Unreadable data

[jamrockmedz]

I tried using this source to parse data from a tk102 device. The received data is always unreadable, for Example 1:
connected
UH� t"3�T

UH� t"3�T

xx 04���[��<�R�w�3vQ

Example 2:

63.143.78.70 wrote:
UH� t"'�

63.143.78.67 wrote:
UH� t"'�

63.143.78.69 wrote:
UH� t"(A

63.143.78.65 wrote:
UH� t"(A

63.143.78.67 wrote:
UH� t"(A

63.143.78.67 wrote:
UH� t")P�

63.143.78.70 wrote:
UH� t")P�

63.143.78.68 wrote:
UH� t"*b

63.143.78.68 wrote:
UH� t"*b

63.143.78.68 wrote:
UH� t"*b

63.143.78.66 wrote:
UH� t"+s�

63.143.78.69 wrote:
UH� t"+s�

63.143.78.65 wrote:
UH� t"+s�

63.143.78.70 wrote:
UH� t"-�

63.143.78.65 wrote:
UH� t"-�

63.143.78.67 wrote:
UH� t".$0

63.143.78.67 wrote:
UH� t".$0

63.143.78.69 wrote:
UH� t".$0

63.143.78.70 wrote:
UH� t"/5�

63.143.78.65 wrote:
UH� t"/5�

63.143.78.65 wrote:
UH� t"/5�

63.143.78.66 wrote:
UH� t"0

63.143.78.67 wrote:
UH� t"0

63.143.78.69 wrote:
UH� t"0

63.143.78.70 wrote:
UH� t"1

63.143.78.65 wrote:
UH� t"1

63.143.78.70 wrote:
UH� t"1

63.143.78.69 wrote:
UH� t"3

63.143.78.66 wrote:
UH� t"3

63.143.78.69 wrote:
UH� t"3

[fvdm]

That indeed doesn't look right. Is the encoding of your script file and terminal UTF-8?

[jamrockmedz]

I'm using Putty, Remote character set currently on

UTF-8
I tried:

socket.on('data', function (data) {
console.log ('Incoming data: ');
console.log(data.toString('UTF-8'));
});

result:

[fvdm]

I created a separate branch to work this out. Please install with:

npm install fvdm/nodejs-tk102#charset

And add these debug lines to your code:

tk102.on ('fail', console.log);
tk102.on ('error', console.log);

[jamrockmedz]

Results after trying new branch:

UH� t"ngq�ata: xx

UH� t"ngq�ata: xx

Incoming data: xx %��HX_[<�R�w ��

{ [Error: Cannot parse GPS data from device]
reason: 'Cannot parse GPS data from device',
socket:
{ _connecting: false,
_handle: null,
_readableState:
{ highWaterMark: 16384,
buffer: [],
length: 0,
pipes: null,
pipesCount: 0,
flowing: false,
ended: true,
endEmitted: true,
reading: false,
calledRead: true,
sync: false,
needReadable: true,
emittedReadable: false,
readableListening: false,
objectMode: false,
defaultEncoding: 'utf8',
ranOut: false,
awaitDrain: 0,
readingMore: false,
decoder: null,
encoding: null },
readable: false,
domain: null,
_events:
{ finish: [Function: onSocketFinish],
_socketEnd: [Object],
data: [Function],
readable: [Function],
close: [Function],
error: [Function] },
_maxListeners: 10,
_writableState:
{ highWaterMark: 16384,
objectMode: false,
needDrain: false,
ending: true,
ended: true,
finished: true,
decodeStrings: false,
defaultEncoding: 'utf8',
length: 0,
writing: false,
sync: true,
bufferProcessing: false,
onwrite: [Function],
writecb: null,
writelen: 0,
buffer: [] },
writable: false,
allowHalfOpen: false,
onend: null,
destroyed: true,
errorEmitted: false,
bytesRead: 72,
_bytesDispatched: 0,
_pendingData: null,
_pendingEncoding: '',
server:
{ domain: null,
_events: [Object],
_maxListeners: 10,
_connections: 0,
connections: [Getter/Setter],
_handle: [Object],
_usingSlaves: false,
_slaves: [],
allowHalfOpen: false,
maxConnections: 10,
_connectionKey: '4:0.0.0.0:5001' },
_idleTimeout: -1,
_idleNext: null,
_idlePrev: null,
_idleStart: 1441283208806,
pipe: [Function],
addListener: [Function],
on: [Function],
pause: [Function],
resume: [Function],
read: [Function],
consuming: true,
write: [Function: writeAfterFIN] },
input: 'xx\r\u0001\u0003UH� \u0014t"\u0000\tq�\r\nxx\r\u0001\u0003UH� \u0014t"\u0000\tq�\r\nxx\u001f\u0012\u000f\t\u0003\u0007\u001a%�\u0001�H�\bX[\u0000<�\u0001R\u0005\u0013�\u0000w\u0011\u0000\t��\r\n' }

[jamrockmedz]

I also tried to use python to determine encoding,
function returns binary as encoding:

def handle(self):
# self.request is the TCP socket connected to the client
self.data = self.request.recv(1024 * 6)
print "{} wrote:".format(self.client_address[0])
print self.data

    m = magic.open(magic.MAGIC_MIME_ENCODING)
    m.load()
    encoding = m.buffer(self.data) 
    print "encoding: " + encoding

Results when binary is used to decode data:

Incoming data:

<Buffer 78 78 0d 01 03 55 48 80 20 14 74 22 00 0b 52 9f 0d 0a>

decoded data:

UH� t"
R�

Incoming data:

<Buffer 78 78 0d 01 03 55 48 80 20 14 74 22 00 0b 52 9f 0d 0a>

decoded data:

UH� t"
R�

{ [Error: Cannot parse GPS data from device]
reason: 'Cannot parse GPS data from device',
socket:
{ _connecting: false,
_handle: null,
_readableState:
{ highWaterMark: 16384,
buffer: [],
length: 0,
pipes: null,
pipesCount: 0,
flowing: false,
ended: true,
endEmitted: true,
reading: false,
calledRead: true,
sync: false,
needReadable: true,
emittedReadable: false,
readableListening: false,
objectMode: false,
defaultEncoding: 'utf8',
ranOut: false,
awaitDrain: 0,
readingMore: false,
decoder: null,
encoding: null },
readable: false,
domain: null,
_events:
{ finish: [Function: onSocketFinish],
_socketEnd: [Object],
data: [Function],
readable: [Function],
close: [Function],
error: [Function] },
_maxListeners: 10,
_writableState:
{ highWaterMark: 16384,
objectMode: false,
needDrain: false,
ending: true,
ended: true,
finished: true,
decodeStrings: false,
defaultEncoding: 'utf8',
length: 0,
writing: false,
sync: true,
bufferProcessing: false,
onwrite: [Function],
writecb: null,
writelen: 0,
buffer: [] },
writable: false,
allowHalfOpen: false,
onend: null,
destroyed: true,
errorEmitted: false,
bytesRead: 36,
_bytesDispatched: 0,
_pendingData: null,
_pendingEncoding: '',
server:
{ domain: null,
_events: [Object],
_maxListeners: 10,
_connections: 0,
connections: [Getter/Setter],
_handle: [Object],
_usingSlaves: false,
_slaves: [],
allowHalfOpen: false,
maxConnections: 10,
_connectionKey: '4:0.0.0.0:5001' },
_idleTimeout: -1,
_idleNext: null,
_idlePrev: null,
_idleStart: 1441285231325,
pipe: [Function],
addListener: [Function],
on: [Function],
pause: [Function],
resume: [Function],
read: [Function],
_consuming: true,
write: [Function: writeAfterFIN] },
input: 'xx\r\u0001\u0003UH� \u0014t"\u0000\u000bR�\r\nxx\r\u0001\u0003UH� \u0014t"\u0000\u000bR�\r\n' }

[fvdm]

What brand and model is your tracker?

[jamrockmedz]

This is the device being used: http://www.ebay.com/itm/331580016533?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[fvdm]

I updated the code to use binary input, please retry with npm install fvdm/nodejs-tk102#charset

[jamrockmedz]

Incoming data:

7© t"

decoded data:

7© t"

Incoming data:

7© t"

decoded data:

7© t"

Trace: { [Error: uncaught exception]
error:
7© t"ypeError: Object xx
has no method 'copy'] }
at process.tk102.createServer.tk102.settings.(anonymous function) (/var/www/smart/smart/gps_module/test2/node_modules/tk102/tk102.js:79:11)
at process.EventEmitter.emit (events.js:95:17)
at process._fatalException (node.js:272:26)

Incoming data:

UH� t"»

decoded data:

UH� t"»

Incoming data:

UH� t"»

decoded data:

UH� t"»

Trace: { [Error: uncaught exception]
error:
UH� t"»peError: Object xx
has no method 'copy'] }
at process.tk102.createServer.tk102.settings.(anonymous function) (/var/www/smart/smart/gps_module/test2/node_modules/tk102/tk102.js:79:11)
at process.EventEmitter.emit (events.js:95:17)
at process._fatalException (node.js:272:26)

Incoming data:

UH� t"üÍ

decoded data:

UH� t"üÍ

[fvdm]

Hm I can't help you at this moment. To further investigate the data I need my laptop, but I only have my phone with me.

Is this a high priority issue for you or can it wait a couple of weeks?

[jamrockmedz]

Okay, thank you for the assistance. Kinda high, but will try some more troubleshooting and get another model if necessary.

[fvdm]

OK. I added input conversion. Set with:

tk102.settings.encoding = 'ENC';

Where ENC is one of: binary, utf16, etc.
Does this give you any better results?

In your earlier data I see \r\n and \t, I hope that doesn't mean linebreaks and tabs. The device can be one of the many fakes with weird firmware.

[fvdm]

Hi @jamrockmedz, could you please retry with npm install fvdm/nodejs-tk102#develop?
I changed the way incoming data is handled.

[jamrockmedz]

I believe the issue was with the firmware, i don't currently have those devices nearby. I however got two other tk102 device from a different manufacturer which do send readable characters to the server. The only issue with these new devices is that the data format is different from the common ones I have seen.

For example:
(027043348515BR00150928A1801.5454N07650.7534W000.32321030.000000000000L00000000)

I can see the date, imei, and coordinates but i am not quite sure which sections are the velocity and bearing.

[fvdm]

I now have a similar device with the same data format and it's pushing more weird data, I'm working on it.

[tedbear]

Hi fvdm,
I have the exact same problem as jamrockmedz and with the same device as you know apparently own. Have you gotten any further in regards to decode the data?

[fvdm]

Hi @tedbear, I managed to get 4 different strings from the device, one including the actual GPS position. Another is some sort of keepalive message. I think it may be possible to send commands from the server to the device to program it and switch features on and off remotely without SMS contact.

[natehudson]

Sorry to thread hijack as I have not personally seen the binary/encoding problem but I do have a clone/fake TK102 device with the same (027043348515BR00150928A1801.5454N07650.7534W000.32321030.000000000000L00000000) format.

After finding that this new? protocol was not support with any of the TK102 websites/code (that I could find) I have been working on decoding the basics of it.

The closet protocol docs was in a pdf I found titled "TK103 ALTERNATE protocol vs 2.1.pdf" on this random protocol cache https://docs.google.com/a/docs.gogle.com/folderview?id=0B9QofkYKWsMuZnIwZ1BqeXhzQlE#list

The translation is terrible but I have seen two similar commands from my device and broken out the basic gps coords:

1. short_imei+BP00+long_imei+HS0 = They call: Uplink -> "Handshake signal Message"
   (in which the server should respond "AP01" to the client)
2. short_imei+BR00+date+gpsLock?+LAT+LONG+whoKnows-heading-Alt-stuff? = They call it "Isochronous and continues feedback message"

Notes:

• These are the only 2 commands I have seen my device send.
• I have noticed that if my server stops sending the "AP01", the GPRS data will stop coming in.

Has anyone documented the full protocol / capabilities of these clones?

[lorenzosfarra]

Hi everyone,

I have not other information to share, just adding myself to the conversation, asking if you had time to work on it. I am trying to contact the seller, too, but I have doubts that he knows something about it...anyway, I will update the issue asap if I am able to obtain any news.

Thanks,
Lorenzo

[fvdm]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for joining!

I'm fieldtesting the TK102B while at the same time collecting gps and network data from my phone. By comparing the results I can figure out (kind of) the format of the data messages. I'll share my findings here too, soon.

[mirkods]

I have the same problem with the encoding, how can I fix it?

This is my output

{ [Error: Cannot parse GPS data from device]
  reason: 'Cannot parse GPS data from device',
  input: 'xx\r\u0001\u0003UH� \u0011�h\u0000=�5',
  connection: 
   { address: '0.0.0.0',
     family: 'IPv4',
     port: 8000,
     remoteAddress: '5.86.224.14',
     remotePort: 65068 } }

[mirkods]

@fvdm any update about it?

[fvdm]

Hi @mirkods, sorry no update yet.
My tracker died again, the quality of these devices is really really terrible.

[fvdm]

This project is no longer maintained. If anyone wishes to over please tell me in issue #36.