Install node red on RPI picow

General
1

Hi
I have RPI PICO w and I have searched on many places how to install node red on it but i didn't find something useful, would you please advise me how to install node red , please past any useful link or video

thank you in advance

2

Node-RED generally will not run on micro controllers (like the RPI Pico). It needs a full computer with a operating system.

(There is a fork that runs on ESP32, but it is a very stripped back implementation and requires detailed knowledge of what you are doing to make it work. GitHub - phoddie/node-red-mcu: Node-RED for microcontrollers)

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3

Sorry but I don't think you can install Node-red on a Raspberry Pi Pico.

You can install and run it on a Raspberry Pi Zero Two, 3, 4 or 5 or even on a PC.

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4

Dears
Many thanks for your quick reply ,
us I understand from both replies , that node red will not run on RPI pico , it must installed on PC and the pico must be connected on PC just like other micro controllers ??

5

What do you want to use Node-red for?
Do you want to read sensors, control devices etc?

Because your Pico has WiFi, if you want to interact between the Pico and Node-red on the PC, a very good way is by using MQTT over the network. No need for a physical connection between the two devices.

ps I personally find it very much easier to install and run Node-red on a Raspberry Pi than on a PC. You might find the small investment in a Pi Zero Two worthwhile.
It does require some interaction with the Linux command line though, which might be intimidating.
All Node-red programming is via a web browser, which can be on any machine on your network.

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6

I want to do simple home automation just like what I did with RPI3 and RPI zero w.
i thought it can install the node red on the pico w and then connect smart phone with the pico via mqtt , but it looks not possible , correct me please if possible to flash the node red and just powering up the pico from regular charger to see data by phone

7

As stated earlier the pico will not run node-red (except possibly the cut back version mentioned) but that would not be simple, and may not even be possible.

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8

I'm not sure I'd describe home automation as simple but many people do use Node-red like this.

If your Pi 3 has 64 bit, 4 core CPU then it's a good match for Node-red.

Possible, but maybe this is the hardest bit.

Here is one of my Node-red servers powered by a phone charger. No I don't have 27 of them, that's it's IP address!

IMG_20240625_152208285-01
IMG_20240625_152208285-011920Ă—1689 232 KB

This one runs Node-red, an mqtt broker, an SQL database, various other services.
It's online 24hrs a day.

And a Node-red dashboard viewed in the browser on my phone.

Screenshot_20240625-154955-01
Screenshot_20240625-154955-011560Ă—720 107 KB

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9

Yes exactly this is what i want to do , load the specific project done by node red and display the measurements via smart phon.

please past any useful link or video for how to perform this

10

I would start with the intro playlist to Node-Red at:

And also have a look at:

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11

Hi AndrewBeasley
This is very basic , if there is more specific for node red with pico w will be much useful to me
thank you

12

You cannot put Node-red on a Pico W.

13

Apologies your questions quite open and hard to give a direct pointer as a lot of the Node-Red side depends how you want to connect to the Pico and that impacts the code on the Pico.

Off the top of my head you could use:

  1. Serial (via USB or via GPIO)
  2. SPI
  3. MQTT
  4. Network sockets
  5. Bluetooth (and BLE)

You then have to think about response time, data packet size and data rate (both frequency of collection and acceptable delay in transmission) as these all impact the link.

Best to think through / explain your aims a bit deeper, how you plan to code the Pico side and possibly pick folks brains on the Pi Pico site for advice on how the Pico end handles things.

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14

Note that the example @jbudd posted is running on a Pi, not a Pico.

You said you have already done it with a pi3 and a pi zero, so why do you not just do that again?

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15

Hi Colin
I thought it is possible to use pico w just like the RPI 3 and zero w , but it looks like it is not possible

thank you

16

Dears
one more question , what if it possible to use putty to install node red on pico w ??
and what is your feedback from this video please

17

Try it and let us see what you come up with!

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18

I didn't watch the whole of the video, but from the section I saw they are using Pico-W as a MQTT client to send/receive messages to a Raspberry Pi somewhere else on the network. The Raspberry Pi is running Node-RED and the MQTT broker not the Pico-W.

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19

Thank you for the explanation :smiling_face: