Base Station Setup

The base station is a Python CLI that connects to a RYLR LoRa module via serial, receives images from the ESP32-CAM, and provides interactive commands.

Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• A second RYLR896/RYLR998 module connected via USB-to-serial adapter
• pyserial package

pip install pyserial

Basic usage

python tools/lora_receiver.py --port /dev/ttyUSB0

This starts the base station with default settings:

• Station address: 0
• Camera address: 1
• Network ID: 0
• Spreading factor: 9
• Output directory: ./images

Full options

python tools/lora_receiver.py \
  --port /dev/ttyUSB0 \
  --address 0 \
  --camera 1 \
  --network 0 \
  --sf 9 \
  --bw 7 \
  --cr 1 \
  --output ./images

Flag	Default	Description
--port	(required)	Serial port for RYLR module
--baud	115200	Serial baud rate
--address	0	This station’s LoRa address
--camera	1	Camera’s LoRa address
--network	0	LoRa network ID (0–16)
--sf	9	Spreading factor (7–12)
--bw	7	Bandwidth: 7=125kHz, 8=250kHz, 9=500kHz
--cr	1	Coding rate (1–4 maps to 4/5–4/8)
--output	./images	Directory for saved JPEG files

Interactive commands

Once running, the CLI accepts these commands:

Command	Shortcut	Description
capture [addr]	c	Request immediate capture from camera
status	s	Request status report (heap, uptime, RSSI)
ping	p	Simple keepalive check
config key=value	cfg	Update camera config at runtime
list	ls	List received images
show [num|name]	—	Open an image (defaults to most recent)
help	h	Show help
quit	q	Exit

Configuration keys

These keys can be set remotely via the config command:

config period=30000     # Periodic capture every 30 seconds (ms)
config motion=1         # Enable motion detection
config motion=0         # Disable motion detection
config threshold=20.0   # Motion threshold percentage

Transfer progress

During an image transfer, the CLI shows a progress bar:

[RX] New image: id=1 320x240 8432 bytes (51 frags) CRC=A3F2 RSSI=-45 SNR=9
  [################--------------] 53% (27/51)

After completion:

[RX] Image saved: ./images/2025-01-29_14-32-01.jpg
     8432 bytes in 12.3s (686 B/s)
     320x240 CRC OK
     Total images: 1