Open Source RoboticsRobots, software & learning

Septentrio GNSS driver

Software

The Septentrio GNSS driver connects supported GNSS/INS receivers to ROS messages through sensor-specific communication and parsing code. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Installation & first result →Official websiteGetting started

For
Robotics developers selecting a concrete sensor, interface or simulation workflow [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Source rights
Named licenses are documented by part. Review licenses
Unknowns
operating system, compute requirements not fully established. Review gaps

Source researched · Not tested by us
Sources checked · Research details

Licenses & related hardware

Requirements · Research details and dates

On this page

Overview

The Septentrio GNSS driver connects supported GNSS/INS receivers to ROS messages through sensor-specific communication and parsing code. Its README spans ROS 1 and ROS 2, with different build and launch routes. That support table is an upstream statement, not a tested combination for every receiver and distribution. [1] [3]

Is this for you?

Known limitations
  • Defaultreceiverconfiguration can overwriteexisting receiverparameters; no receiver wasconfigured here.
  • NED/ENU conversion, timestamps and chosenGNSS/INS firmware must be verified for the robot.

Editorial assessment of cited source; no runtime or hardware test.

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] · Editorial assessment

What you need

Dependencies
  • Select ROS1 orROS2 branch/distribution; ROS2colcon and message/Boost/GeographicLib/pcap dependencies
  • Matched Septentrio receiver firmware, transport and rover.yaml configuration

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Installation & first result

Open the upstream getting-started guide [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

  • Select the named hardware/model and corresponding source configuration before installation.
  • Follow the cited starting route while keeping package, device and firmware versions matched; no operation reproduced here.

Editorial assessment of cited source; no runtime or hardware test.

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] · Editorial assessment

Installation

ROS 2 ros2 branch, C++17+, colcon and NMEA/GPS/Boost/GeographicLib/pcap dependencies; match rover.launch.py and receiver parameter file.

Upstream documented requirement/configuration only, not independently tested installation or compatibility.

[1] [5]

Project notes

Select the branch and configuration together

The ROS 2 source instructions select the ros2 branch, install dependencies and use colcon. They require C++17 or later and identify NMEA/GPS message packages, Boost, GeographicLib and pcap dependencies. The README's composition launch is ros2 launch septentrio_gnss_driver rover.launch.py, with a file_name option for another configuration. Keep that route with the selected receiver and parameter file rather than mixing ROS 1 launch arguments into it. No build or launch was run. [1] [5]

The important configuration boundary is configure_rx: the README warns that, unless it is false, parameters can overwrite existing receiver values even when YAML fields contain zero. Inspect rover.yaml and the communication source before connecting to a receiver that has an existing setup. The README assumes full receiver control rights; if user control is enabled, configure login.user and login.password for an authorized account. Serial connections additionally require serial-port access through the dialout group. This review supplied no credentials and made no device configuration changes. [1] [3] [4]

Coordinate conventions are part of the robot integration

Septentrio and ROS use different NED/ENU conventions. With use_ros_axis_orientation: true (the supplied rover.yaml setting), the driver converts between Septentrio NED (yaw zero north, positive clockwise) and ROS ENU (yaw zero east, positive counterclockwise). False leaves angles consistent with the receiver web GUI. Selecting this option does not establish a correct complete robot frame tree. Receiver transport, firmware, GNSS versus INS mode, timestamps and transforms need a matched investigation. The README reports development/testing with GNSS firmware >= 4.14.0 and INS firmware >= 1.5.0; these are upstream testing baselines, not minimum supported versions. Older firmware has feature-specific limitations. None of that receiver testing was reproduced here. [1] [4]

The root notice is BSD-3-Clause. It covers the driver contribution, not the bought-in receiver, its firmware, correction services or external libraries. No receiver connection, position solution, correction stream, axis conversion, PCAP replay or accuracy test was performed. [2]

What we checked

Pinned documentation/selected source review only; no build, installation, live device/network, simulator, calibration or performance test.

Not yet established

  • Requirements: operating system, host computer
  • Version-specific hardware compatibility (ecosystem tags alone do not establish it)

Updates

Upstream last updated
Not established
Latest release
Not established
Profile updated
Nov 1, 2026
Sources last checked
Nov 1, 2026
Next review
Dec 1, 2026
Reviewed revision
459dd41

Source files and licenses

Distinct robot-facing source implementation/interface; no purchased hardware design or untested performance claim.

LayerAvailability / license
softwareavailable · BSD-3-Clause
Scoped source declaration; purchased hardware, firmware, binaries, assets and external dependencies require separate terms. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
documentationavailable · BSD-3-Clause
Scoped source declaration; purchased hardware, firmware, binaries, assets and external dependencies require separate terms. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

No separate physical design, pretrained distribution or dataset is selected as the released contribution in this scoped software review.

References

Each source links to the exact revision we read. “Used for” shows where this page relies on it.

Correction guidance · Discussion is not enabled · Profile format 0.7.0-draft.5

Change history