# Node-red-node-serialport 0.6.8 not working (0.4.2 do)

**URL:** <https://discourse.nodered.org/t/node-red-node-serialport-0-6-8-not-working-0-4-2-do/5007>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [18 November 2018 17:11 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/node-red-node-serialport-0-6-8-not-working-0-4-2-do/5007 "2018-11-18T17:11:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 10\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![dceejay](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/dceejay/32/38_2.png) [@dceejay](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dceejay)\
**Post date:** [9 December 2018 20:35 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/node-red-node-serialport-0-6-8-not-working-0-4-2-do/5007/21 "2018-12-09T20:35:42Z")

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That is incorrect. Node-RED does not have to run as root in order to use the serialport.

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**Author:** ![KirchnerAlex](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/kirchneralex/32/3877_2.png) [@KirchnerAlex](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/KirchnerAlex)\
**Post date:** [9 December 2018 20:40 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/node-red-node-serialport-0-6-8-not-working-0-4-2-do/5007/22 "2018-12-09T20:40:58Z")

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> [@dceejay](#):
>
> That is incorrect. Node-RED does not have to run as root in order to use the serialport.

When i run as user pi or any other new user the serialport-node V0.4.2 connects, the V0.6.8 not. As user root it works. All users are in the group "dialout".

I am sure, that i do not fully understand that all, but that is what i observed.

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**Author:** ![TotallyInformation](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/totallyinformation/32/31_2.png) [@TotallyInformation](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/TotallyInformation)\
**Post date:** [9 December 2018 21:33 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/node-red-node-serialport-0-6-8-not-working-0-4-2-do/5007/23 "2018-12-09T21:33:39Z")

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> [@KirchnerAlex](#):
>
> When i run as user pi or any other new user the serialport-node V0.4.2 connects, the V0.6.8 not. As user root it works. All users are in the group "dialout".
> 
> I am sure, that i do not fully understand that all, but that is what i observed.

can you do an `ls -la \dev\...` to list the owner and group assigned to the ports?

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**Author:** ![KirchnerAlex](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/kirchneralex/32/3877_2.png) [@KirchnerAlex](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/KirchnerAlex)\
**Post date:** [9 December 2018 21:52 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/node-red-node-serialport-0-6-8-not-working-0-4-2-do/5007/24 "2018-12-09T21:52:03Z")

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root@siot:~# ls -la /dev/ttyUSB0  
crw-rw---- 1 root dialout 188, 0 Dec 9 21:41 /dev/ttyUSB0

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**Author:** ![TotallyInformation](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/totallyinformation/32/31_2.png) [@TotallyInformation](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/TotallyInformation)\
**Post date:** [9 December 2018 23:11 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/node-red-node-serialport-0-6-8-not-working-0-4-2-do/5007/25 "2018-12-09T23:11:20Z")

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This is surely some other issue with snap - I run on a Pi with the pi user in dialout and it all works fine.

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**Author:** ![dceejay](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/dceejay/32/38_2.png) [@dceejay](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dceejay)\
**Post date:** [9 December 2018 23:59 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/node-red-node-serialport-0-6-8-not-working-0-4-2-do/5007/26 "2018-12-09T23:59:09Z")

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snaps don't (yet) support hot-plug serial ports - coming shortly... but not there yet.  
(though I thought he had moved off snaps to a more conventional install now...)

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**Author:** ![KirchnerAlex](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/kirchneralex/32/3877_2.png) [@KirchnerAlex](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/KirchnerAlex)\
**Post date:** [10 December 2018 06:09 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/node-red-node-serialport-0-6-8-not-working-0-4-2-do/5007/27 "2018-12-10T06:09:29Z")

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I had no problems with serial port inside snap (See above). I described the whole install process. After that - node-red run as root and serial port worked perfect.

But I switched back to nativ (traditional) Installation, because the NMCLI does not work so easily inside snap.

I also described that there are differences between the versions of serialport. But maybe because of other dependencies, I don’t know. I am not that Ubuntu/Linux crack.

Thx.

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**Author:** ![TotallyInformation](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/totallyinformation/32/31_2.png) [@TotallyInformation](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/TotallyInformation)\
**Post date:** [10 December 2018 16:22 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/node-red-node-serialport-0-6-8-not-working-0-4-2-do/5007/28 "2018-12-10T16:22:04Z")

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> [@KirchnerAlex](#):
>
> I had no problems with serial port inside snap

Sorry to disagree - but you did have a problem. You had to run Node-RED as root and that IS a problem except in the most isolated of systems.

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**Author:** ![dceejay](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/dceejay/32/38_2.png) [@dceejay](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dceejay)\
**Post date:** [10 December 2018 18:18 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/node-red-node-serialport-0-6-8-not-working-0-4-2-do/5007/29 "2018-12-10T18:18:01Z")

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Julian, well yes and no .. In general running as root is a problem... but with snaps although the snap is running as "root" it is a chrooted root inside a tightly contained box (see my post above 21d ago) so you it can't get out. But yes - it's another way of doing things that isn't quite mainstream so has it's wrinkles and quirks we all have to work out yet.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TotallyInformation](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/totallyinformation/32/31_2.png) [@TotallyInformation](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/TotallyInformation)\
**Post date:** [11 December 2018 20:39 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/node-red-node-serialport-0-6-8-not-working-0-4-2-do/5007/30 "2018-12-11T20:39:10Z")

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> [@dceejay](#):
>
> well yes and no

Ah, thanks for that.

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