How to Connect Septentrio mosaic-X5 to ROS: ROS 1 & ROS 2 Integration Guide

Connecting a Septentrio mosaic-X5 to ROS is straightforward: install the official septentrio_gnss_driver (ROSaic) package, plug the receiver into your computer over USB or serial, set the device parameter in rover.yaml, and launch the driver. The node then publishes standard ROS messages such as /navsatfix and /gpsfix that any robot or drone stack can consume. This guide covers ROS 1 and ROS 2, plus RTK corrections and AIM+ anti-jamming status.

Why the mosaic-X5 Is a Strong Choice for ROS Development

The mosaic-X5 is a compact multi-band, multi-constellation OEM module with 448 channels covering GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou across L1/L2/L5 and E1/E5 bands, plus QZSS and SBAS. It delivers centimeter-level RTK and includes Septentrio’s AIM+ interference mitigation, which keeps the solution stable where standard receivers drop lock. For ROS developers the key point is the interface set: USB (with RNDIS virtual Ethernet), UART, SPI, I2C and CAN. See the module on the mosaic-X5 product page and compare carrier options in the GNSS boards & OEM modules category. Prefer a ready-to-run unit? Eview’s GNSS receiver box uses the same Septentrio core with anti-jamming already integrated.

What You Need Before You Start

• Hardware: a mosaic-X5 module on a USB carrier board, a GNSS antenna, and a computer running Ubuntu 18.04–24.04.
• Software: ROS 1 Melodic or Noetic, or ROS 2 Foxy through Rolling; Humble and Jazzy are the LTS picks.
• Driver: install the binary with sudo apt-get install ros-$ROS_DISTRO-septentrio-gnss-driver, or build from source via git clone https://github.com/septentrio-gnss/septentrio_gnss_driver and catkin build (ROS 1) or colcon build (ROS 2). C++17 is required.

Step 1 — Connect the Receiver: USB, Serial or TCP

The driver connects via a single device parameter in config/rover.yaml. Three options cover most setups:

• USB (default, recommended): plug the receiver into a USB port. The module exposes an RNDIS virtual Ethernet interface at 192.168.3.1: set device: tcp://192.168.3.1:28784 and use the web UI at http://192.168.3.1 for status checks. Firmware 4.10.0+ is required for IP over USB.
• Serial: set device: serial:/dev/serial/by-id/usb-Septentrio_.... Use the by-id symlink so the port survives replugging, add your user to the dialout group (sudo adduser $USER dialout) and keep the default baud rate of 921600.
• TCP/IP: for networked receivers, point device at tcp://<receiver-ip>:28784, the default command port.

Step 2 — Configure and Launch the Driver

In rover.yaml, set frame_id: gnss and enable the messages you need under publish: — navsatfix: true and gpsfix: true are the essentials; aimplusstatus: true exposes anti-jamming status. With configure_rx: true (the default) the driver configures the receiver automatically on startup, so no manual SBF block setup is needed. Then launch:

• ROS 1: roslaunch septentrio_gnss_driver rover.launch param_file_name:=rover
• ROS 2: ros2 launch septentrio_gnss_driver rover.launch.py

Verify with rostopic echo /navsatfix (ROS 1) or ros2 topic echo /navsatfix (ROS 2): you should see valid latitude, longitude and fix status. The same data is available on /gpsfix as a gps_msgs/GPSFix message.

Step 3 — Feed RTK Corrections for Centimeter Accuracy

For RTK, the driver includes a built-in NTRIP client. Under rtk_settings: in rover.yaml, configure ntrip_1 with the caster address, port (typically 2101), username, password and mountpoint, set rtk_standard: RTCMv3 and send_gga: auto. Corrections can also come from an IP server or serial input. When the solution goes fixed, the covariance in /poscovgeodetic drops to centimeter level — the same RTK workflow Eview documents for drone and UAV RTK GNSS deployments.

Step 4 — Use the Data in Your Robot or Drone Stack

Beyond /navsatfix and /gpsfix, the driver publishes NMEA sentences (/gpgga, /gprmc), SBF-derived topics (/pvtgeodetic, /poscovgeodetic, /atteuler for heading), /pose, and /rfstatus plus /aimplusstatus for interference monitoring. Set use_ros_axis_orientation: true to convert NED to ROS’s ENU frames. Because AIM+ keeps lock under jamming, it is a practical choice for anti-jamming and anti-spoofing GNSS applications where a u-blox-class receiver would fail.

FAQ

Which ROS versions does the septentrio_gnss_driver support?

ROS 1 Melodic and Noetic, plus ROS 2 Foxy, Galactic, Humble, Iron, Jazzy, Kilted, Lyrical and Rolling. Binary apt packages are maintained for Noetic, Humble, Iron, Jazzy and Rolling; others build from source.

Can I connect the mosaic-X5 to ROS over USB?

Yes. USB provides an RNDIS virtual Ethernet link: the receiver gets 192.168.3.1 and the driver connects with device: tcp://192.168.3.1:28784. Plain serial over USB also works.

What topics does the driver publish?

Standard messages include /navsatfix (sensor_msgs/NavSatFix), /gpsfix (gps_msgs/GPSFix), NMEA topics and /pose. SBF-derived topics include /pvtgeodetic, /poscovgeodetic, /atteuler and /aimplusstatus.

How do I feed RTCM3 corrections for RTK?

Configure rtk_settings.ntrip_1 in rover.yaml with caster, port, mountpoint and credentials — the driver runs the NTRIP client itself. Alternatively stream RTCM3 from a base station via an IP server or serial input; multiple correction sources can run simultaneously.

Does the driver expose anti-jamming status?

Yes. With publish.aimplusstatus: true the driver publishes /aimplusstatus and /rfstatus, reporting AIM+ interference mitigation activity and OSNMA authentication status.

Do I need an RTK base station for centimeter accuracy?

RTK needs corrections from a base station or NTRIP service. With fixed RTK the mosaic-X5 reaches centimeter-level accuracy; without corrections it is meter-level, which still suits many navigation and logging tasks.

To skip board-level integration, Eview’s GNSS receiver box ships with the Septentrio core, AIM+ anti-jamming and an RTK-ready setup, so you can focus on ROS software instead of bring-up. Contact Eview for carrier boards, antennas and integration support.