Verify your userName and accessCode are valid

  3. Adjust ping_server_rate_in_ms and max_allowed_ping_delay_in_ms if needed

  4. Monitor max_offline_count to prevent excessive restarts

  5. Check firewall settings for UDP port s2s_udp_listening_port