barnacles processes a real-time stream of ambient RF decodings into an efficient representation of "what is where and how" as standard developer-friendly JSON that is vendor/technology/application-agnostic.
barnacles ingests and outputs a real-time stream of raddec objects, and can be coupled with advlib packet processors to additionally interpret dynamb (dynamic ambient), statid (static ID) and relay data for each device.
barnacles is a lightweight Node.js package that can run on resource-constrained edge devices as well as on powerful cloud servers and anything in between. It is included in reelyActive's Pareto Anywhere open source IoT middleware suite where it maintains an in-memory snapshot of the hyperlocal context data structure for consumption by API modules, and distribution by barnacles-x modules.
Follow our step-by-step tutorials to get started with Pareto Anywhere, which includes barnacles, on the platform of your choice:
Learn "owl" about the raddec and dynamb JSON data output:
Clone this repository, install package dependencies with npm install, and then from the root folder run at any time:
npm start
barnacles will listen for raddec UDP packets on port 50001 and print the aggregated raddec output to the console.
const Barnowl = require('barnowl');
const Barnacles = require('barnacles');
let barnowl = new Barnowl();
barnowl.addListener(Barnowl, {}, Barnowl.TestListener, {}); // Source of data
let barnacles = new Barnacles({ barnowl: barnowl });
barnacles.on('raddec', (raddec) => {
console.log(raddec);
});As output you should see a stream of raddec objects similar to the following:
{
transmitterId: "001122334455",
transmitterIdType: 2,
rssiSignature:
[ { receiverId: "001bc50940810000",
receiverIdType: 1,
numberOfDecodings: 1,
rssi: -60 },
{ receiverId: "001bc50940810001",
receiverIdType: 1,
numberOfDecodings: 1,
rssi: -66 } ],
packets: [ "061b55443322110002010611074449555520657669746341796c656572" ],
timestamp: 1547693457133,
events: [ 0 ]
}Regardless of the underlying RF protocol and hardware, the raddec specifies what (transmitterId) is where (receiverId & rssi), as well as how (packets) and when (timestamp). barnacles adds an events property which indicates what has notably changed in the most recent radio decoding(s).
The silly Québécois title aside (we couldn't resist the temptation), although barnacles and barnowl together may suffice for simple event-driven applications, functionality can be greatly extended with the following software packages:
- advlib to decode the individual packets from hexadecimal strings into JSON
- chickadee to provide a /context API by associating structured, linked data with the devices identified in the radio decodings
- barterer to provide a /devices API
barnacles can accept packet processors, libraries and interpreters to decode raw packet data and trigger events in consequence. For instance, instantiate barnacles with all of the advlib modules as follows:
let options = {
packetProcessors: [ { processor: require('advlib-ble'),
libraries: [ require('advlib-ble-services'),
require('advlib-ble-manufacturers') ],
options: { ignoreProtocolOverhead: true,
indices: [ require('sniffypedia') ] } } ],
packetInterpreters: [ require('advlib-interoperable') ]
};
let barnacles = new Barnacles(options);Packet decoding is a prerequisite for dynamb and relay events and statid data, with the exception of Electronic Product Code (EPC) data which is automatically decoded as statid data by barnacles using advlib-epc.
barnacles is an EventEmitter which means that software can listen for 'raddec' events. To facilitate distribution over a network, barnacles interfaces with a number of complementary software packages to keep the code as lightweight and modular as possible. The following table lists all these interface packages which integrate seamlessly with barnacles in just two lines of code.
| Interface package | Provides |
|---|---|
| barnacles-webhook | Webhook (event-driven HTTP POST) |
| barnacles-websocket | WebSocket server |
| barnacles-socketio | socket.io push API |
| barnacles-logfile | Write raddec & dynamb events to a local logfile |
| barnacles-influxdb2 | InfluxDB 2 database interface |
| barnacles-elasticsearch | Elasticsearch database interface |
| barnacles-agora | Agora Software interface |
| barnacles-wiliot | Relay IoT Pixel payloads to the Wiliot Cloud |
const Barnowl = require('barnowl');
const Barnacles = require('barnacles');
const BarnaclesSocketIO = require('barnacles-socketio'); // 1: Include the package
let barnowl = new Barnowl();
let barnacles = new Barnacles({ barnowl: barnowl });
barnowl.addListener(Barnowl, {}, Barnowl.TestListener, {});
// 2: Add the interface with relevant options
barnacles.addInterface(BarnaclesSocketIO, {});const Barnowl = require('barnowl');
const Barnacles = require('barnacles');
const BarnaclesWebhook = require('barnacles-webhook'); // 1: Include the package
let barnowl = new Barnowl();
let barnacles = new Barnacles({ barnowl: barnowl });
barnowl.addListener(Barnowl, {}, Barnowl.TestListener, {});
// 2: Add the interface with relevant options
barnacles.addInterface(BarnaclesWebhook, { hostname: "127.0.0.1", port: 3000 });const Barnowl = require('barnowl');
const Barnacles = require('barnacles');
const BarnaclesElasticsearch = require('barnacles-elasticsearch'); // 1
let barnowl = new Barnowl();
let barnacles = new Barnacles({ barnowl: barnowl });
barnowl.addListener(Barnowl, {}, Barnowl.TestListener, {});
// 2: Add the interface with relevant options
barnacles.addInterface(BarnaclesElasticsearch, { host: "127.0.0.1:9200" });barnacles supports the following options:
| Property | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| delayMilliseconds | 1000 | How long to wait for data to arrive from all possible sources before determining if an event occurred (introduces the given amount of latency) |
| minDelayMilliseconds | 100 | Minimum time to wait between subsequent batches of event computation (gives the CPU a break) |
| decodingCompilationMilliseconds | 2000 | On an event, combine rssiSignatures from raddecs up to this far in the past |
| packetCompilationMilliseconds | 5000 | On an event, combine packets from raddecs up to this far in the past |
| historyMilliseconds | 8000 | How long to consider historic spatio-temporal data before it is flushed from memory (if historyMilliseconds is less than keepAliveMilliseconds data may be lost) |
| keepAliveMilliseconds | 5000 | How long to wait before triggering a keep-alive event in the absence of other events for a given transmitter. |
| disappearanceMilliseconds | 15000 | How long to wait before a device is considered to have disappeared (and also how long to retain dynamb data). |
| observedEvents | [ 0, 1, 2, 3 ] | Index list of the event types to emit |
| acceptStaleRaddecs | false | Accept raddecs with a timestamp more than historyMilliseconds in the past? (timestamp gets adjusted to current time) |
| acceptFutureRaddecs | true | Accept raddecs with a timestamp in the future? (timestamp gets adjusted to current time) |
| barnowl | null | barnowl instance providing source data |
| inputFilterParameters | {} | Filter on inbound raddecs (see raddec-filter) |
| outputFilterParameters | {} | Filter on outbound raddecs (see raddec-filter) |
| packetProcessors | [] | Processors for packet data (see advlib) |
| packetInterpreters | [] | Interpreters for packet data (see advlib) |
| protocolSpecificDataProcessors | [] | Processors for protocol-specific data (see advlib) |
| dynambProperties | { ... } | Packet properties to include in dynamb events |
| statidProperties | { ... } | Packet properties to include as statid |
As Wikipedia so eloquently states, "To facilitate genetic transfer between isolated individuals, barnacles have extraordinarily long penises." And given the current state of isolation of nodes in today's IoT, this package (pun intended) needs "the largest penis to body size ratio of the animal kingdom".
Also, we hope the name provides occasions to overhear our Québécois colleagues say things like "Tu veux tu configurer ta barnacle!?!"
barnacles v1.0.0 was released in January 2019, superseding all earlier versions, the latest of which remains available in the release-0.4 branch and as barnacles@0.4.12 on npm.
barnacles is easily combined with the following complementary software modules:
Learn more about the reelyActive Open Source Software packages, all of which are bundled together as Pareto Anywhere open source IoT middleware.
Discover how to contribute to this open source project which upholds a standard code of conduct.
Consult our security policy for best practices using this open source software and to report vulnerabilities.
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