ESP32 Beacon Mesh Node - Test Firmware

Test firmware for ESP32 with automatic notifications, sensor simulation, and mesh relay emulation.

About This Project

This firmware is designed for testing the Beacon mobile application - a mesh network emergency communication system. The ESP32 acts as a BLE beacon node to validate mobile app functionality, BLE communication, and mesh network protocols.

• Main Project: github.com/goodmartian/beacon
• Project Website: goodmartian.github.io/beacon-site

Features

✅ Automatic notifications - Test data broadcast every 10 seconds ✅ Sensor simulation - Battery, RSSI, temperature, humidity ✅ Test commands - GET_STATUS, SEND_SOS, ENABLE/DISABLE_AUTO ✅ Mesh relay emulation - Simulates mesh network message forwarding ✅ JSON format - All data in JSON for parsing validation ✅ Detailed logging - Comprehensive Serial Monitor output

Requirements

• ESP32 DevKit (WROOM-32 or compatible)
• PlatformIO
• USB Micro cable

Quick Start

1. Connect ESP32 to Computer

# Verify connection
ls /dev/ttyUSB* /dev/ttyACM*

2. Build and Upload Firmware

cd esp32-firmware
platformio run --target upload

3. Open Serial Monitor

platformio device monitor

Configuration

Edit src/main.cpp to configure:

#define DEVICE_NAME "BEACON-NODE-001"  // Device name
#define SERVICE_UUID "..."              // Service UUID (from Flutter app)

UUID Mapping

UUIDs must match the Flutter application (lib/core/constants/ble_constants.dart):

• Service UUID: 0000180a-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb
• Message Characteristic: 00002a58-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb
• Device ID Characteristic: 00002a29-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb

LED Indicators

• Fast blink (5 times): Initialization complete
• Solid on: Device connected
• 3 fast blinks: Message received
• Single flash every 2 sec: Waiting for connection

Test Commands

Send text commands from the Flutter app:

Command	Description	Response
GET_STATUS	Get device status	JSON with battery, rssi, messages, relays, uptime
SEND_SOS	Generate SOS message	JSON with type:SOS, coordinates, timestamp
ENABLE_AUTO	Enable automatic notifications	Confirmation in Serial
DISABLE_AUTO	Disable automatic notifications	Confirmation in Serial
RESET_STATS	Reset counters	Reset messageCounter and relayCounter

Automatic Notification Format

Every 10 seconds (when enabled):

{
  "type": "auto",
  "device": "BEACON-NODE-001",
  "battery": 95.3,
  "rssi": -65,
  "counter": 42,
  "timestamp": 1234567,
  "temp": 22.5,
  "humidity": 55
}

GET_STATUS Response Format

{
  "device": "BEACON-NODE-001",
  "battery": 95.3,
  "rssi": -65,
  "messages": 42,
  "relays": 15,
  "uptime": 3600,
  "autoNotify": true
}

SEND_SOS Response Format

{
  "type": "SOS",
  "from": "BEACON-NODE-001",
  "lat": 37.7749,
  "lon": -122.4194,
  "timestamp": 1234567,
  "battery": 95.3
}

Testing Workflow

1. Upload firmware to ESP32
2. Open Serial Monitor: platformio device monitor
3. Open Beacon app on smartphone
4. Find "BEACON-NODE-001" via BLE scan
5. Connect to device
6. Send commands from app
7. Observe automatic notifications every 10 seconds
8. Check detailed logs in Serial Monitor

Troubleshooting

ESP32 Not Detected

# Add user to dialout group
sudo usermod -a -G dialout $USER
# Logout and login again

Upload Error

Press and hold the BOOT button on ESP32 during firmware upload.

Multiple ESP32 Nodes for Mesh Testing

To test mesh network with multiple nodes:

Node 2

#define DEVICE_NAME "BEACON-NODE-002"

Node 3

#define DEVICE_NAME "BEACON-NODE-003"

Process:

1. Edit DEVICE_NAME in src/main.cpp
2. Build: platformio run
3. Connect second ESP32
4. Upload: platformio run --target upload
5. Repeat for third node

Mesh Testing:

• Connect app to NODE-001
• Send message
• NODE-001 emulates relay in Serial Monitor
• Reconnect to NODE-002/003 for testing

Monitoring Multiple Devices

For parallel monitoring of multiple ESP32 devices:

# Terminal 1
platformio device monitor --port /dev/ttyUSB0

# Terminal 2
platformio device monitor --port /dev/ttyUSB1

# Terminal 3
platformio device monitor --port /dev/ttyUSB2

Data Simulation

Firmware automatically simulates:

• Battery: Decreases from 100% to 10%, then resets
• RSSI: Random values from -80 to -30 dBm
• Temperature: 15-25°C with variation
• Humidity: 30-70% with variation
• Counters: messageCounter, relayCounter

License

MIT