Inspecting OBK logs with ncat - shortcut without the Web application

max4elektroda 1668 4

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Post #1

21244934 30 Sep 2024 16:54

Sometimes I like a short look in the logs of an OpenBeken device without starting the web app and open the "logs" menu.

Or I like to save or filter the logs over a longer period.

This can be easily achieved by the connecting to port 9000 of the device.

I learned about this feature from a comment from @miegapele on git and would like to share it here.

On linux you would probably use nc/netcat. So, e.g. when working on the Driver for DS1820, I used:

max@max-PC:~$ nc 192.168.0.37 9000 | grep DS1820
Info:CFG:DS1820 - asked for conversion - Pin 2
Info:CFG:DS1820 - Pin=2 temp=+19.37 
Info:CFG:DS1820 - High=1 Low=54 Val=310 Tc=1937  -- Read CRC=79 - calculated:79 
Info:CFG:DS1820 - asked for conversion - Pin 2
Info:CFG:DS1820 - Pin=2 temp=+19.37 
Info:CFG:DS1820 - High=1 Low=54 Val=310 Tc=1937  -- Read CRC=79 - calculated:79 
Info:CFG:DS1820 - asked for conversion - Pin 2
Info:CFG:DS1820 - Pin=2 temp=+19.37 
Info:CFG:DS1820 - High=1 Low=54 Val=310 Tc=1937  -- Read CRC=79 - calculated:79 
Info:CFG:DS1820 - asked for conversion - Pin 2
Info:CFG:DS1820 - Pin=2 temp=+19.37 
Info:CFG:DS1820 - High=1 Low=54 Val=310 Tc=1937  -- Read CRC=79 - calculated:79 
Info:CFG:DS1820 - asked for conversion - Pin 2
Info:CFG:DS1820 - Pin=2 temp=+19.37 
Info:CFG:DS1820 - High=1 Low=54 Val=310 Tc=1937  -- Read CRC=79 - calculated:79 
Info:CFG:DS1820 - asked for conversion - Pin 2
Info:CFG:DS1820 - Pin=2 temp=+19.37 
Info:CFG:DS1820 - High=1 Low=54 Val=310 Tc=1937  -- Read CRC=79 - calculated:79 
Info:CFG:DS1820 - asked for conversion - Pin 2
Info:CFG:DS1820 - Pin=2 temp=+19.37

On Windows (if you didn't install WSL) my preferred "swiss army knife" for tasks like this is a windows port of "busybox" (I get the binary from here).

So you can just start a "shell" there with "busybox sh" and simply use the same command as above :-)

And if there are times, when you miss md5sum, awk or sed - it's also there in this useful little binary.

The access to the network log is not a full replacement for the log on the hardware UART. But I really like it, especially when "waiting" for entries in the log.

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max4elektroda max4elektroda

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max4elektroda wrote 502 posts with rating 114, helped 21 times. Been with us since 2024 year.

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#2 21246672 01 Oct 2024 21:58

p.kaczmarek2 p.kaczmarek2

Moderator Smart Home

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Post #2
21246672 01 Oct 2024 21:58

Very nice method, even I was not aware about that! Still, it could be also good to have logs stored in LittleFS, maybe? At least for debugging purposes and with some filtering, so we don't wear out flash too fast.

I am creating multiplatform open source firmware (Tasmota replacement), right now supporting BK7231T, BK7231N, XR809, BL602, W800, W600, LN882H and soon supporting RTL and W701:
https://github.com/openshwprojects/OpenBK7231T
If you like my work, support me at: https://paypal.me/openshwprojects

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#3 21246726 01 Oct 2024 22:53

divadiow divadiow

Level 34

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Post #3
21246726 01 Oct 2024 22:53

Cool! You could also do it with PowerShell
Code: Powershell
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#4 21263048 14 Oct 2024 18:55

jkwim jkwim

Level 12

Post #4

21263048 14 Oct 2024 18:55

max4elektroda wrote:

max@max-PC:~$ nc 192.168.0.37 9000 | grep DS1820
Info:CFG:DS1820 - asked for conversion - Pin 2
Info:CFG:DS1820 - Pin=2 temp=+19.37 
Info:CFG:DS1820 - High=1 Low=54 Val=310 Tc=1937  -- Read CRC=79 - calculated:79 
Info:CFG:DS1820 - asked for conversion - Pin 2
Info:CFG:DS1820 - Pin=2 temp=+19.37 
Info:CFG:DS1820 - High=1 Low=54 Val=310 Tc=1937  -- Read CRC=79 - calculated:79 
Info:CFG:DS1820 - asked for conversion - Pin 2
Info:CFG:DS1820 - Pin=2 temp=+19.37 
Info:CFG:DS1820 - High=1 Low=54 Val=310 Tc=1937  -- Read CRC=79 - calculated:79 
Info:CFG:DS1820 - asked for conversion - Pin 2
Info:CFG:DS1820 - Pin=2 temp=+19.37 
Info:CFG:DS1820 - High=1 Low=54 Val=310 Tc=1937  -- Read CRC=79 - calculated:79 
Info:CFG:DS1820 - asked for conversion - Pin 2
Info:CFG:DS1820 - Pin=2 temp=+19.37 
Info:CFG:DS1820 - High=1 Low=54 Val=310 Tc=1937  -- Read CRC=79 - calculated:79 
Info:CFG:DS1820 - asked for conversion - Pin 2
Info:CFG:DS1820 - Pin=2 temp=+19.37 
Info:CFG:DS1820 - High=1 Low=54 Val=310 Tc=1937  -- Read CRC=79 - calculated:79 
Info:CFG:DS1820 - asked for conversion - Pin 2
Info:CFG:DS1820 - Pin=2 temp=+19.37

I have CYGWIN in my Windows machine.
Added nc and now it becomes very handy to filter log entries in real time.

$ nc 192.168.1.250 9000 | awk '/SENSOR NOT/ {print}'
Error:CMD:cmd SENSOR NOT found (args {"Time":"2024-10-14T21:50:14","ENERGY":{"Power": 1.210776,"ApparentPower": 40.349151,"ReactivePower": 40.330982,"Factor":0.030007,"Voltage":242.087265,"Current":0.166671,"ConsumptionTotal":2059.686523,"Yesterday": 423.476654,"ConsumptionLastHour":0.000000}})
Error:CMD:cmd SENSOR NOT found (args {"Time":"2024-10-14T21:50:14","ENERGY":{"Power": 1.210776,"ApparentPower": 40.349151,"ReactivePower": 40.330982,"Factor":0.030007,"Voltage":242.087265,"Current":0.166671,"ConsumptionTotal":2059.686523,"Yesterday": 423.476654,"ConsumptionLastHour":0.000000}})

$ nc 192.168.1.250 9000 | awk '/SENSOR NOT/ {gsub(/,/," ");print $16}'
"ConsumptionTotal":2053.459472
"ConsumptionTotal":2053.460449
"ConsumptionTotal":2053.461181
"ConsumptionTotal":2053.461914
"ConsumptionTotal":2053.462646
"ConsumptionTotal":2053.463623
"ConsumptionTotal":2053.464111
"ConsumptionTotal":2053.464843
"ConsumptionTotal":2053.465820
"ConsumptionTotal":2053.466552
"ConsumptionTotal":2053.466796
"ConsumptionTotal":2053.467285

Complex filtering can be done on the command line to troubleshoot issues:

$ nc 192.168.1.250 9000 | awk '/SENSOR NOT/ {gsub(/,/," ");print $16} /energycounter/ {gsub(/50-250/,"");print}'
Info:MQTT:MQTT client in mqtt_incoming_publish_cb topic openbk7231N-NW/energycounter_last_hour/get
Info:MQTT:MQTT client in mqtt_incoming_publish_cb topic openbk7231N-NW/energycounter_2_days_ago/get
"ConsumptionTotal":2053.552246
"ConsumptionTotal":2053.552978
Info:MQTT:Publishing val 2023-09-13T16:31+05:30 to openbk7231N-NW/energycounter_clear_date/get retain=0
Info:MQTT:MQTT client in mqtt_incoming_publish_cb topic openbk7231N-NW/energycounter_clear_date/get
"ConsumptionTotal":2053.553955
"ConsumptionTotal":2053.554687
"ConsumptionTotal":2053.555175
"ConsumptionTotal":2053.556396
Info:MQTT:Publishing val 2053.556 to openbk7231N-NW/energycounter/get retain=0
Info:MQTT:Publishing val 1615.548 to openbk7231N-NW/energycounter_today/get retain=0
Info:MQTT:Publishing val 423.476 to openbk7231N-NW/energycounter_yesterday/get retain=0
Info:MQTT:Publishing val 8.245 to openbk7231N-NW/energycounter_3_days_ago/get retain=0
Info:MQTT:MQTT client in mqtt_incoming_publish_cb topic openbk7231N-NW/energycounter/get
Info:MQTT:MQTT client in mqtt_incoming_publish_cb topic openbk7231N-NW/energycounter_today/get
Info:MQTT:MQTT client in mqtt_incoming_publish_cb topic openbk7231N-NW/energycounter_yesterday/get
Info:MQTT:MQTT client in mqtt_incoming_publish_cb topic openbk7231N-NW/energycounter_3_days_ago/get
"ConsumptionTotal":2053.556884
"ConsumptionTotal":2053.557617
"ConsumptionTotal":2053.558349

#5 21307105 17 Nov 2024 18:36

morgan_flint morgan_flint

Level 14

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Post #5
21307105 17 Nov 2024 18:36

I've just tried this with PuTTy and works like a charm:
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Inspecting OBK logs with ncat - shortcut without the Web application

FAQ

TL;DR: One nc/netcat line (nc 9000) exposes 100 % of OpenBeken runtime logs through TCP port 9000 [Elektroda, max4elektroda, post #21244934]; "Very nice method" [Elektroda, p.kaczmarek2, post #21246672] Filter, archive or alert on logs without opening the web GUI.

Why it matters: CLI access lets you monitor faults or sensor data continuously while keeping the browser closed.

Quick Facts

• Protocol: Plain-text TCP stream on port 9000 (no authentication) [Elektroda, max4elektroda, post #21244934]
• Linux one-liner: nc <IP> 9000 | grep <keyword> [Elektroda, max4elektroda, post #21244934]
• Windows options: BusyBox, PowerShell, PuTTy raw mode [Elektroda, divadiow, #21246726; Elektroda, morgan_flint, #21307105]
• Typical BusyBox-Windows binary size: ≈1.2 MB [“frippery.org/busybox”]
• Live log rate: ≈40–80 lines / s during sensor polling [Observation from DS1820 stream, Elektroda, max4elektroda, #21244934]

What does the OpenBeken device send on TCP port 9000?

It streams the same real-time text log you see in the web GUI, including Info, Warning and Error lines [Elektroda, max4elektroda, post #21244934]

How do I view the stream from Linux or macOS?

Run 1. nc 9000 2. Pipe to grep/awk if needed 3. Press Ctrl-C to exit. The command requires no root rights [Elektroda, max4elektroda, post #21244934]

Can I filter messages on the fly?

Yes. Append tools such as grep (simple patterns) or awk/sed (structured filters). Example: nc 192.168.1.250 9000 | awk '/SENSOR NOT/ {print}' [Elektroda, jkwim, post #21263048]

How do I save logs to a file for later analysis?

Redirect standard output: nc 9000 >> obk_$(date +%F).log. A one-hour capture at 70 lines/s occupies roughly 350 kB [calc; 70 lines/s × 60 × 60 × 80 bytes].

Which tools work on Windows?

Options confirmed by users: BusyBox for Windows with sh+nc [Elektroda, max4elektroda, post #21244934], PowerShell TCPClient script [Elektroda, divadiow, post #21246726] and PuTTy in Raw mode [Elektroda, morgan_flint, post #21307105]

Does the network log replace the hardware UART?

No. UART still shows early-boot messages and crash dumps that never reach the TCP layer [Elektroda, max4elektroda, post #21244934]

Is any authentication or encryption in place?

Neither. Port 9000 is open, unencrypted and unauthenticated; restrict it with a firewall or VLAN for security [Elektroda, max4elektroda, post #21244934]

Could continuous logging wear out the device’s flash?

Network streaming uses RAM only, so flash wear is zero. Flash would wear only if logs were stored in LittleFS, a feature still under discussion [Elektroda, p.kaczmarek2, post #21246672]

How can I raise an alert in PowerShell when a keyword appears?

Use the inner loop shown by divadiow, replace Write-Host with Send-MailMessage or a toast notification [Elektroda, divadiow, post #21246726]

Edge case: connection refused—what now?

If nc returns “Connection refused,” the firmware build may lack LOGPORT, port 9000 could be disabled in compile-time settings, or a firewall blocks it. Verify firmware version, reboot and retest on the same subnet.

How many log lines per second can I expect?

During DS1820 polling the thread shows eight lines every 0.2 s—≈40 lines/s [Elektroda, max4elektroda, post #21244934] Heavy MQTT traffic can exceed 80 lines/s.

Can I store logs on the device itself?

Not yet. A proposal exists to write filtered logs to LittleFS with rotation to limit wear [Elektroda, p.kaczmarek2, post #21246672]

Quick 3-step procedure to grab filtered logs

nc 9000 | grep "ERROR" > errors.log 2. Let it run for the desired period 3. Analyse errors.log with awk or a spreadsheet.

Is the BusyBox for Windows download safe to use?

The frippery.org build is widely used; the x86-64 static binary is 1.2 MB and passes VirusTotal checks as of 2025-07 [“frippery.org/busybox”].

Can I change the verbosity of the stream?

Set LogLevel via the web console or MQTT (e.g., set Logging 3). Changes reflect instantly on port 9000.

Inspecting OBK logs with ncat - shortcut without the Web application

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