Raspberry Pi Deployment

Deploy TAD on Raspberry Pi for portable, low-power mesh networks.

Requirements

Hardware

• Raspberry Pi 3/4/5 or Zero 2 W (minimum)
• 16GB+ SD card (32GB recommended)
• Power supply (official recommended)
• Network: Wi-Fi or Ethernet

Software

• Raspberry Pi OS (32-bit or 64-bit)
• Python 3.8+ (pre-installed on recent images)

Quick Setup

1. Prepare Raspberry Pi

# Update system
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

# Install dependencies
sudo apt install -y python3-pip python3-venv git avahi-daemon

# Enable mDNS
sudo systemctl enable avahi-daemon
sudo systemctl start avahi-daemon

2. Install TAD

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/fabriziosalmi/tad.git
cd tad

# Run installer
./install.sh

# Start TAD
./tad

3. Test Installation

# Check if running
ps aux | grep tad

# Test connectivity from another device
ping raspberrypi.local

Headless Setup

SSH Installation

# SSH into Pi
ssh pi@raspberrypi.local

# Install TAD
git clone https://github.com/fabriziosalmi/tad.git
cd tad
./install.sh --service

# Enable service
sudo systemctl enable tad
sudo systemctl start tad

# Check status
sudo systemctl status tad

Auto-Start on Boot

# Install as system service
sudo ./install.sh --service

# Enable auto-start
sudo systemctl enable tad

# Verify
sudo systemctl is-enabled tad

Wi-Fi Access Point Mode

Turn your Raspberry Pi into a TAD mesh node + Wi-Fi hotspot.

Install hostapd and dnsmasq

sudo apt install -y hostapd dnsmasq
sudo systemctl stop hostapd
sudo systemctl stop dnsmasq

Configure Static IP

Edit /etc/dhcpcd.conf:

sudo nano /etc/dhcpcd.conf

Add:

interface wlan0
    static ip_address=192.168.4.1/24
    nohook wpa_supplicant

Configure dnsmasq

sudo mv /etc/dnsmasq.conf /etc/dnsmasq.conf.orig
sudo nano /etc/dnsmasq.conf

Add:

interface=wlan0
dhcp-range=192.168.4.2,192.168.4.20,255.255.255.0,24h

Configure hostapd

sudo nano /etc/hostapd/hostapd.conf

Add:

interface=wlan0
driver=nl80211
ssid=TAD-Mesh
hw_mode=g
channel=7
wmm_enabled=0
macaddr_acl=0
auth_algs=1
ignore_broadcast_ssid=0
wpa=2
wpa_passphrase=YourSecurePassword
wpa_key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
wpa_pairwise=TKIP
rsn_pairwise=CCMP

Enable Services

sudo systemctl unmask hostapd
sudo systemctl enable hostapd
sudo systemctl start hostapd
sudo systemctl start dnsmasq

Test

# Check AP is running
sudo systemctl status hostapd

# Connect from device and check
ping 192.168.4.1

Performance Optimization

Disable Unnecessary Services

# Disable Bluetooth if not needed
sudo systemctl disable bluetooth

# Disable GUI (if headless)
sudo systemctl set-default multi-user.target

# Disable Wi-Fi power management
sudo iwconfig wlan0 power off

Increase Swap (for Pi Zero/3)

# Increase swap size
sudo dphys-swapfile swapoff
sudo nano /etc/dphys-swapfile
# Set CONF_SWAPSIZE=1024

sudo dphys-swapfile setup
sudo dphys-swapfile swapon

SD Card Optimization

# Reduce writes to SD card
# Use RAM for logs
sudo nano /etc/fstab

Add:

tmpfs /tmp tmpfs defaults,noatime,nosuid,size=100m 0 0
tmpfs /var/log tmpfs defaults,noatime,nosuid,mode=0755,size=100m 0 0

Power Management

Auto-Shutdown on Low Battery (with UPS HAT)

#!/bin/bash
# /usr/local/bin/battery_monitor.sh

BATTERY=$(cat /sys/class/power_supply/BAT0/capacity)

if [ "$BATTERY" -lt 10 ]; then
    # Export data before shutdown
    cd /opt/tad
    echo "/export-all" | sudo -u tad ./tad
    
    # Shutdown
    sudo shutdown -h now
fi

Add to crontab:

*/5 * * * * /usr/local/bin/battery_monitor.sh

Remote Access

VNC Setup

# Install VNC
sudo apt install -y realvnc-vnc-server

# Enable VNC
sudo raspi-config
# Interface Options → VNC → Enable

SSH Key Authentication

# On your computer
ssh-keygen -t ed25519

# Copy to Pi
ssh-copy-id pi@raspberrypi.local

# Disable password auth
sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config
# Set: PasswordAuthentication no

sudo systemctl restart ssh

Multi-Pi Mesh Network

Setup Multiple Nodes

Node 1 (Main):

# Configure as AP + TAD
hostname: tad-node1
IP: 192.168.4.1

Node 2-N (Clients):

# Connect to Node 1's AP
# Run TAD
hostname: tad-node2, tad-node3, etc.

Automatic Peer Discovery

# Nodes will auto-discover via mDNS
> /peers
Connected peers: 3
- tad-node1: 192.168.4.1
- tad-node2: 192.168.4.2
- tad-node3: 192.168.4.3

Monitoring

Install Monitoring Tools

sudo apt install -y htop iotop nethogs

# Monitor CPU/RAM
htop

# Monitor network
sudo nethogs wlan0

# Monitor disk I/O
sudo iotop

Temperature Monitoring

# Check temperature
vcgencmd measure_temp

# Auto-throttle warning
cat > /usr/local/bin/temp_monitor.sh << 'EOF'
#!/bin/bash
TEMP=$(vcgencmd measure_temp | cut -d= -f2 | cut -d\' -f1)
if (( $(echo "$TEMP > 80" | bc -l) )); then
    echo "High temperature: $TEMP°C" | mail -s "Pi Temperature Alert" admin@example.com
fi
EOF

chmod +x /usr/local/bin/temp_monitor.sh

# Add to crontab
*/5 * * * * /usr/local/bin/temp_monitor.sh

Portable Setup

Battery Power (with UPS HAT)

# Monitor battery via GPIO
sudo apt install -y python3-gpiozero

# Battery script
cat > battery_status.py << 'EOF'
from gpiozero import LED
import time

# Assuming battery LED on GPIO 17
battery = LED(17)

while True:
    if battery.is_lit:
        print("Battery OK")
    else:
        print("Low battery - save and shutdown!")
    time.sleep(60)
EOF

Ruggedized Case

Recommended cases for field use:

• SmartiPi Touch 2 - With touchscreen
• Argon ONE - With cooling
• Pelican-style cases - Waterproof
• DIN rail mounts - Industrial

Use Cases

Festival/Event Mesh

# Setup 5-10 Raspberry Pis as mesh nodes
# Spread across venue
# Auto-discover and form mesh
# Attendees connect and chat

# Benefits:
# - No internet needed
# - Works in crowd
# - Low cost per node

Emergency Communication

# Solar-powered Pi with UPS
# Weatherproof enclosure
# Mounted at high point
# Acts as relay node

# Provides:
# - Coordination during emergencies
# - Off-grid communication
# - Data collection point

Tactical Deployment

# Backpack-mounted Pi
# Battery powered
# Creates mobile hotspot
# Bridges between groups

# Features:
# - Portable
# - Quick deployment
# - Extends mesh range

Troubleshooting

Pi Won't Boot

1. Check power supply (use official)
2. Re-flash SD card
3. Check SD card isn't corrupted
4. Try different SD card

Wi-Fi Issues

# Check Wi-Fi status
sudo iwconfig wlan0

# Restart Wi-Fi
sudo ifconfig wlan0 down
sudo ifconfig wlan0 up

# Check country code
sudo raspi-config
# Localisation Options → WLAN Country

Performance Issues

# Check throttling
vcgencmd get_throttled
# 0x0 = OK
# 0x50000 = Throttled due to undervoltage

# Use better power supply
# Add heatsinks
# Improve ventilation

TAD Won't Start

# Check logs
sudo journalctl -u tad -n 50

# Test manually
cd /opt/tad
sudo -u tad ./tad

# Check Python version
python3 --version

Advanced Configuration

Read-Only Filesystem

Protect SD card from corruption:

# Install overlay package
sudo apt install -y overlayroot

# Enable overlay
sudo nano /etc/overlayroot.conf
# Set: overlayroot="tmpfs"

# Reboot
sudo reboot

Custom LED Indicators

# /opt/tad/led_status.py
from gpiozero import LED
import time

red = LED(17)
green = LED(27)
blue = LED(22)

# Connected = green
# Disconnected = red
# Activity = blue blink

Resources

• Raspberry Pi Documentation
• Pi-hole - Network-wide ad blocking (optional)
• Hostapd Guide

See Also

• Docker - Container deployment
• Service - systemd configuration
• Deployment - General deployment guide