https://github.com/stephendade/mavlinklinktester
A tool for characterizing the reliability and latency of MAVLink connections
https://github.com/stephendade/mavlinklinktester
ardupilot mavlink
Last synced: 5 months ago
JSON representation
A tool for characterizing the reliability and latency of MAVLink connections
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/stephendade/mavlinklinktester
- Owner: stephendade
- License: gpl-3.0
- Created: 2026-01-10T03:35:03.000Z (6 months ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2026-01-26T01:27:28.000Z (5 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2026-01-26T16:57:57.162Z (5 months ago)
- Topics: ardupilot, mavlink
- Language: Python
- Homepage:
- Size: 532 KB
- Stars: 0
- Watchers: 0
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
# The MAVLink Link Tester (MLLT)
A professional tool for characterizing the reliability and latency of MAVLink connections. Tests MAVLink links for packet loss, latency, and outages.
## Features
- **Multi-link testing**: Monitor multiple MAVLink connections concurrently
- **Comprehensive metrics**: Track packet loss, latency, out-of-order packets, and link outages
- **Multiple transport types**: Support for UDP, TCP, and serial connections
- **Configurable stream rates**: Control MAVLink stream rates for different data types
- **MAVLink 2.0 signing**: Full support for authenticated MAVLink connections
- **CSV output**: Detailed metrics exported to CSV files for analysis
- **Real-time monitoring**: Live statistics during testing
## Installation
### Prerequisites
- Python 3.9 or higher
- Poetry 2.2.1 or higher (for dependency management)
### Setup
**Option 1: Install to your system/active environment (recommended for users)**
```bash
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/stephendade/mavlinklinktester.git
cd mavlinklinktester
# Install package to your current Python environment
# This makes the mavlink-link-tester.py command available on your PATH
pip install -e .
```
**Option 2: Use Poetry for development (recommended for developers)**
```bash
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/stephendade/mavlinklinktester.git
cd mavlinklinktester
# Install dependencies with Poetry (creates isolated virtual environment)
poetry install
# For development with testing and code quality tools
poetry install --with dev
```
Note: With Poetry, the command is only available via `poetry run mavlink-link-tester.py` unless you also run `pip install -e .` in your system environment.
## Usage
### Basic Usage
```bash
mavlink-link-tester.py --system-id 1 --component-id 1
```
If working within a Poetry development environment, use ``poetry run mavlink-link-tester.py ...`` instead
### Connection Strings
- **UDP Input (Server)**: `udpin:0.0.0.0:14550` - Listen for incoming UDP connections
- **UDP Output (Client)**: `udpout:192.168.1.100:14550` - Connect to remote UDP endpoint
- **TCP Client**: `tcp:192.168.1.100:5760` - Connect to TCP endpoint
- **TCP Server**: `tcpin:192.168.1.100:5760` - Listen for incoming TCP connections
- **Serial**: `/dev/ttyUSB0:57600` - Connect via serial port
### Examples
**Test single UDP link:**
```bash
mavlink-link-tester.py --system-id 1 --component-id 1 udpin:0.0.0.0:14550
```
**Test multiple links simultaneously:**
```bash
mavlink-link-tester.py --system-id 1 --component-id 1 \
udpin:0.0.0.0:14550 \
udpout:192.168.1.100:14551
```
**Test with custom duration:**
```bash
mavlink-link-tester.py --system-id 1 --component-id 1 \
--duration 300 \
udpin:0.0.0.0:14550
```
**Test serial connection:**
```bash
mavlink-link-tester.py --system-id 1 --component-id 1 \
/dev/ttyUSB0:57600
```
**Test with custom stream rates:**
```bash
mavlink-link-tester.py --system-id 1 --component-id 1 \
--all-rates 4 \
/dev/ttyACM0:115200
```
**Test with custom individual stream rates:**
```bash
mavlink-link-tester.py --system-id 1 --component-id 1 \
--all-rates -1 \
--rate-raw-sensors 10 \
--rate-position 5 \
/dev/ttyACM0:115200
```
**Test with MAVLink 2.0 signing:**
```bash
mavlink-link-tester.py --system-id 1 --component-id 1 \
--signing-passphrase mysecretkey \
udpin:0.0.0.0:14550
```
## Command-Line Options
### Required Arguments
- `--system-id`: Target system ID (autopilot)
- `--component-id`: Target component ID (autopilot)
### Optional Arguments
- `--duration`: Test duration in seconds (default: run indefinitely until Ctrl+C)
- `--outage-timeout`: Outage detection timeout in seconds (default: 1.0)
- `--recovery-hysteresis`: Number of consecutive packets required to exit outage (default: 3)
- `--output-dir`: Output directory for CSV files (default: `output`)
### Stream Rate Control
Control the frequency of different MAVLink message streams (in Hz):
- `--rate-raw-sensors`: RAW_SENSORS stream rate (default: 4 Hz)
- `--rate-extended-status`: EXTENDED_STATUS stream rate (default: 4 Hz)
- `--rate-rc-channels`: RC_CHANNELS stream rate (default: 4 Hz)
- `--rate-position`: POSITION stream rate (default: 4 Hz)
- `--rate-extra1`: EXTRA1 stream rate (default: 4 Hz)
- `--rate-extra2`: EXTRA2 stream rate (default: 4 Hz)
- `--rate-extra3`: EXTRA3 stream rate (default: 4 Hz)
### MAVLink Signing
- `--signing-passphrase`: MAVLink 2.0 signing passphrase (hashed with SHA-256)
- `--signing-link-id`: MAVLink 2.0 signing link ID (default: use monitor link_id)
## Output
The tool generates CSV files of the per-second link statistics in the specified output directory
(default: `output/`) containing:
- `elapsed_seconds`: Time elapsed since test start
- `received_packets`: Number of packets received
- `dropped_packets`: Number of dropped packets
- `latency_rtt_ms`: Round-trip-time latency in milliseconds
- `bad_order_packets`: Number of packets received out of sequence
- `bytes`: Bytes transferred
- `link_outage`: Boolean indicating if link is in outage state
A csv file containing a histrogram of the latency is also generated in the same folder.
CSV files are named with the connection string and timestamp for easy identification.
## Development
### Running Tests
The project includes a comprehensive test suite using pytest.
```bash
# Run all tests
poetry run pytest
# Run with coverage report
poetry run pytest --cov=src --cov-report=html
# Run specific test file
poetry run pytest tests/test_link_monitor.py
# Run with verbose output
poetry run pytest -v
```
### Code Quality
The project uses flake8 for linting, mypy for type checking, and vulture for dead code detection:
```bash
# Run linting
poetry run flake8 mavlinklinktester/ tests/
# Run type checking
poetry run mypy mavlinklinktester/
# Check for dead code
poetry run vulture mavlinklinktester/ --min-confidence 80
```
### Releasing new versions
The CI will build a new release, based on the following commands:
```bash
poetry version patch # or minor/major
git add pyproject.toml
git commit -m "Bump version to $(poetry version -s)"
git tag v$(poetry version -s)
git push origin main --tags
```
This must be done directly to the main branch.
## License
This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later. See the LICENSE file for details.
## Author
**Stephen Dade**
Email: stephen_dade@hotmail.com
GitHub: [@stephendade](https://github.com/stephendade)
## Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues or pull requests on GitHub.