sensorpajen/SETUP_ON_PI.md

Setup on Raspberry Pi - Testing Guide

Prerequisites

• Raspberry Pi with Bluetooth support
• Raspberry Pi OS (Debian-based)
• Git repository access
• MQTT broker accessible from the Pi

Quick Setup Steps

1. Pull Latest Changes

cd ~/sensorpajen  # or wherever your repo is
git pull origin master

2. Install System Dependencies

# Install Bluetooth and build tools
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y bluetooth bluez libbluetooth-dev python3-dev python3-pip python3-venv

# Verify Bluetooth is working
sudo systemctl status bluetooth

3. Create Virtual Environment

cd ~/sensorpajen
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate

4. Install Python Dependencies

pip install --upgrade pip
pip install bluepy paho-mqtt

# Or install the package in development mode
pip install -e .

5. Set Bluetooth Capabilities

This allows Python to access Bluetooth without sudo:

# Set capabilities on the Python interpreter in the venv
sudo setcap 'cap_net_raw,cap_net_admin+eip' .venv/bin/python3

6. Configure the Application

# Copy configuration templates
cp config/sensorpajen.env.example config/sensorpajen.env
cp config/sensors.json.example config/sensors.json

# Edit MQTT settings
nano config/sensorpajen.env
# Update MQTT_HOST, MQTT_USER, MQTT_PASSWORD

# Verify/edit sensor list
nano config/sensors.json
# Should already have your 8 sensors from legacy config

7. Test Run

# Make sure virtual environment is activated
source .venv/bin/activate

# Load environment variables
export $(cat config/sensorpajen.env | grep -v '^#' | xargs)

# Run the application
python -m sensorpajen.main

You should see:

• Configuration being loaded
• MQTT connection established
• BLE scanning started
• Sensor readings as they come in

Press Ctrl+C to stop.

Troubleshooting

Bluetooth Permission Issues

If you get permission errors:

# Check if capabilities are set
getcap .venv/bin/python3

# If not set, run:
sudo setcap 'cap_net_raw,cap_net_admin+eip' .venv/bin/python3

# Verify Bluetooth device is up
hciconfig hci0 up

MQTT Connection Issues

# Test MQTT connection
mosquitto_sub -h 10.0.0.114 -u hasse -P casablanca -t "MiTemperature2/#" -v

# Check if broker is accessible
ping 192.168.0.114  # or your MQTT broker IP

No Sensor Data

# Check if sensors are in range and broadcasting
sudo hcitool lescan

# Check logs for specific errors
python -m sensorpajen.main 2>&1 | tee test.log

BluePy Installation Issues

If bluepy fails to install:

sudo apt install -y libglib2.0-dev
pip install --no-cache-dir bluepy

Environment Variables Reference

Copy from config/sensorpajen.env.example and modify:

# Required
MQTT_HOST=192.168.0.114          # Your MQTT broker IP
MQTT_USER=hasse                   # MQTT username
MQTT_PASSWORD=casablanca          # MQTT password

# Optional
MQTT_PORT=1883                    # Default MQTT port
MQTT_CLIENT_ID=mibridge          # Client identifier
MQTT_TOPIC_PREFIX=MiTemperature2 # MQTT topic prefix

# Application settings
SENSOR_CONFIG_FILE=config/sensors.json  # Sensor config file
WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT=5                # BLE watchdog timeout (seconds)
ENABLE_BATTERY=true               # Include battery data
LOG_LEVEL=INFO                    # DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, ERROR

Viewing Logs

# While running in terminal, logs go to stdout
python -m sensorpajen.main

# To save logs to file
python -m sensorpajen.main 2>&1 | tee sensorpajen.log

Next Steps

Once testing is successful:

1. Continue to Phase 4-6 in ROADMAP.md to set up systemd service
2. Service will run automatically on boot
3. Logs will be available via journalctl --user -u sensorpajen

Returning to Development Machine

All changes can be committed on the Pi and pushed back:

# On Raspberry Pi
git add -A
git commit -m "Your changes"
git push origin master

# On development machine
git pull origin master

The development workflow works seamlessly from either machine!