diff --git a/bin/regen-protos.sh b/bin/regen-protos.sh
index 655db9a7a..817dc5d24 100755
--- a/bin/regen-protos.sh
+++ b/bin/regen-protos.sh
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ set -e
 echo "This script requires https://jpa.kapsi.fi/nanopb/download/ version 0.4.1"
 # the nanopb tool seems to require that the .options file be in the current directory!
 cd proto
-../../nanopb-0.4.1-linux-x86/generator-bin/protoc --nanopb_out=-v:../src/mesh -I=../proto portnums.proto mesh.proto
+../../nanopb-0.4.1-linux-x86/generator-bin/protoc --nanopb_out=-v:../src/mesh -I=../proto *.proto
 
 echo "Regenerating protobuf documentation - if you see an error message"
 echo "you can ignore it unless doing a new protobuf release to github."
diff --git a/docs/software/TODO.md b/docs/software/TODO.md
index fc1c27c83..5a26c8e10 100644
--- a/docs/software/TODO.md
+++ b/docs/software/TODO.md
@@ -4,14 +4,16 @@ You probably don't care about this section - skip to the next one.
 
 For app cleanup:
 
-* have python tool check max packet size before sending to device
+* DONE have python tool check max packet size before sending to device
+* if request was sent reliably, send reply reliably
 * DONE require a recent python api to talk to these new device loads
 * DONE require a recent android app to talk to these new device loads
 * DONE fix handleIncomingPosition
 * DONE move want_replies handling into plugins
 * on android for received positions handle either old or new positions / user messages
 * on android side send old or new positions as needed / user messages
-* on python side handle new position/user messages
+* test python side handle new position/user messages
+* make a gpio example
 * DONE fix position sending to use new plugin
 * DONE Add SinglePortNumPlugin - as the new most useful baseclass
 * DONE move positions into regular data packets (use new app framework)
@@ -20,6 +22,7 @@ For app cleanup:
 * test that position, text messages and user info work properly with new android app and old device code
 * call the plugin setup functions
 * fix the RTC drift bug
+* move ping functionality into device, reply with rxsnr info
 
 For high speed/lots of devices/short range tasks:
 
diff --git a/proto b/proto
index 13b69ad55..6e8d220ad 160000
--- a/proto
+++ b/proto
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Subproject commit 13b69ad55079e3f35774f63e960064867de20235
+Subproject commit 6e8d220ad0d9f7ae6ce37db94c2b3f55a70f4f45
diff --git a/src/mesh/portnums.pb.h b/src/mesh/portnums.pb.h
index 595d31146..eab09126b 100644
--- a/src/mesh/portnums.pb.h
+++ b/src/mesh/portnums.pb.h
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ extern "C" {
 typedef enum _PortNum {
     PortNum_UNKNOWN_APP = 0,
     PortNum_TEXT_MESSAGE_APP = 1,
-    PortNum_GPIO_APP = 2,
+    PortNum_REMOTE_HARDWARE_APP = 2,
     PortNum_POSITION_APP = 3,
     PortNum_NODEINFO_APP = 4,
     PortNum_PRIVATE_APP = 256,
diff --git a/src/mesh/remote_hardware.pb.c b/src/mesh/remote_hardware.pb.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a334db461
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/mesh/remote_hardware.pb.c
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+/* Automatically generated nanopb constant definitions */
+/* Generated by nanopb-0.4.1 */
+
+#include "remote_hardware.pb.h"
+#if PB_PROTO_HEADER_VERSION != 40
+#error Regenerate this file with the current version of nanopb generator.
+#endif
+
+PB_BIND(HardwareMessage, HardwareMessage, AUTO)
+
+
+
+
diff --git a/src/mesh/remote_hardware.pb.h b/src/mesh/remote_hardware.pb.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..036d82fb8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/mesh/remote_hardware.pb.h
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+/* Automatically generated nanopb header */
+/* Generated by nanopb-0.4.1 */
+
+#ifndef PB_REMOTE_HARDWARE_PB_H_INCLUDED
+#define PB_REMOTE_HARDWARE_PB_H_INCLUDED
+#include <pb.h>
+
+#if PB_PROTO_HEADER_VERSION != 40
+#error Regenerate this file with the current version of nanopb generator.
+#endif
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
+/* Enum definitions */
+typedef enum _HardwareMessage_MessageType {
+    HardwareMessage_MessageType_UNSET = 0,
+    HardwareMessage_MessageType_WRITE_GPIOS = 1,
+    HardwareMessage_MessageType_WATCH_GPIOS = 2,
+    HardwareMessage_MessageType_GPIOS_CHANGED = 3,
+    HardwareMessage_MessageType_READ_GPIOS = 4,
+    HardwareMessage_MessageType_READ_GPIOS_REPLY = 5
+} HardwareMessage_MessageType;
+
+/* Struct definitions */
+typedef struct _HardwareMessage {
+    HardwareMessage_MessageType typ;
+    uint64_t gpio_mask;
+    uint64_t gpio_value;
+} HardwareMessage;
+
+
+/* Helper constants for enums */
+#define _HardwareMessage_MessageType_MIN HardwareMessage_MessageType_UNSET
+#define _HardwareMessage_MessageType_MAX HardwareMessage_MessageType_READ_GPIOS_REPLY
+#define _HardwareMessage_MessageType_ARRAYSIZE ((HardwareMessage_MessageType)(HardwareMessage_MessageType_READ_GPIOS_REPLY+1))
+
+
+/* Initializer values for message structs */
+#define HardwareMessage_init_default             {_HardwareMessage_MessageType_MIN, 0, 0}
+#define HardwareMessage_init_zero                {_HardwareMessage_MessageType_MIN, 0, 0}
+
+/* Field tags (for use in manual encoding/decoding) */
+#define HardwareMessage_typ_tag                  1
+#define HardwareMessage_gpio_mask_tag            2
+#define HardwareMessage_gpio_value_tag           3
+
+/* Struct field encoding specification for nanopb */
+#define HardwareMessage_FIELDLIST(X, a) \
+X(a, STATIC,   SINGULAR, UENUM,    typ,               1) \
+X(a, STATIC,   SINGULAR, UINT64,   gpio_mask,         2) \
+X(a, STATIC,   SINGULAR, UINT64,   gpio_value,        3)
+#define HardwareMessage_CALLBACK NULL
+#define HardwareMessage_DEFAULT NULL
+
+extern const pb_msgdesc_t HardwareMessage_msg;
+
+/* Defines for backwards compatibility with code written before nanopb-0.4.0 */
+#define HardwareMessage_fields &HardwareMessage_msg
+
+/* Maximum encoded size of messages (where known) */
+#define HardwareMessage_size                     24
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+} /* extern "C" */
+#endif
+
+#endif
diff --git a/src/plugins/RemoteHardwarePlugin.cpp b/src/plugins/RemoteHardwarePlugin.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..70c7232af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/plugins/RemoteHardwarePlugin.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+#include "RemoteHardwarePlugin.h"
+#include "MeshService.h"
+#include "NodeDB.h"
+#include "RTC.h"
+#include "Router.h"
+#include "configuration.h"
+#include "main.h"
+
+RemoteHardwarePlugin remoteHardwarePlugin;
+
+bool RemoteHardwarePlugin::handleReceivedProtobuf(const MeshPacket &mp, const HardwareMessage &p)
+{
+
+    return false; // Let others look at this message also if they want
+}
+
+
diff --git a/src/plugins/RemoteHardwarePlugin.h b/src/plugins/RemoteHardwarePlugin.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..faae4894d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/plugins/RemoteHardwarePlugin.h
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+#pragma once
+#include "ProtobufPlugin.h"
+#include "remote_hardware.pb.h"
+
+/**
+ * A plugin that provides easy low-level remote access to device hardware.
+ */
+class RemoteHardwarePlugin : public ProtobufPlugin<HardwareMessage>
+{
+  public:
+    /** Constructor
+     * name is for debugging output
+     */
+    RemoteHardwarePlugin() : ProtobufPlugin("remotehardware", PortNum_REMOTE_HARDWARE_APP, HardwareMessage_fields) {}
+
+  protected:
+    /** Called to handle a particular incoming message
+
+    @return true if you've guaranteed you've handled this message and no other handlers should be considered for it
+    */
+    virtual bool handleReceivedProtobuf(const MeshPacket &mp, const HardwareMessage &p);
+};
+
+extern RemoteHardwarePlugin remoteHardwarePlugin;
\ No newline at end of file