Add rtl_tcp (remote SDR) support v1.1.0

Features:
- Add rtl_tcp support for pager and sensor decoding
  - Connect to remote RTL-SDR via rtl_tcp server
  - New UI toggle and host:port inputs in sidebar
  - Supports rtl_fm and rtl_433 with remote devices

- Add remote dump1090 support for ADS-B tracking
  - Connect to dump1090 SBS output on remote machine
  - New "Remote" checkbox with host:port in ADS-B dashboard

Backend changes:
- Add rtl_tcp_host/port fields to SDRDevice dataclass
- Add is_network property for detecting remote devices
- Update RTLSDRCommandBuilder to use rtl_tcp:host:port format
- Add create_network_device() to SDRFactory
- Add validate_rtl_tcp_host/port validation functions
- Update pager, sensor, and adsb routes to accept remote params

Note: dump1090 doesn't support rtl_tcp directly - use remote
dump1090's SBS output (port 30003) for remote ADS-B tracking.

config.py

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import os
 import sys
 
 # Application version
-VERSION = "1.0.0"
+VERSION = "1.1.0"
 
 
 def _get_env(key: str, default: str) -> str:

routes/adsb.py

@@ -16,7 +16,10 @@ from flask import Blueprint, jsonify, request, Response, render_template
 
 import app as app_module
 from utils.logging import adsb_logger as logger
-from utils.validation import validate_device_index, validate_gain
+from utils.validation import (
+    validate_device_index, validate_gain,
+    validate_rtl_tcp_host, validate_rtl_tcp_port
+)
 from utils.sse import format_sse
 from utils.sdr import SDRFactory, SDRType
 
@@ -238,6 +241,25 @@ def start_adsb():
     except ValueError as e:
         return jsonify({'status': 'error', 'message': str(e)}), 400
 
+    # Check for remote SBS connection (e.g., remote dump1090)
+    remote_sbs_host = data.get('remote_sbs_host')
+    remote_sbs_port = data.get('remote_sbs_port', 30003)
+
+    if remote_sbs_host:
+        # Validate and connect to remote dump1090 SBS output
+        try:
+            remote_sbs_host = validate_rtl_tcp_host(remote_sbs_host)
+            remote_sbs_port = validate_rtl_tcp_port(remote_sbs_port)
+        except ValueError as e:
+            return jsonify({'status': 'error', 'message': str(e)}), 400
+
+        remote_addr = f"{remote_sbs_host}:{remote_sbs_port}"
+        logger.info(f"Connecting to remote dump1090 SBS at {remote_addr}")
+        adsb_using_service = True
+        thread = threading.Thread(target=parse_sbs_stream, args=(remote_addr,), daemon=True)
+        thread.start()
+        return jsonify({'status': 'started', 'message': f'Connected to remote dump1090 at {remote_addr}'})
+
     # Check if dump1090 is already running externally (e.g., user started it manually)
     existing_service = check_dump1090_service()
     if existing_service:

routes/pager.py

@@ -18,7 +18,10 @@ from flask import Blueprint, jsonify, request, Response
 
 import app as app_module
 from utils.logging import pager_logger as logger
-from utils.validation import validate_frequency, validate_device_index, validate_gain, validate_ppm
+from utils.validation import (
+    validate_frequency, validate_device_index, validate_gain, validate_ppm,
+    validate_rtl_tcp_host, validate_rtl_tcp_port
+)
 from utils.sse import format_sse
 from utils.process import safe_terminate, register_process
 from utils.sdr import SDRFactory, SDRType, SDRValidationError
@@ -209,9 +212,25 @@ def start_decoding() -> Response:
         except ValueError:
             sdr_type = SDRType.RTL_SDR
 
-        # Create device object and get command builder
+        # Check for rtl_tcp (remote SDR) connection
-        sdr_device = SDRFactory.create_default_device(sdr_type, index=device)
+        rtl_tcp_host = data.get('rtl_tcp_host')
-        builder = SDRFactory.get_builder(sdr_type)
+        rtl_tcp_port = data.get('rtl_tcp_port', 1234)
+
+        if rtl_tcp_host:
+            # Validate and create network device
+            try:
+                rtl_tcp_host = validate_rtl_tcp_host(rtl_tcp_host)
+                rtl_tcp_port = validate_rtl_tcp_port(rtl_tcp_port)
+            except ValueError as e:
+                return jsonify({'status': 'error', 'message': str(e)}), 400
+
+            sdr_device = SDRFactory.create_network_device(rtl_tcp_host, rtl_tcp_port)
+            logger.info(f"Using remote SDR: rtl_tcp://{rtl_tcp_host}:{rtl_tcp_port}")
+        else:
+            # Create local device object
+            sdr_device = SDRFactory.create_default_device(sdr_type, index=device)
+
+        builder = SDRFactory.get_builder(sdr_device.sdr_type)
 
         # Build FM demodulation command
         rtl_cmd = builder.build_fm_demod_command(

routes/sensor.py

@@ -14,7 +14,10 @@ from flask import Blueprint, jsonify, request, Response
 
 import app as app_module
 from utils.logging import sensor_logger as logger
-from utils.validation import validate_frequency, validate_device_index, validate_gain, validate_ppm
+from utils.validation import (
+    validate_frequency, validate_device_index, validate_gain, validate_ppm,
+    validate_rtl_tcp_host, validate_rtl_tcp_port
+)
 from utils.sse import format_sse
 from utils.process import safe_terminate, register_process
 from utils.sdr import SDRFactory, SDRType
@@ -90,9 +93,25 @@ def start_sensor() -> Response:
         except ValueError:
             sdr_type = SDRType.RTL_SDR
 
-        # Create device object and get command builder
+        # Check for rtl_tcp (remote SDR) connection
-        sdr_device = SDRFactory.create_default_device(sdr_type, index=device)
+        rtl_tcp_host = data.get('rtl_tcp_host')
-        builder = SDRFactory.get_builder(sdr_type)
+        rtl_tcp_port = data.get('rtl_tcp_port', 1234)
+
+        if rtl_tcp_host:
+            # Validate and create network device
+            try:
+                rtl_tcp_host = validate_rtl_tcp_host(rtl_tcp_host)
+                rtl_tcp_port = validate_rtl_tcp_port(rtl_tcp_port)
+            except ValueError as e:
+                return jsonify({'status': 'error', 'message': str(e)}), 400
+
+            sdr_device = SDRFactory.create_network_device(rtl_tcp_host, rtl_tcp_port)
+            logger.info(f"Using remote SDR: rtl_tcp://{rtl_tcp_host}:{rtl_tcp_port}")
+        else:
+            # Create local device object
+            sdr_device = SDRFactory.create_default_device(sdr_type, index=device)
+
+        builder = SDRFactory.get_builder(sdr_device.sdr_type)
 
         # Build ISM band decoder command
         cmd = builder.build_ism_command(

templates/adsb_dashboard.html

@@ -159,6 +159,17 @@
                 <button class="gps-btn gps-connect-btn" onclick="startGpsDongle()">Connect</button>
                 <button class="gps-btn gps-disconnect-btn" onclick="stopGpsDongle()" style="display: none; background: rgba(255,0,0,0.2); border-color: #ff4444;">Stop</button>
             </div>
+            <div class="control-group">
+                <label style="display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 4px; font-size: 10px; cursor: pointer;">
+                    <input type="checkbox" id="useRemoteDump1090" onchange="toggleRemoteDump1090()">
+                    <span>Remote</span>
+                </label>
+            </div>
+            <div class="control-group remote-dump1090-controls" style="display: none;">
+                <input type="text" id="remoteSbsHost" placeholder="Host" style="width: 90px; font-size: 10px;">
+                <span style="color: #666;">:</span>
+                <input type="number" id="remoteSbsPort" value="30003" min="1" max="65535" style="width: 55px; font-size: 10px;">
+            </div>
             <button class="start-btn" id="startBtn" onclick="toggleTracking()">START</button>
         </div>
     </main>
@@ -1054,15 +1065,47 @@
         // ============================================
         // TRACKING CONTROL
         // ============================================
+
+        function toggleRemoteDump1090() {
+            const useRemote = document.getElementById('useRemoteDump1090').checked;
+            const controls = document.querySelector('.remote-dump1090-controls');
+            controls.style.display = useRemote ? 'flex' : 'none';
+        }
+
+        function getRemoteDump1090Config() {
+            const useRemote = document.getElementById('useRemoteDump1090').checked;
+            if (!useRemote) return null;
+
+            const host = document.getElementById('remoteSbsHost').value.trim();
+            const port = parseInt(document.getElementById('remoteSbsPort').value) || 30003;
+
+            if (!host) {
+                alert('Please enter remote dump1090 host address');
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            return { host, port };
+        }
+
         async function toggleTracking() {
             const btn = document.getElementById('startBtn');
 
             if (!isTracking) {
+                // Check for remote dump1090 config
+                const remoteConfig = getRemoteDump1090Config();
+                if (remoteConfig === false) return;
+
+                const requestBody = {};
+                if (remoteConfig) {
+                    requestBody.remote_sbs_host = remoteConfig.host;
+                    requestBody.remote_sbs_port = remoteConfig.port;
+                }
+
                 try {
                     const response = await fetch('/adsb/start', {
                         method: 'POST',
                         headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
-                        body: JSON.stringify({})
+                        body: JSON.stringify(requestBody)
                     });
 
                     const text = await response.text();

templates/index.html

@@ -298,6 +298,29 @@
                     <button class="preset-btn" onclick="refreshDevices()" style="width: 100%;">
                         Refresh Devices
                     </button>
+
+                    <!-- Remote SDR (rtl_tcp) -->
+                    <div class="form-group" style="margin-top: 10px;">
+                        <label style="display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 8px; cursor: pointer;">
+                            <input type="checkbox" id="useRemoteSDR" onchange="toggleRemoteSDR()">
+                            <span style="font-size: 11px; color: #888;">Use Remote SDR (rtl_tcp)</span>
+                        </label>
+                    </div>
+                    <div id="remoteSDRConfig" style="display: none; margin-bottom: 10px;">
+                        <div class="form-group">
+                            <label style="font-size: 11px; color: #888;">Host</label>
+                            <input type="text" id="rtlTcpHost" placeholder="192.168.1.100" style="width: 100%;">
+                        </div>
+                        <div class="form-group">
+                            <label style="font-size: 11px; color: #888;">Port</label>
+                            <input type="number" id="rtlTcpPort" value="1234" min="1" max="65535" style="width: 100%;">
+                        </div>
+                        <div class="info-text" style="font-size: 10px; color: #666; margin-top: 4px;">
+                            Connect to rtl_tcp server on remote machine.<br>
+                            Start server with: <code style="color: #00d4ff;">rtl_tcp -a 0.0.0.0</code>
+                        </div>
+                    </div>
+
                     <div id="toolStatusPager" class="info-text tool-status-section" style="display: grid; grid-template-columns: auto auto; gap: 4px 8px; align-items: center;">
                         <span>rtl_fm:</span><span class="tool-status {{ 'ok' if tools.rtl_fm else 'missing' }}">{{ 'OK' if tools.rtl_fm else 'Missing' }}</span>
                         <span>multimon-ng:</span><span class="tool-status {{ 'ok' if tools.multimon else 'missing' }}">{{ 'OK' if tools.multimon else 'Missing' }}</span>
@@ -1918,6 +1941,10 @@
             const ppm = document.getElementById('sensorPpm').value;
             const device = getSelectedDevice();
 
+            // Check for remote SDR
+            const remoteConfig = getRemoteSDRConfig();
+            if (remoteConfig === false) return; // Validation failed
+
             const config = {
                 frequency: freq,
                 gain: gain,
@@ -1926,6 +1953,12 @@
                 sdr_type: getSelectedSDRType()
             };
 
+            // Add rtl_tcp params if using remote SDR
+            if (remoteConfig) {
+                config.rtl_tcp_host = remoteConfig.host;
+                config.rtl_tcp_port = remoteConfig.port;
+            }
+
             fetch('/start_sensor', {
                 method: 'POST',
                 headers: {'Content-Type': 'application/json'},
@@ -2403,6 +2436,35 @@
             return document.getElementById('sdrTypeSelect').value;
         }
 
+        function toggleRemoteSDR() {
+            const useRemote = document.getElementById('useRemoteSDR').checked;
+            const configDiv = document.getElementById('remoteSDRConfig');
+            const localControls = document.querySelectorAll('#sdrTypeSelect, #deviceSelect');
+
+            configDiv.style.display = useRemote ? 'block' : 'none';
+
+            // Dim local device controls when using remote
+            localControls.forEach(el => {
+                el.style.opacity = useRemote ? '0.5' : '1';
+                el.disabled = useRemote;
+            });
+        }
+
+        function getRemoteSDRConfig() {
+            const useRemote = document.getElementById('useRemoteSDR').checked;
+            if (!useRemote) return null;
+
+            const host = document.getElementById('rtlTcpHost').value.trim();
+            const port = parseInt(document.getElementById('rtlTcpPort').value) || 1234;
+
+            if (!host) {
+                alert('Please enter rtl_tcp host address');
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            return { host, port };
+        }
+
         function getSelectedProtocols() {
             const protocols = [];
             if (document.getElementById('proto_pocsag512').checked) protocols.push('POCSAG512');
@@ -2425,6 +2487,10 @@
                 return;
             }
 
+            // Check for remote SDR
+            const remoteConfig = getRemoteSDRConfig();
+            if (remoteConfig === false) return; // Validation failed
+
             const config = {
                 frequency: freq,
                 gain: gain,
@@ -2435,6 +2501,12 @@
                 protocols: protocols
             };
 
+            // Add rtl_tcp params if using remote SDR
+            if (remoteConfig) {
+                config.rtl_tcp_host = remoteConfig.host;
+                config.rtl_tcp_port = remoteConfig.port;
+            }
+
             fetch('/start', {
                 method: 'POST',
                 headers: {'Content-Type': 'application/json'},

utils/__init__.py

@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@ from .validation import (
     validate_longitude,
     validate_frequency,
     validate_device_index,
+    validate_rtl_tcp_host,
+    validate_rtl_tcp_port,
     validate_gain,
     validate_ppm,
     validate_hours,

utils/sdr/__init__.py

@@ -172,6 +172,34 @@ class SDRFactory:
             capabilities=caps
         )
 
+    @classmethod
+    def create_network_device(
+        cls,
+        host: str,
+        port: int = 1234
+    ) -> SDRDevice:
+        """
+        Create a network device for rtl_tcp connection.
+
+        Args:
+            host: rtl_tcp server hostname or IP address
+            port: rtl_tcp server port (default 1234)
+
+        Returns:
+            SDRDevice configured for rtl_tcp connection
+        """
+        caps = cls.get_capabilities(SDRType.RTL_SDR)
+        return SDRDevice(
+            sdr_type=SDRType.RTL_SDR,
+            index=0,
+            name=f'{host}:{port}',
+            serial='rtl_tcp',
+            driver='rtl_tcp',
+            capabilities=caps,
+            rtl_tcp_host=host,
+            rtl_tcp_port=port
+        )
+
 
 # Export commonly used items at package level
 __all__ = [

utils/sdr/base.py

@@ -46,15 +46,23 @@ class SDRDevice:
     serial: str
     driver: str                  # e.g., "rtlsdr", "lime", "hackrf"
     capabilities: SDRCapabilities
+    rtl_tcp_host: Optional[str] = None   # Remote rtl_tcp server host
+    rtl_tcp_port: Optional[int] = None   # Remote rtl_tcp server port
+
+    @property
+    def is_network(self) -> bool:
+        """Check if this is a network/remote device."""
+        return self.rtl_tcp_host is not None
 
     def to_dict(self) -> dict:
         """Convert to dictionary for JSON serialization."""
-        return {
+        result = {
             'index': self.index,
             'name': self.name,
             'serial': self.serial,
             'sdr_type': self.sdr_type.value,
             'driver': self.driver,
+            'is_network': self.is_network,
             'capabilities': {
                 'freq_min_mhz': self.capabilities.freq_min_mhz,
                 'freq_max_mhz': self.capabilities.freq_max_mhz,
@@ -66,6 +74,10 @@ class SDRDevice:
                 'tx_capable': self.capabilities.tx_capable,
             }
         }
+        if self.is_network:
+            result['rtl_tcp_host'] = self.rtl_tcp_host
+            result['rtl_tcp_port'] = self.rtl_tcp_port
+        return result
 
 
 class CommandBuilder(ABC):

utils/sdr/rtlsdr.py

@@ -27,6 +27,16 @@ class RTLSDRCommandBuilder(CommandBuilder):
         tx_capable=False
     )
 
+    def _get_device_arg(self, device: SDRDevice) -> str:
+        """Get device argument for rtl_* tools.
+
+        Returns rtl_tcp connection string for network devices,
+        or device index for local devices.
+        """
+        if device.is_network:
+            return f"rtl_tcp:{device.rtl_tcp_host}:{device.rtl_tcp_port}"
+        return str(device.index)
+
     def build_fm_demod_command(
         self,
         device: SDRDevice,
@@ -40,11 +50,11 @@ class RTLSDRCommandBuilder(CommandBuilder):
         """
         Build rtl_fm command for FM demodulation.
 
-        Used for pager decoding.
+        Used for pager decoding. Supports local devices and rtl_tcp connections.
         """
         cmd = [
             'rtl_fm',
-            '-d', str(device.index),
+            '-d', self._get_device_arg(device),
             '-f', f'{frequency_mhz}M',
             '-M', modulation,
             '-s', str(sample_rate),
@@ -73,7 +83,17 @@ class RTLSDRCommandBuilder(CommandBuilder):
         Build dump1090 command for ADS-B decoding.
 
         Uses dump1090 with network output for SBS data streaming.
+
+        Note: dump1090 does not support rtl_tcp. For remote SDR, connect to
+        a remote dump1090's SBS output (port 30003) instead.
         """
+        if device.is_network:
+            raise ValueError(
+                "dump1090 does not support rtl_tcp. "
+                "For remote ADS-B, run dump1090 on the remote machine and "
+                "connect to its SBS output (port 30003)."
+            )
+
         cmd = [
             'dump1090',
             '--net',
@@ -96,11 +116,11 @@ class RTLSDRCommandBuilder(CommandBuilder):
         """
         Build rtl_433 command for ISM band sensor decoding.
 
-        Outputs JSON for easy parsing.
+        Outputs JSON for easy parsing. Supports local devices and rtl_tcp connections.
         """
         cmd = [
             'rtl_433',
-            '-d', str(device.index),
+            '-d', self._get_device_arg(device),
             '-f', f'{frequency_mhz}M',
             '-F', 'json'
         ]

utils/validation.py

@@ -66,6 +66,32 @@ def validate_device_index(device: Any) -> int:
         raise ValueError(f"Invalid device index: {device}") from e
 
 
+def validate_rtl_tcp_host(host: Any) -> str:
+    """Validate and return rtl_tcp server hostname or IP address."""
+    if not host or not isinstance(host, str):
+        raise ValueError("rtl_tcp host is required")
+    host = host.strip()
+    if not host:
+        raise ValueError("rtl_tcp host cannot be empty")
+    # Allow alphanumeric, dots, hyphens (valid for hostnames and IPs)
+    if not re.match(r'^[a-zA-Z0-9][a-zA-Z0-9.\-]*$', host):
+        raise ValueError(f"Invalid rtl_tcp host: {host}")
+    if len(host) > 253:
+        raise ValueError("rtl_tcp host too long")
+    return host
+
+
+def validate_rtl_tcp_port(port: Any) -> int:
+    """Validate and return rtl_tcp server port."""
+    try:
+        port_int = int(port)
+        if not 1 <= port_int <= 65535:
+            raise ValueError(f"Port must be between 1 and 65535, got {port_int}")
+        return port_int
+    except (ValueError, TypeError) as e:
+        raise ValueError(f"Invalid rtl_tcp port: {port}") from e
+
+
 def validate_gain(gain: Any) -> float:
     """Validate and return gain value."""
     try: