Connection loss BlueOS Extension

Blue Robotics Software
1

I am using a Blueboat from BlueRobotics, which runs a Raspberry Pi 4B with BlueOS installed. The Raspberry Pi is connected to a Teltonika RUTX50 router via Ethernet (LAN), and the router provides internet access through an LTE SIM card. To manage and remotely access the system, I use ZeroTier to create a virtual network that connects my Windows 10 laptop, the Raspberry Pi, and the Teltonika router. This setup allows me to access both the BlueOS web interface and the Teltonika configuration interface from my laptop.

The issue I’m encountering arises specifically when I open an extension in BlueOS—such as NoteRed, Cockpit, or other tools. As soon as I open an extension, the connection between my laptop and the Raspberry Pi (via ZeroTier) is briefly interrupted. At the same time, the Teltonika RUTX50 appears to trigger its failover mechanism, as if the primary LTE internet connection had become unavailable, even though the SIM card is functioning normally. After closing the extension, the system reconnects and stabilizes again.

Interestingly, this problem does not occur when I connect to the Raspberry Pi via the Blue Robotics Wi-Fi BaseStation. In that case, the connection remains completely stable, even when launching extensions in BlueOS. This suggests that the issue is not with BlueOS itself, but rather with the interaction between BlueOS, the Ethernet interface on the Raspberry Pi, the Teltonika router, and ZeroTier.

The behavior seems to have started recently, which leads me to believe it may be related to a BlueOS / Windows / Teltonika update. It appears that when an extension is opened, BlueOS might be reinitializing or temporarily disabling the eth0 network interface, which in turn causes the Teltonika router to interpret the loss of Ethernet link as a failure in its WAN connection. This triggers the failover process and results in a temporary drop in ZeroTier connectivity as well. Since the Wi-Fi-based access does not rely on this Ethernet interface, it is unaffected.

I have already tried reflashing BlueOS onto the Raspberry Pi, but the issue persists. I am using the latest stable version of BlueOS. The Teltonika has been given a fixed IP address. To me this sounds like a routing or firewall problem. I just can’t figure out where the problem is. Does anyone here have an idea where I could look for the error?

2

Hi @Arne1 -
That’s a very confusing situation. The Ethernet port on the Raspbery Pi is typically used to access the Mikrotik radio - do you have a switch that both the Mikrotik and Teltonika are both connected to? Otherwise, I’m not sure how you’re evaluating the connection via WiFi not having an impact…

To clarify - your zerotier connection from laptop to vehicle is going over what connections? I would guess BlueOS reaches the internet via the Teltonika, but how is your laptop reaching the internet? If both have internet access, and the BaseStation connection is present, the ZeroTier link will be across this connection, instead of solely using the 4G connection…

I’m not aware of any recent changes with networking that would affect Zerotier. Can you download and share BlueOS system logs here from the gear icon in the lower left?

Verifying the behavior continues if connected on your phone via ZeroTier client, and starting extension via Laptop connection may be interesting. It’s also worth noting that extensions start running on startup - so by “opening” an extension do you simply mean opening a link / browser tab of it? If so, maybe the bandwidth consumption is impacting your connection quality?

4

Hello Tony,

I am using a network switch of BlueRobotics and I conntected my laptop to the home Wifi. Your questions have already pointed me in the right direction. I have now replaced the antennas on the Teltonika router and found that this has solved the problem. It seems like my boat antennas are damaged or I have a kink in the cable somewhere. The damaged antennas have led to a reduction in bandwidth, which in turn led to the problem in BlueOS.
Thanks a lot and best regards

Arne

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