01 - RouteTrack Pi — Initial Setup & Networking

Date: December 21st, 2025  Category: Raspberry Pi / Linux / Networking Backlink:  RouteTrack Pi Overview 

 

 Project Overview 

 This page documents the initial setup and networking foundation for a Raspberry Pi–based GPS logging and mapping project designed for in-vehicle use. 

 The long-term goal of this project is to build a reliable, headless system capable of: 

 

 

 GPS route logging 

 

 

 Automatic stop detection 

 

 

 Time-on-site tracking 

 

 

 Mileage calculation 

 

 

 Syncing data to a VPS for web-based visualization 

 

 

 This entry focuses on hardware bring-up, OS selection, headless access, and resilient Wi-Fi configuration . 

 

 Hardware Used (Initial Phase) 

 

 

 Raspberry Pi 3 B+ 

 

 

 128 GB microSD card 

 

 

 Active cooling fan (wired directly to 5 V) 

 

 

 Phone hotspot (temporary network access) 

 

 

 Home Wi-Fi (persistent network access) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Cooling & Power Verification 

 The cooling fan was wired directly to the Raspberry Pi’s 5 V rail: 

 

 

 Pin 4 → 5 V (red wire) 

 

 

 Pin 6 → Ground (black wire) 

 

 

 Results: 

 

 

 Fan spins immediately on power-up 

 

 

 No GPIO or software control required 

 

 

 Consistent airflow suitable for a vehicle environment 

 

 

 An always-on fan was chosen for simplicity and reliability. 

 

 Operating System Selection 

 Installed OS: 

 

 

 Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit) 

 

 

 Reasoning: 

 

 

 Lower memory overhead (ideal for Pi 3 B+ with 1 GB RAM) 

 

 

 Headless by design (no desktop services running) 

 

 

 Best compatibility with: 

 

 

 gpsd 

 

 

 Python and Node.js tooling 

 

 

 systemd services 

 

 

 Networking utilities 

 

 

 

 

 Proven stability for long-running deployments 

 

 

 The OS was written using Raspberry Pi Imager with Advanced Options enabled: 

 

 

 SSH enabled 

 

 

 Username and password set 

 

 

 Wi-Fi configured for initial hotspot access 

 

 

 Custom hostname configured ( pi-gps ) 

 

 

 

 Headless SSH Access 

 After first boot: 

 

 

 The Pi appeared on the phone hotspot 

 

 

 SSH access was established using JuiceSSH (Android) 

 

 

 No monitor or keyboard was required 

 

 

 This confirmed: 

 

 

 OS integrity 

 

 

 Network stack functionality 

 

 

 Full remote administration capability 

 

 

 

 Wi-Fi Management (Scanning, Adding, Deleting) 

 This project uses NetworkManager on Raspberry Pi OS, so Wi-Fi is managed using the nmcli command-line tool. 

 Scan for available Wi-Fi networks 

 sudo nmcli connection show 

 sudo nmcli dev wifi rescan

sudo nmcli dev wifi list 

 

 Check current network status 

 sudo nmcli device status

sudo nmcli -f GENERAL.CONNECTION,GENERAL.STATE dev show wlan0 

 Add / connect to a Wi-Fi network 

 (This also saves the network for future use.) 

 sudo nmcli dev wifi connect "SSID" password "PASSWORD" 

 If the SSID is hidden: 

 sudo nmcli dev wifi connect "SSID" password "PASSWORD" hidden yes 

 List saved Wi-Fi connections 

 sudo nmcli -f NAME,TYPE,DEVICE connection show 

 Switch networks manually (useful for testing) 

 sudo nmcli connection up "HomeWiFi"

# or

sudo nmcli connection up "PhoneHotspot" 

 Rename a saved connection 

 (Helps keep connection names readable.) 

 sudo nmcli connection modify "OldName" connection.id "NewName" 

 Delete a saved Wi-Fi connection 

 Delete by  connection NAME (from nmcli connection show ), not necessarily the SSID. 

 sudo nmcli connection delete "ConnectionName" 

 Set auto-connect priorities 

 (Higher number = preferred when multiple known networks are available.) 

 sudo nmcli connection modify "HomeWiFi" connection.autoconnect yes

sudo nmcli connection modify "HomeWiFi" connection.autoconnect-priority 10

sudo nmcli connection modify "PhoneHotspot" connection.autoconnect yes

sudo nmcli connection modify "PhoneHotspot" connection.autoconnect-priority 1 

 

 Restart networking (if things get weird) 

 sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager 

 Multi-Wi-Fi Configuration 

 The Pi is intended to operate across multiple networks : 

 

 

 Home Wi-Fi when taken home 

 

 

 Phone hotspot while mobile 

 

 

 Wi-Fi management is handled by NetworkManager , allowing: 

 

 

 Multiple saved Wi-Fi profiles 

 

 

 Automatic reconnection 

 

 

 Priority-based network selection 

 

 

 Saved connections: 

 

 

 HomeWiFi 

 

 

 PhoneHotspot 

 

 

 Verified using: 

 sudo nmcli connection show 

 

 Automatic Network Failover 

 Network priorities were configured to prefer home Wi-Fi: 

 sudo nmcli connection modify HomeWiFi connection.autoconnect-priority 10

sudo nmcli connection modify PhoneHotspot connection.autoconnect-priority 1 

 Behavior: 

 

 

 Home Wi-Fi is preferred when available 

 

 

 Phone hotspot is used automatically when mobile 

 

 

 Switching occurs without reboot or manual intervention 

 

 

 Failover was verified by disabling the hotspot and confirming the Pi automatically connected to the home network. 

 

 Wi-Fi Band Notes (Pi 3 B+) 

 

 

 The Pi 3 B+ supports dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) 

 

 

 5 GHz networks require: 

 

 

 Correct WLAN country configuration 

 

 

 Non-DFS channels (36–48) 

 

 

 

 

 2.4 GHz is preferred for mobile hotspot reliability 

 

 

 Both bands were successfully tested during setup 

 

 

 

 Current Status 

 At this stage, the system has a solid foundation: 

 

 

 OS installed and verified 

 

 

 SSH access confirmed 

 

 

 Cooling operational 

 

 

 Multiple Wi-Fi networks configured 

 

 

 Automatic failover tested and working 

 

 

 Network behavior stable for mobile use 

 

 

 The Raspberry Pi is now ready for GPS hardware integration . 

 

 Next Steps 

 Upcoming phases will document: 

 

 

 GPS hardware installation 

 

 

 gpsd configuration and testing 

 

 

 Route and stop logging 

 

 

 Mileage calculation 

 

 

 Local web UI 

 

 

 VPS synchronization and map visualization