[SOLVED] Node.js with socket.io and firmata on raspbian (model B) runs slow

Node.js with socket.io and firmata on raspbian (model B) runs slow

I´m running a Raspberry Pi Model B (512MB RAM) with a 16 gB 300MB/s SD-card and recent raspbian with all updates.

On this machine I´ve set up a apache2-server, node.js with socket.io and firmata.

Within my web-application, video streaming is a key feature.

When I access my webserver just for streaming the videos (without node/socket.io/firmata), everything streams with a good performance. But when I switch on node.js/socket.io/firmata it's rather slow, it takes 5-7 seconds to start streaming the videos.

I had problems installing node.js in the first place. Node.js from source compiled/installed like a charm, but when I tried to run it, I got this mysterious "Illegal instruction" message.

As an alternative I took the precompiled debian-packages and installed them using dpkg using this repo:

http://revryl.com/2014/01/04/nodejs-raspberry-pi/

They say that nodejs will run slower, but that´s not acceptable for me.

Any hints?

Thanks and regards!

Solution

Allright, it´s faster now. For everyone with this issue:

Dispose apache2 and use lighttpd instead. Just check out this page and see why: http://www.jeremymorgan.com/blog/programming/raspberry-pi-web-server-comparison/
Start node.js via script and put into /etc/rc.local Out of some reason it uses much less RAM and CPU when in idle.
Try to avoid firmata. If you need to control hardware that requires simple wiring, try to use the "pi-gpio". It´s MUCH faster and uses less resources. Also you don´t need your arduino anymore as you can use only the rpi.