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Docs USB & Connectivity Bridge Troubleshooting

Bridge Troubleshooting

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Diagnose the serial bridge: no port, no positions, no page updates, port busy, and browser quirks.

Bridge Troubleshooting

The serial bridge is a thin script; when something fails it is almost always the USB link, the page, or a browser policy. This page is the checklist.

The bridge cannot find a port

CODE
No supported serial device found.
  • Cable: try a known data cable (see USB Cable Types).
  • Driver: install CP210x or CH340 (see Driver Install).
  • Inspect ports: python bridge/aegis-serial-bridge.py --list.
  • Pass the port explicitly: --port COM3, --port /dev/ttyUSB0, --port /dev/cu.usbserial-0001.

Port in use

Only one program can hold the port. Close Arduino IDE, PlatformIO monitor, or an older bridge instance, then retry.

The bridge runs but prints no AEGIS:POS: lines

  • The beacon has no GPS fix. Fixes need sky view; indoor fixes are slow or never come (see GPS Fix Capture Tips).
  • Send POS from the terminal: the bridge forwards commands to the device, so typing POS returns a line immediately if a fix is cached.
  • GPS disabled in config? Check the dashboard: GPS must be enabled and included in the beacon.

The page opens but is empty

The bridge opens the page with coordinates in the URL. If the fields are empty:

  • The beacon had no fix yet (POS printed lat=0.000000).
  • A browser extension stripped the query string. Open the printed link directly.

The page does not update live

  • Safari blocks HTTPS pages from talking to http://127.0.0.1. Use Chrome, Edge or Firefox for live updates; Safari still gets the filled-in link.
  • The page was opened before the bridge started; reload it once.
  • Another program holds the bridge’s HTTP port (default 8765). Change it with --http-port on both sides (the page polls the default; use the default unless you must change it, and then only with the --site local workflow).

The map links appear only when both latitude and longitude are present and numeric. Check the AEGIS:POS: line printed by the bridge.

The bridge crashes on Windows

  • Use py instead of python if python is not on PATH.
  • Run from the repo root so bridge/ resolves; or cd into bridge/ and reference the script by name.