Integrations · MAVLink
MAVLink
Autopilots talk to a port we bind.
What this gives you
| What arrives | position, attitude, battery, mode |
| What you can send | 8 commands, listed below |
| What it carries | vehicles |
Connect one
- Turn the protocol on. Settings → Integrations → MAVLink → enable.
- Set the address, in the Listen on field. Leave it at
udpin:0.0.0.0:14550unless something else on the host already has that port. - Point the device at us and power it on. It announces itself, and appears at the top of Settings → Assets → ADD under heard, not yet added. Press it to adopt. You are not typing a serial number.
The address format
MAVLink runs over UDP, TCP, Serial. These are the forms that parse:
| Transport | Form | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| UDP | udpin:HOST:PORT | We bind and wait. The usual case: the device sends to us. | udpin:0.0.0.0:14550 |
| UDP | udpout:HOST:PORT | We send to a fixed address and receive on the same socket. | udpout:192.168.1.20:14550 |
| TCP | tcp:HOST:PORT | We open a stream to the device or its server. | tcp:127.0.0.1:30003 |
| Serial | serial:DEVICE@BAUD | A radio or an autopilot on a cable. | serial:/dev/ttyUSB0@57600 |
When it is working
The vehicle appears in Settings → Assets with a live health state, and the Integrations row counts it. On the console, its card carries the commands it accepts.
If nothing arrives
| Symptom | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Nothing arrives, and the row looks healthy | Nothing is reaching the address. Check the device is sending to this host and that no firewall sits between them. |
| It connects, then drops | Two things are bound to the same port, or the device and the host disagree about which end dials. See the endpoint forms above. |
| It never appears as heard | Discovery is off on this link. It is off by default, so nothing is adopted until you say so. |
Commands
Everything this protocol can carry. What a given vehicle accepts is whatever it advertises, which may be fewer.
| Verb | Takes | Does |
|---|---|---|
arm | nothing | Energise the motors. |
disarm | nothing | De-energise the motors. |
takeoff | an altitude | Depart to a working altitude. |
land | nothing | Descend and land in place. |
return_to_base | nothing | Fly home and land. |
hold | nothing | Hold position. |
move_to | a point | Go to a single point. |
follow_route | an ordered route | Fly a route of points. |
The protocol itself
The standard, or the vendor's own page: MAVLink documentation.
Where to go next
- All integrations for the protocols this build speaks.
- Onboarding an asset for the add flow in full.
- Supported hardware for the products that use it.