Native ROS2 Interface for RealSense D555 Camera
Driverless, Embedded ROS2 — No Host Wrapper Required

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Table of Contents

• Overview
• Key Differences from realsense-ros Wrapper
• Installation
• Usage
  • Device Discovery
  • Camera Name and Namespace
  • Parameters
  • ROS2/Robot vs Optical/Camera Coordinate Systems
  • TF from coordinate A to coordinate B
  • Extrinsics from sensor A to sensor B
  • Published Topics
  • Metadata Topic
  • Available Services
• Troubleshooting
• Contributing
• License

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Overview

The RealSense D555 camera includes a native ROS2 interface implemented directly in the device firmware (FreeRTOS). Unlike the traditional D400-series workflow that requires librealsense + the realsense-ros wrapper on the host, the D555 communicates directly over DDS via Ethernet — no host-side driver or wrapper node is needed.

Key Advantages:

• Zero Host-Side Dependencies: No librealsense, no realsense-ros package to install or maintain.
• Plug-and-Play: Connect via Ethernet, set ROS_DOMAIN_ID, and start using standard ROS2 CLI tools immediately.
• Reduced Latency: Data travels directly from firmware to the DDS network with no intermediate processing layer.
• Embedded Reliability: The ROS2 node runs on the device's real-time OS (FreeRTOS), ensuring deterministic behavior.
• Standard Compliance: Fully compatible with ros2 topic, ros2 service, ros2 param, and rqt.

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Key Differences from realsense-ros Wrapper

Aspect	D4xx (realsense-ros wrapper)	D5XX (Native Firmware)
Connection	USB 3.x / GMSL / MIPI	Ethernet (Gigabit)
Host dependencies	librealsense + realsense-ros	None
ROS2 node runs on	Host PC	Device firmware (FreeRTOS)
Launch mechanism	ros2 launch realsense2_camera rs_launch.py	Automatic on device power-on
Parameter syntax	depth_module.emitter_enabled	Depth.option.Emitter_Enabled
Topic namespace	/camera/camera/<stream>/...	/realsense/<DeviceModel>_<Serial>_<Stream>/...
Image streams	Depth, Color, IR1, IR2, IMU	Depth, Color, IR1, IR2, Color/compressed, IMU, ObjectDetection; aligned depth is parameter-gated
Camera Info	✅ Published	✅ Published
TF / Extrinsics	✅ Published (/tf, /tf_static)	✅ Published (/tf_static)
Metadata	✅ realsense2_camera_msgs/msg/Metadata	✅ std_msgs/msg/String (JSON); pre-7.58 firmware also exposed legacy metadata
Point Cloud	✅ Host-generated	✅ Native PointCloud2 publisher, gated by Depth.option.Enable_PointCloud
ROS Version	Humble, Jazzy, Kilted, Rolling	Humble with Fast DDS; Jazzy with Cyclone DDS

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Installation

Prerequisites

• Network: The D555 device must be on the same network subnet as the host PC (e.g., 192.168.11.x/24, subnet mask 255.255.255.0).
• Multicast: The network must support UDP multicast for DDS discovery.
• ROS2 and DDS: Humble with eProsima Fast DDS (rmw_fastrtps_cpp), or Jazzy with Cyclone DDS (rmw_cyclonedds_cpp).
• MTU: 9000 (this is the factory default and can be changed via device configuration). Jumbo frames are required on both host and device.

Step 1: Install a ROS2 Distribution

Follow the official installation guide for your platform:

• Ubuntu 22.04: ROS2 Humble installation guide at https://docs.ros.org/en/humble/Installation/Ubuntu-Install-Debians.html
• Ubuntu 24.04: ROS2 Jazzy installation guide at https://docs.ros.org/en/jazzy/Installation/Ubuntu-Install-Debians.html

For Jazzy hosts, install and select Cyclone DDS before using the D555 native ROS interface:

sudo apt install ros-jazzy-rmw-cyclonedds-cpp
source /opt/ros/jazzy/setup.bash
export RMW_IMPLEMENTATION=rmw_cyclonedds_cpp

For Humble hosts:

source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash
export RMW_IMPLEMENTATION=rmw_fastrtps_cpp

Step 1.5: Update Device Firmware

For the best experience, ensure your D555 is running the latest firmware:

1. Download the latest firmware from the RealSense D500 firmware releases page: https://dev.realsenseai.com/docs/firmware-release-d500 (including early-access builds when available).
2. Use realsense-viewer or rs-fw-update (from librealsense) to flash the firmware via USB.
3. After updating, the device will reboot and reconnect automatically.

Step 2: Connect the D555 Camera

1. Connect the D555 to the host PC (or switch) via Ethernet cable. The D555 requires Power over Ethernet (PoE) — use a PoE-capable switch or PoE injector.
2. Ensure both host and device are on the same subnet (e.g., 192.168.11.x). Default D555 IP is 192.168.11.55.
3. Set the ROS_DOMAIN_ID to match the device's configured domain (default 0):

   export ROS_DOMAIN_ID=0

4. On Jazzy, keep Cyclone DDS selected in every shell that runs ROS commands:

   export RMW_IMPLEMENTATION=rmw_cyclonedds_cpp

Step 3: Verify Device Discovery

No additional packages are needed. Verify the device is visible:

ros2 node list
# Expected output:
# /D555_343122300393

Note: Unlike realsense-ros, there is no ros2 launch or ros2 run command to start the camera node. The node starts automatically when the device boots.

DDS Discovery: If the device does not appear immediately, allow up to 30 seconds for DDS discovery to complete. In some network configurations, you may need to increase the DDS discovery timeout. Refer to your DDS middleware documentation (e.g., FastDDS, CycloneDDS) for details on configuring discovery-related timeouts.

Jazzy Note: The D555 native ROS interface requires Cyclone DDS on Jazzy. If ros2 node list does not discover the camera on Jazzy, verify echo $RMW_IMPLEMENTATION prints rmw_cyclonedds_cpp.

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Usage

Device Discovery

After connecting the D555 via Ethernet, verify discovery:

# List ROS2 nodes
ros2 node list
# /D555_343122300393

# List all topics
ros2 topic list

# List all services
ros2 service list | grep D555

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Detailed ROS interface reference

Camera Name and Namespace

The D555 firmware automatically names its ROS2 node and topics based on the device model and serial number.

Naming Convention:

• Node name: /<DeviceModel>_<SerialNumber> (e.g., /D555_343122300393)
• Topic prefix: /realsense/<DeviceModel>_<SerialNumber>_<StreamName>/ (e.g., /realsense/D555_343122300393_Depth/)

Example output:

> ros2 node list
/D555_343122300393

> ros2 topic list
/realsense/D555_343122300393_Color
/realsense/D555_343122300393_Color/camera_info
/realsense/D555_343122300393_Color/compressed
/realsense/D555_343122300393_Color/metadata
/realsense/D555_343122300393_Depth
/realsense/D555_343122300393_Depth/camera_info
/realsense/D555_343122300393_Depth/metadata
/realsense/D555_343122300393_Infrared_1
/realsense/D555_343122300393_Infrared_1/camera_info
/realsense/D555_343122300393_Infrared_1/metadata
/realsense/D555_343122300393_Infrared_2
/realsense/D555_343122300393_Infrared_2/camera_info
/realsense/D555_343122300393_Infrared_2/metadata
/realsense/D555_343122300393_Motion
/realsense/D555_343122300393_Motion/metadata
/realsense/D555_343122300393_ObjectDetection
/realsense/D555_343122300393/tf_static

> ros2 service list | grep D555
/D555_343122300393/describe_parameters
/D555_343122300393/get_device_info
/D555_343122300393/get_device_info_std
/D555_343122300393/get_parameter_types
/D555_343122300393/get_parameters
/D555_343122300393/help
/D555_343122300393/hw_reset
/D555_343122300393/list_parameters
/D555_343122300393/set_parameters
/D555_343122300393/set_parameters_atomically

Mapping to realsense-ros: In realsense-ros, topics appear as /camera/camera/depth/image_rect_raw. In D555 native mode, the equivalent topic is /realsense/D555_<Serial>_Depth (type sensor_msgs/msg/Image).

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Parameters

Note: Parameter names and values may change in future firmware updates.

Available Parameters

• For the entire list of parameters: ros2 param list /D555_<Serial>
• For reading a parameter value: ros2 param get /D555_<Serial> <parameter_name>
  • For example: ros2 param get /D555_343122300393 Depth.option.Emitter_Enabled
• For setting a new value: ros2 param set /D555_<Serial> <parameter_name> <value>
  • For example: ros2 param set /D555_343122300393 Depth.option.Emitter_Enabled 1

Parameter Naming Convention

Most parameters follow the format: <Sensor>.<Group>.<Name>. Depth filters use Depth.filter.<FilterName>.<OptionName>.

Component	Values	Description
Sensor	Depth, RGB, Motion	Target sensor module
Group	option, Profile, filter	option for controls, Profile for stream configuration, filter for depth filters
Name	e.g., Gain, Exposure, Emitter_Enabled, Temporal.Toggle	Specific control name

Compatibility Note: Use the exact names reported by ros2 param list. On r58.3, underscore-separated group names such as Depth.option_Gain are invalid and are expected to return Parameter not set. Use Depth.option.Gain only if it appears in ros2 param list.

Mapping from realsense-ros Parameters

realsense-ros (D4xx)	D555 Native	Description
depth_module.emitter_enabled	Depth.option.Emitter_Enabled	Enable/disable laser emitter
depth_module.gain	Depth.option.Gain	Depth sensor gain
depth_module.exposure	Depth.option.Exposure	Depth sensor exposure (μs)
depth_module.enable_auto_exposure	Depth.option.Enable_Auto_Exposure	Auto exposure on/off
depth_module.laser_power	Depth.option.Laser_Power	Laser power [0–360]
depth_module.depth_profile	Depth.Profile	Stream profile (e.g., "z16, 896, 504, 30")
align_depth.enable	Depth.option.Align_Depth	Enable on-device depth-to-color alignment topic
pointcloud.enable	Depth.option.Enable_PointCloud	Enable on-device PointCloud2 publisher
spatial_filter.*, temporal_filter.*, decimation_filter.*	Depth.filter.*	On-device depth filters
rgb_camera.color_profile	RGB.Profile	RGB profile (e.g., "yuv, 896, 504, 30")
rgb_camera.gain	RGB.option.Gain	RGB sensor gain
rgb_camera.exposure	RGB.option.Exposure	RGB sensor exposure (μs)
rgb_camera.enable_auto_exposure	RGB.option.Enable_Auto_Exposure	Auto exposure on/off
rgb_camera.brightness	RGB.option.Brightness	Brightness [-64–64]
rgb_camera.contrast	RGB.option.Contrast	Contrast [0–100]
rgb_camera.saturation	RGB.option.Saturation	Saturation [0–100]
rgb_camera.sharpness	RGB.option.Sharpness	Sharpness [0–100]
rgb_camera.white_balance	RGB.option.White_Balance	White balance [2800–6500] K
rgb_camera.enable_auto_white_balance	RGB.option.Enable_Auto_White_Balance	Auto WB on/off

Depth Sensor Parameters

Parameter	Type	Range	Default	Description
Depth.option.Gain	Integer	16–248	16	Sensor gain
Depth.option.Exposure	Integer	1–200000	Auto	Exposure time (μs)
Depth.option.Emitter_Enabled	Integer	0–1	1	Laser emitter on/off
Depth.option.Laser_Power	Integer	0–360	150	Laser power level
Depth.option.Enable_Auto_Exposure	Integer	0–1	1	Auto-exposure on/off
Depth.option.Align_Depth	Integer	0–1	0	Publish /realsense/<SN>_Aligned_Depth_To_Color
Depth.option.Enable_PointCloud	Integer	0–2	0	Publish /realsense/<SN>_Depth_Color_Points (1 = XYZ, 2 = XYZRGB)
Depth.Profile	String	—	"z16, 896, 504, 30"	Profile: <format>, <W>, <H>, <FPS>

Depth Filter Parameters

The following names describe the r58.3 native ROS parameter surface. Some underlying filters existed before r58.3, but this README documents the r58.3 ROS-facing names and tested behavior. Availability is firmware-dependent; use ros2 param list /D555_<Serial> as the source of truth.

Parameter	Type	Description
Depth.filter.Temporal.Toggle	Integer	Enable/disable temporal filtering
Depth.filter.Temporal.Alpha	Double	Temporal filter alpha
Depth.filter.Temporal.Delta	Integer	Temporal filter delta
Depth.filter.Temporal.Persistency	Integer	Temporal persistency mode
Depth.filter.Decimation.Toggle	Integer	Enable/disable decimation filtering
Depth.filter.Decimation.Magnitude	Integer	Decimation magnitude
Depth.filter.Improved_Close_Range_Depth.Enable	Integer	Enable/disable improved close range depth, the ROS-facing MinZ mode

Filter restrictions on r58.3:

• Apply graph-selection filters, such as decimation, before starting Depth, AlignedDepth, PointCloud, or ObjectDetection subscribers.
• Decimation + temporal is the validated depth-filter combination.
• MinZ is not exposed as a literal MinZ ROS parameter on r58.3. Use Depth.filter.Improved_Close_Range_Depth.Enable; the low-level MinZ tuning values are firmware-controlled and are not ROS-settable.
• ObjectDetection and depth filters are not concurrent workflows; stop OD before enabling depth filters, and stop depth-filter streaming before enabling OD distance.
• Do not combine Depth.filter.Improved_Close_Range_Depth.Enable with decimation on r58.3. Configure improved close range depth as a separate mode.
• Unsupported or active-stream combinations may reject ros2 param set with Invalid value; verify the applied state with ros2 param get.

Object Detection Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
ObjectDetection.Profile	Integer	Read-only object detection FPS profile; tested value: 30
ObjectDetection.option.Object_Distance	Integer	0/1 toggle. When enabled and accepted, ObjectDetection JSON may include a per-detection distance field in meters

Device Log Parameters

Firmware log publishing is disabled by default. On the tested r58.3 build, the ROS-facing parameter names use underscores:

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
Device.Log_Enable	Boolean	false	Enable publishing on the /realsense/<SN>/firmware_log topic
Device.Log_Level	Integer	8	Bitmask: verbose=1, debug=2, info=4, warning=8, performance=16; error/test logs always pass
Device.Log_Tag_Filter	String	""	Optional comma-separated firmware LOG_TAG filter, for example DDS_Server,IPU

Use ros2 param list /D555_<Serial> | grep Device.Log as the source of truth for the exact names on a given firmware build.

RGB Sensor Parameters

Parameter	Type	Range	Default	Description
RGB.option.Gain	Integer	16–248	Auto	Sensor gain
RGB.option.Exposure	Integer	1–10000	Auto	Exposure time (μs)
RGB.option.Brightness	Integer	-64–64	0	Brightness adjustment
RGB.option.Contrast	Integer	0–100	50	Contrast level
RGB.option.Saturation	Integer	0–100	64	Saturation level
RGB.option.Sharpness	Integer	0–100	50	Sharpness level
RGB.option.White_Balance	Integer	2800–6500	Auto	White balance (K)
RGB.option.Enable_Auto_White_Balance	Integer	0–1	1	Auto white balance
RGB.option.Enable_Auto_Exposure	Integer	0–1	1	Auto-exposure on/off
RGB.Profile	String	—	"yuv, 896, 504, 30"	Profile: <format>, <W>, <H>, <FPS>

Validation

When set_parameters is called, the firmware validates each parameter:

1. Existence: Does the parameter name exist?
2. Type: Does the value type match the parameter definition?
3. Read-Only: Is the parameter read-only?
4. Range: Is the value within [min, max]?
5. Step: (Optional) Is (value - min) % step == 0?

If validation fails, the response includes a descriptive reason string:

• "Out of range" — Value below min or above max.
• "Read only" — Attempted to write a read-only parameter.
• "Type mismatch" — Wrong value type.
• "Unsupported" — Parameter not supported in current mode.
• "Internal error" — Hardware communication failure.

Example: Setting Manual Exposure

# 1. Disable Auto Exposure
ros2 param set /D555_343122300393 Depth.option.Enable_Auto_Exposure 0

# 2. Set Exposure Value (microseconds)
ros2 param set /D555_343122300393 Depth.option.Exposure 5000

# 3. Verify
ros2 param get /D555_343122300393 Depth.option.Exposure

Example: Enabling r58.3 Features

Keep parameter/service commands rate-limited to about 1-2 calls per second.

# Enable temporal filtering and verify the setting before starting Depth.
ros2 param set /D555_343122300393 Depth.filter.Temporal.Toggle 1
ros2 param get /D555_343122300393 Depth.filter.Temporal.Toggle

# Enable the validated temporal + decimation depth-filter combination.
# Configure graph-selection filters before starting Depth/AlignedDepth/PointCloud subscribers.
ros2 param set /D555_343122300393 Depth.filter.Decimation.Toggle 1
ros2 param set /D555_343122300393 Depth.filter.Decimation.Magnitude 2
python3 apps/show_ros_image.py \
  --serial 343122300393 --stream Depth --duration 10

# MinZ mode is exposed as Improved_Close_Range_Depth.Enable.
# Use it as a separate pre-stream mode; do not combine it with decimation on r58.3.
ros2 param set /D555_343122300393 Depth.filter.Decimation.Toggle 0
ros2 param set /D555_343122300393 Depth.filter.Improved_Close_Range_Depth.Enable 1
python3 apps/show_ros_image.py \
  --serial 343122300393 --stream Depth --duration 10
ros2 param set /D555_343122300393 Depth.filter.Improved_Close_Range_Depth.Enable 0

# Enable on-device aligned depth
ros2 param set /D555_343122300393 Depth.option.Align_Depth 1
ros2 topic echo /realsense/D555_343122300393_Aligned_Depth_To_Color \
  --once --no-arr --qos-reliability best_effort

# Enable native PointCloud2 publisher.
# Use 1 for XYZ or 2 for XYZRGB.
ros2 param set /D555_343122300393 Depth.option.Enable_PointCloud 2
python3 apps/show_ros_image.py \
  --serial 343122300393 --stream PointCloud --duration 10
ros2 param set /D555_343122300393 Depth.option.Enable_PointCloud 0

# Enable object distance in ObjectDetection output.
# Stop Depth/AlignedDepth subscribers first; Object Distance uses the
# depth-cache pipeline and is rejected while normal depth streaming is active.
ros2 param set /D555_343122300393 ObjectDetection.option.Object_Distance 1
ros2 topic echo /realsense/D555_343122300393_ObjectDetection \
  --once --qos-reliability best_effort

# Diagnostics JSON topic. show_ros_image.py can subscribe to it by alias.
python3 apps/show_ros_image.py \
  --serial 343122300393 --stream Diagnostics --duration 5
ros2 topic echo /realsense/D555_343122300393/diagnostics \
  --once --qos-reliability best_effort

# Firmware log JSON topic.
# firmware_log publishes only while Device.Log_Enable=true and a subscriber is present.
ros2 param set /D555_343122300393 Device.Log_Level 12
ros2 param set /D555_343122300393 Device.Log_Enable true
ros2 topic echo /realsense/D555_343122300393/firmware_log \
  --qos-reliability best_effort
python3 apps/show_ros_image.py \
  --serial 343122300393 --stream FirmwareLog --duration 10
ros2 param set /D555_343122300393 Device.Log_Enable false

On the tested D555 r58.3 firmware, aligned depth produced sensor_msgs/msg/Image samples and native PointCloud2 produced sensor_msgs/msg/PointCloud2 samples with x,y,z,rgb fields. The apps/show_ros_image.py --stream PointCloud smoke test keeps hidden Depth and Color subscribers alive because the native XYZRGB PointCloud path is most stable when the Depth, Color, and PointCloud readers are active together. Avoid running multiple PointCloud readers, such as ros2 topic hz and ros2 topic echo, at the same time.

ObjectDetection output is scene/model dependent. ObjectDetection.option.Object_Distance=1 is accepted when the depth-cache pipeline is available, but returns Invalid value if normal depth streaming is already active. Stop Depth and AlignedDepth subscribers before enabling Object Distance.

Diagnostics are published as std_msgs/msg/String JSON on /realsense/D555_<Serial>/diagnostics when there is a subscriber. The apps/show_ros_image.py --stream Diagnostics path is a smoke test for that topic and uses the lower string-topic FPS threshold.

Firmware logs are published as std_msgs/msg/String JSON on /realsense/D555_<Serial>/firmware_log. Publishing is off by default and starts only when Device.Log_Enable=true and a subscriber is present. On current r58.3 builds, the topic may remain visible in DDS discovery after being enabled once, but it does not emit samples after Device.Log_Enable=false. The log stream is event-driven, so short smoke tests may receive no sample if the firmware is quiet; keep the echo running while changing a parameter or starting a stream if you need fresh log activity.

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ROS2/Robot vs Optical/Camera Coordinate Systems

• Point of View: Imagine standing behind the camera, looking forward.
• ROS2 Coordinate System: (X: Forward, Y: Left, Z: Up)
• Camera Optical Coordinate System: (X: Right, Y: Down, Z: Forward)
• References: REP-0103 and REP-0105
• All image/depth data is published in the optical coordinate frame.
• The /tf_static topic provides transforms between the optical and ROS coordinate frames.

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TF from coordinate A to coordinate B

• A TF message expresses a transform from coordinate frame header.frame_id (source) to child_frame_id (destination). Reference: http://docs.ros.org/en/noetic/api/geometry_msgs/html/msg/Transform.html.
• In RealSense cameras, the origin point (0,0,0) is at the left IR (Infrared_1) sensor, named camera_link.
• Depth, left IR, and camera_link coordinates converge together.
• The D555 firmware publishes static TFs to /tf_static between each sensor coordinate frame and the camera base (camera_link), as well as from each sensor's ROS coordinates to its optical coordinates.

TF Tree:

camera_link (base)
├── camera_depth_frame
│   └── camera_depth_optical_frame
├── camera_color_frame
│   └── camera_color_optical_frame
├── camera_infra1_frame
│   └── camera_infra1_optical_frame
├── camera_infra2_frame
│   └── camera_infra2_optical_frame
└── camera_imu_frame
    └── camera_imu_optical_frame

View static transforms:

ros2 topic echo /realsense/D555_343122300393/tf_static --once

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Extrinsics from sensor A to sensor B

"Extrinsic from A to B" means: a transform that converts coordinates expressed in frame A into coordinates expressed in frame B.

The D555 factory-calibrated extrinsics are encoded in the static TF transforms published on /tf_static.

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Published Topics

The published topics differ based on the device configuration and active streams. After device discovery, the following topics are typically available:

Topic	Type	QoS	Description
/realsense/<SN>_Depth	sensor_msgs/msg/Image	Best Effort	16-bit depth map
/realsense/<SN>_Color	sensor_msgs/msg/Image	Best Effort	RGB color image
/realsense/<SN>_Color/compressed	sensor_msgs/msg/CompressedImage	Best Effort	JPEG-compressed color
/realsense/<SN>_Infrared_1	sensor_msgs/msg/Image	Best Effort	Left IR image
/realsense/<SN>_Infrared_2	sensor_msgs/msg/Image	Best Effort	Right IR image
/realsense/<SN>_Motion	sensor_msgs/msg/Imu	Best Effort	IMU (gyro + accel) data
/realsense/<SN>_ObjectDetection	std_msgs/msg/String	Best Effort	Object detection JSON output
/realsense/<SN>/diagnostics	std_msgs/msg/String	Best Effort	Device diagnostics JSON, published when subscribed
/realsense/<SN>_<Stream>/camera_info	sensor_msgs/msg/CameraInfo	Best Effort	Camera intrinsics & calibration
/realsense/<SN>_<Stream>/metadata	std_msgs/msg/String	Best Effort	Per-frame metadata (JSON)
/realsense/<SN>/tf_static	tf2_msgs/msg/TFMessage	Reliable, Transient Local	Static coordinate transforms

Where <SN> = D555_<SerialNumber> (e.g., D555_343122300393).

Additional r58.3 topics appear only after enabling their parameters:

Topic	Type	Enable Parameter
/realsense/<SN>_Aligned_Depth_To_Color	sensor_msgs/msg/Image	Depth.option.Align_Depth=1
/realsense/<SN>_Aligned_Depth_To_Color/camera_info	sensor_msgs/msg/CameraInfo	Depth.option.Align_Depth=1
/realsense/<SN>_Depth_Color_Points	sensor_msgs/msg/PointCloud2	Depth.option.Enable_PointCloud=1 or 2
/realsense/<SN>/firmware_log	std_msgs/msg/String	Device.Log_Enable=true

Mapping to realsense-ros topics:

realsense-ros (D4xx)	D555 Native	Type
/camera/camera/depth/image_rect_raw	/realsense/D555_<Serial>_Depth	sensor_msgs/msg/Image
/camera/camera/color/image_raw	/realsense/D555_<Serial>_Color	sensor_msgs/msg/Image
/camera/camera/color/image_raw/compressed	/realsense/D555_<Serial>_Color/compressed	sensor_msgs/msg/CompressedImage
/camera/camera/infra1/image_rect_raw	/realsense/D555_<Serial>_Infrared_1	sensor_msgs/msg/Image
/camera/camera/infra2/image_rect_raw	/realsense/D555_<Serial>_Infrared_2	sensor_msgs/msg/Image
/camera/camera/depth/camera_info	/realsense/D555_<Serial>_Depth/camera_info	sensor_msgs/msg/CameraInfo
/camera/camera/color/camera_info	/realsense/D555_<Serial>_Color/camera_info	sensor_msgs/msg/CameraInfo
/camera/camera/depth/metadata	/realsense/D555_<Serial>_Depth/metadata	std_msgs/msg/String
/camera/camera/color/metadata	/realsense/D555_<Serial>_Color/metadata	std_msgs/msg/String
/camera/camera/aligned_depth_to_color/image_raw	/realsense/D555_<Serial>_Aligned_Depth_To_Color	sensor_msgs/msg/Image
/camera/camera/depth/color/points	/realsense/D555_<Serial>_Depth_Color_Points	sensor_msgs/msg/PointCloud2
/camera/camera/imu	/realsense/D555_<Serial>_Motion	sensor_msgs/msg/Imu
Diagnostics	/realsense/D555_<Serial>/diagnostics	std_msgs/msg/String
Firmware logs	/realsense/D555_<Serial>/firmware_log	std_msgs/msg/String
/tf_static	/realsense/D555_<Serial>/tf_static	tf2_msgs/msg/TFMessage

Subscribe to a stream:

# View depth image info
ros2 topic echo /realsense/D555_343122300393_Depth --no-arr

# View camera info
ros2 topic echo /realsense/D555_343122300393_Depth/camera_info --once

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Metadata Topic

The D555 publishes per-stream metadata containing hardware-level frame information in JSON format.

Firmware behavior change: Starting with firmware version 7.58 and later, the device exposes only the ROS2-native metadata topic (std_msgs/msg/String). On firmware versions prior to 7.58, both the native and legacy metadata topics were published simultaneously.

Topic variants:

1. Standard (metadata): Uses std_msgs/msg/String — works with any ROS2 installation. Published on all firmware versions.
2. Legacy (metadata_legacy): Uses realsense2_camera_msgs/msg/Metadata — D455-compatible format with Header (timestamp + frame_id) + json_data. Only available on firmware versions prior to 7.58.

Available metadata topics per stream:

/realsense/<SN>_Depth/metadata              (std_msgs/msg/String)
/realsense/<SN>_Color/metadata
/realsense/<SN>_Infrared_1/metadata
/realsense/<SN>_Infrared_2/metadata
/realsense/<SN>_Motion/metadata

metadata_legacy topics are not present by default on tested 7.58 firmware.

Echo metadata from the command line:

ros2 topic echo /realsense/D555_343122300393_Depth/metadata

Metadata JSON fields:

Field	Type	Unit	Description
Frame Counter	uint32	count	Hardware frame counter (drop detection)
Frame Timestamp	uint64	μs	Timestamp when frame was sent
Sensor Timestamp	uint64	μs	Hardware timestamp from MIPI readout
Actual Exposure	uint32	μs	Exact exposure time for this frame
Gain Level	uint16	—	Applied gain value
Auto Exposure	uint8	—	Auto-exposure mode
Brightness	int8	—	Brightness setting (-64 to 64)
Contrast	uint8	—	Contrast setting (0–100)
Saturation	uint8	—	Saturation setting (0–100)
Sharpness	uint8	—	Sharpness setting (0–100)
Gamma	uint16	—	Gamma value
Hue	int8	—	Hue setting
Manual White Balance	uint16	K	White balance temperature
Auto White Balance Temperature	uint16	K	AWB result
Laser Power	uint16	—	Emitter power setting
Emitter Mode	uint8	—	Projector on/off state
ASIC Temperature	float	°C	Real-time sensor temperature
Input Width / Input Height	uint16	pixels	Image dimensions

Python subscriber example:

import rclpy
from rclpy.node import Node
from rclpy.qos import QoSProfile, ReliabilityPolicy
from std_msgs.msg import String
import json

class MetadataSubscriber(Node):
    def __init__(self):
        super().__init__('metadata_subscriber')
        qos = QoSProfile(depth=10, reliability=ReliabilityPolicy.BEST_EFFORT)
        self.sub = self.create_subscription(
            String,
            '/realsense/D555_343122300393_Depth/metadata',
            self.callback,
            qos)

    def callback(self, msg):
        data = json.loads(msg.data)
        md = data['metadata']
        print(f"Frame: {md['Frame Counter']}, "
              f"Exposure: {md['Actual Exposure']}μs, "
              f"Gain: {md['Gain Level']}, "
              f"Temp: {md['ASIC Temperature']}°C")

rclpy.init()
node = MetadataSubscriber()
rclpy.spin(node)

---

Available Services

The device exposes the following services under the namespace /<DeviceModel>_<SerialNumber>:

Hardware Reset

• Service name: hw_reset
• Reset the device. All streams are stopped.
• Type: std_srvs/srv/Empty
• Call example:

  ros2 service call /D555_343122300393/hw_reset std_srvs/srv/Empty

• Note: The device will disconnect from DDS and reappear after approximately 5–10 seconds.

Device Information

• Service names: get_device_info, get_device_info_std

• Retrieve device information: serial number, firmware version, sensors, and transport.

• Types: realsense2_camera_msgs/srv/DeviceInfo and std_srvs/srv/Trigger

• Typed service example:

  ros2 service call /D555_343122300393/get_device_info \
    realsense2_camera_msgs/srv/DeviceInfo "{}"

  This returns typed fields such as device_name, serial_number, firmware_version, sensors, and physical_port.

• Standard Trigger service example:

  ros2 service call /D555_343122300393/get_device_info_std std_srvs/srv/Trigger

• Trigger response: success (bool) + message (JSON string) with device fields:

  Field	Example Value
  serial	"343122300393"
  product	"D555"
  firmware	"7.58.40177.x"

• Device.Info parameter:

  ros2 param get /D555_343122300393 Device.Info
  ros2 param describe /D555_343122300393 Device.Info

  param get returns compact JSON that fits the ROS parameter string response. param describe provides the full JSON device description.

Help

• Service name: help
• List all available services and their types.
• Type: std_srvs/srv/Trigger
• Call example:

  ros2 service call /D555_343122300393/help std_srvs/srv/Trigger

List Parameters

• Service name: list_parameters
• Returns a list of all available parameters.
• Type: rcl_interfaces/srv/ListParameters
• Call example:

  ros2 service call /D555_343122300393/list_parameters rcl_interfaces/srv/ListParameters

Get Parameters

• Service name: get_parameters
• Retrieve current values of specified parameters.
• Type: rcl_interfaces/srv/GetParameters
• Call example:

  ros2 service call /D555_343122300393/get_parameters \
    rcl_interfaces/srv/GetParameters \
    "{names: ['Depth.option.Gain', 'Depth.option.Exposure']}"

• Returns PARAMETER_NOT_SET for unknown parameters.

Set Parameters

• Service name: set_parameters
• Set parameter values with range validation.
• Type: rcl_interfaces/srv/SetParameters
• Call example:

  ros2 service call /D555_343122300393/set_parameters \
    rcl_interfaces/srv/SetParameters \
    "{parameters: [{name: 'Depth.option.Gain', value: {type: 2, integer_value: 100}}]}"

• Response: successful (bool) + reason (string) per parameter.

Describe Parameters

• Service name: describe_parameters
• Returns metadata (type, description, range) for parameters.
• Type: rcl_interfaces/srv/DescribeParameters
• Call example:

  ros2 service call /D555_343122300393/describe_parameters \
    rcl_interfaces/srv/DescribeParameters \
    "{names: ['Depth.option.Gain']}"

Mapping to realsense-ros services:

realsense-ros (D4xx)	D555 Native	Type
/camera/camera/hw_reset	/D555_<Serial>/hw_reset	std_srvs/srv/Empty
/camera/camera/device_info	/D555_<Serial>/get_device_info	realsense2_camera_msgs/srv/DeviceInfo
/camera/camera/get_parameters	/D555_<Serial>/get_parameters	rcl_interfaces/srv/GetParameters
/camera/camera/set_parameters	/D555_<Serial>/set_parameters	rcl_interfaces/srv/SetParameters
/camera/camera/list_parameters	/D555_<Serial>/list_parameters	rcl_interfaces/srv/ListParameters
/camera/camera/describe_parameters	/D555_<Serial>/describe_parameters	rcl_interfaces/srv/DescribeParameters
—	/D555_<Serial>/get_device_info_std	std_srvs/srv/Trigger
—	/D555_<Serial>/help	std_srvs/srv/Trigger
—	/D555_<Serial>/get_parameter_types	rcl_interfaces/srv/GetParameterTypes

Python service client example:

import rclpy
from rclpy.node import Node
from rcl_interfaces.srv import GetParameters, SetParameters
from rcl_interfaces.msg import Parameter, ParameterValue, ParameterType

rclpy.init()
node = Node('param_client')

# Get a parameter
get_client = node.create_client(GetParameters, '/D555_343122300393/get_parameters')
get_client.wait_for_service()
request = GetParameters.Request()
request.names = ['Depth.option.Gain']
future = get_client.call_async(request)
rclpy.spin_until_future_complete(node, future)
print(f"Gain = {future.result().values[0].integer_value}")

# Set a parameter
set_client = node.create_client(SetParameters, '/D555_343122300393/set_parameters')
set_client.wait_for_service()
param = Parameter()
param.name = 'Depth.option.Gain'
param.value = ParameterValue()
param.value.type = ParameterType.PARAMETER_INTEGER
param.value.integer_value = 100
request = SetParameters.Request()
request.parameters = [param]
future = set_client.call_async(request)
rclpy.spin_until_future_complete(node, future)
result = future.result().results[0]
print(f"Success: {result.successful}, Reason: {result.reason}")

node.destroy_node()
rclpy.shutdown()

---

Performance & Constraints

Latency

Operation	Typical Latency
Service call	10–50 ms
Parameter set	20–100 ms
Stream (internal processing)	< 5 ms + network

Throughput

• Interface: Gigabit Ethernet
• Theoretical max (all streams): ~266 Mbps uncompressed
• Practical (with JPEG compression): ~70–110 Mbps

High-bandwidth DDS pacing

Depth and compressed color profiles may report 30 FPS while ROS subscribers only receive about 15-23 FPS. This usually means the device is still producing frames at 30 FPS, but large DDS/UDP samples are being dropped on the receive path. You can confirm this by checking message timestamps:

ros2 topic echo --qos-reliability best_effort \
  /realsense/D555_<Serial>_Depth --field header.stamp

If the header timestamp increments by about 33.3 ms but ros2 topic echo prints A message was lost!!!, the camera cadence is 30 FPS and the loss is in the DDS/network receive path.

On r58.3, Device.Transmission_Delay is exposed as a ROS parameter for the device DDS traffic-shaping setting. It adds microsecond-level pacing to large DDS data fragments. This reduces Ethernet/DDS microbursts without changing the stream profile:

ros2 param set /D555_<Serial> Device.Transmission_Delay 36
ros2 topic hz /realsense/D555_<Serial>_Depth
ros2 topic hz /realsense/D555_<Serial>_Color/compressed

On the tested D555 r58.3 firmware, Device.Transmission_Delay=36 restored Depth and Color/compressed from about 15-23 FPS to about 30 FPS with MTU 9000. This can happen even with a single camera when the host subscribes to multiple large DDS samples at the same time, such as Depth plus Color/compressed, AlignedDepth, or PointCloud2. Low-bandwidth single-topic tests usually do not need this setting. Use 48 for a more conservative stress-test setting if multiple large streams still report dropped samples.

Known Limitations

Note: The following limitations apply to firmware version 7.58.x. Some may be resolved in future firmware releases.

1. Request Rate Limiting: Limit service calls to approximately 1–2 per second, or add a 500 ms delay between burst requests. The SafeDDS ACK window is limited.
2. Batch Parameter Semantics: Prefer set_parameters_atomically when multiple parameters must be applied together; plain set_parameters returns one result per parameter.
3. String Length Limits: Parameter names and string values use fixed-size firmware buffers. Device.Info returns compact JSON from ros2 param get; use ros2 param describe or get_device_info for the full device description.
4. Native PointCloud2 Usage: r58.3 exposes /realsense/<SN>_Depth_Color_Points after Depth.option.Enable_PointCloud=1 (XYZ) or 2 (XYZRGB). Use one long-lived PointCloud subscriber and keep Depth + Color readers active for the most stable XYZRGB path. apps/show_ros_image.py --stream PointCloud adds those hidden guard subscribers automatically.
5. ObjectDetection Output: /realsense/<SN>_ObjectDetection may publish JSON with number_of_detections: 0 in an empty scene. ObjectDetection.option.Object_Distance=1 can return Invalid value if Depth or AlignedDepth streaming is already active; stop those subscribers before enabling the depth-cache distance path.
6. Depth Filter Combinations: Apply graph-selection filters before starting streams. Decimation + temporal is the validated depth-filter combination. MinZ is exposed as Depth.filter.Improved_Close_Range_Depth.Enable; do not combine it with decimation on r58.3. OD distance and depth-filter streaming are separate workflows.
7. High-bandwidth DDS Loss: With MTU 9000 and Device.Transmission_Delay=0, some hosts may receive Depth at about 15-17 FPS and Color/compressed at about 21-23 FPS even though the profile is 30 FPS. This is most visible when one camera publishes multiple large topics. Set Device.Transmission_Delay to 36 us before high-bandwidth tests.
8. Firmware Log Topic: /realsense/<SN>/firmware_log is disabled at boot and publishes only when Device.Log_Enable=true and a subscriber is present. Keep Device.Log_Level conservative for normal use, and disable it again after collecting logs. The topic may remain visible in discovery after first enable, but samples stop when disabled.
9. Parameter Name Compatibility: Depth.option_Gain and other underscore-separated legacy aliases are not supported on r58.3. Test scripts should discover parameters with ros2 param list and skip options that are absent.

---

Troubleshooting

Device not found in ros2 node list

• Cause: Firewall blocking multicast, different ROS_DOMAIN_ID, wrong DDS middleware on Jazzy, or network misconfiguration.
• Fix:

  # Check ROS_DOMAIN_ID matches (default 0)
  echo $ROS_DOMAIN_ID
  
  # Jazzy only: verify Cyclone DDS is selected
  echo $RMW_IMPLEMENTATION
  export RMW_IMPLEMENTATION=rmw_cyclonedds_cpp
  
  # Disable firewall temporarily to test
  sudo ufw disable
  
  # Verify network connectivity
  ping <device_ip>

Service call times out

• Cause: Device busy, network packet loss, or request flooding.
• Fix: Increase timeout (--timeout 10), add delays between requests, verify network quality.

"Parameter not set" error

• Cause: Parameter name typo or unsupported parameter.
• Fix: Run ros2 param list /D555_<Serial> to verify exact parameter names. For example, Depth.option_Gain is not valid on r58.3. Use Depth.option.Gain only when it appears in the parameter list; otherwise skip that control in automated tests.

Topic data not received / QoS mismatch

• Cause: Image and metadata topics use BEST_EFFORT reliability; subscribers must match.
• Fix: Set subscriber QoS to BEST_EFFORT:

  from rclpy.qos import QoSProfile, ReliabilityPolicy
  qos = QoSProfile(depth=10, reliability=ReliabilityPolicy.BEST_EFFORT)

Image topic FPS is lower than the 30 FPS profile

• Cause: The device may be producing 30 FPS, but large BEST_EFFORT DDS samples are dropped when the Ethernet/DDS packets arrive as tight bursts. This is more visible on Depth because the raw frame payload is much larger than JPEG-compressed color.
• Fix: Enable DDS bulk-fragment pacing:

  ros2 param set /D555_<Serial> Device.Transmission_Delay 36
  ros2 topic hz /realsense/D555_<Serial>_Depth
  ros2 topic hz /realsense/D555_<Serial>_Color/compressed

• Verification: If ros2 topic echo --field header.stamp shows 33.3 ms timestamp intervals but also prints A message was lost!!!, this is receive path loss, not a camera profile issue.

CDR deserialization errors

• Cause: Potential firmware/middleware version mismatch.
• Fix: Update device firmware to the latest version.

Factory Reset / USB Recovery

If the device becomes unreachable due to a faulty network configuration, you can recover it via USB:

1. Connect the D555 to the host PC using a USB cable.
2. Use realsense-viewer or rs-fw-update (from librealsense) to reset the device to factory settings.
3. This will restore the default network configuration (IP 192.168.11.55, subnet mask 255.255.255.0).
4. Reconnect via Ethernet and reconfigure as needed.

Note: USB connectivity is intended for recovery and firmware updates only. Normal operation uses Ethernet.

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Contributing

Please refer to the project's contribution guidelines.

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License

Copyright © RealSense, Inc. All rights reserved.