WiFi APRS Tracker

An APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) tracker using WiFi-based geolocation with WiGLE.net API.

Overview

This project implements a wireless positioning system that determines location based on nearby WiFi access points and reports position via APRS-IS. It functions as both a positioning system and an automated position reporting system, providing GPS-compatible NMEA sentences and APRS position reports with telemetry data.

Features

• WiFi Geolocation: Uses nearby WiFi access points for position determination via WiGLE.net API
• NMEA Sentence Generation: Outputs standard NMEA-0183 sentences for GPS compatibility
• APRS Position Reporting: Sends position reports to APRS-IS with telemetry data
• SmartBeaconing: Adaptive reporting intervals based on movement
• Network Services:
  • TCP NMEA server on port 10110
  • UDP broadcast of NMEA sentences
  • mDNS service discovery
• Time Synchronization: NTP client for accurate timekeeping
• OTA Updates: Over-The-Air firmware update capability
• Multiple WiFi Connection Methods:
  • Pre-configured credentials
  • WiFi Manager captive portal
  • Known networks list
  • Open network detection
• Multi-platform Support: Compatible with ESP8266 and ESP32 (including ESP32-C3)

Hardware Requirements

ESP8266:

• ESP8266 development board (NodeMCU, Wemos D1 Mini, etc.)
• Optional: SSD1306 128x32 OLED display

ESP32:

• ESP32 development board (ESP32 DevKit, ESP32-C3, etc.)
• Optional: SSD1306 128x32 OLED display

Software Dependencies

• ESP8266 Arduino Core (for ESP8266) or ESP32 Arduino Core (for ESP32)
• WiFiManager library
• ArduinoOTA library

Configuration

1. Copy config.tpl to config.h
2. Configure your:
   • WiFi credentials (optional)
   • APRS-IS server and credentials
   • WiGLE.net API key
   • NTP server

Usage

The device will:

1. Connect to WiFi using available methods
2. Synchronize time with NTP server
3. Continuously scan for WiFi networks and determine position
4. Report position via APRS-IS when moving or on schedule
5. Output NMEA sentences via serial, TCP, and UDP

License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 - see the LICENSE file for details.

Author

Costin STROIE costinstroie@eridu.eu.org