diff --git a/src/freedombone-image-customise b/src/freedombone-image-customise
index f907aaa6..4cc268d1 100755
--- a/src/freedombone-image-customise
+++ b/src/freedombone-image-customise
@@ -1193,6 +1193,82 @@ function image_setup_utils {
     # cmake
 }
 
+function image_install_nodejs {
+    if [ $INSTALLING_MESH ]; then
+        return
+    fi
+
+    chroot "$rootdir" apt-get -yq install nodejs
+    chroot "$rootdir" apt-get -yq install npm curl
+
+    if [ ! -f $rootdir/usr/bin/nodejs ]; then
+        echo $'nodejs was not installed'
+        exit 63962
+    fi
+
+    cat <<EOF > $rootdir/root/install-nodejs.sh
+#!/bin/bash
+PATH="/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/bin"
+NODE_PATH="/usr/lib/node_modules"
+cp /usr/bin/nodejs /usr/local/bin/node
+cp /usr/bin/nodejs /usr/bin/node
+/usr/bin/curl -0 -L https://npmjs.org/install.sh | sh
+npm install -g n@${NODEJS_N_VERSION} --save
+if [ ! -f /usr/local/bin/n ]; then
+    exit 1
+fi
+cp /usr/local/bin/n /usr/bin/n
+n ${NODEJS_VERSION}
+if [ ! -f /usr/local/bin/node ]; then
+    exit 2
+fi
+cp /usr/local/bin/node /usr/bin/nodejs
+cp /usr/local/bin/node /usr/bin/node
+npm install -g npm@${NPM_VERSION} --save
+if [ ! -f /usr/local/bin/npm ]; then
+    exit 3
+fi
+cp /usr/local/bin/npm /usr/bin/npm
+npm install -g pug@2.0.0-beta6 --save
+npm install -g graceful-fs@4.1.10 --save
+npm install -g minimatch@3.0.3 --save
+exit 0
+EOF
+    chmod +x $rootdir/root/install-nodejs.sh
+    chroot "$rootdir" /root/install-nodejs.sh
+    if [ ! "$?" = "0" ]; then
+        rm -f $rootdir/root/install-nodejs.sh
+        exit 7632572
+    fi
+    rm -f $rootdir/root/install-nodejs.sh
+
+    # second npm install attempt seems necessary
+    chroot "$rootdir" npm install -g npm@${NPM_VERSION} --save
+    cp $rootdir/usr/local/bin/npm $rootdir/usr/bin/npm
+
+    # node seems tricky so here we're going to double check
+    # that the versions we expect did get installed
+    CURR_NODE_VERSION=$($rootdir/usr/bin/node --version)
+    CURR_NPM_VERSION=$($rootdir/usr/bin/npm --version)
+    CURR_N_VERSION=$($rootdir/usr/bin/n --version)
+    if [[ "$CURR_NPM_VERSION" != "$NPM_VERSION" ]]; then
+        echo $"Expected npm version $NPM_VERSION but actually have $CURR_NPM_VERSION"
+        exit 6728252
+    fi
+    if [[ "$CURR_N_VERSION" != "$NODEJS_N_VERSION" ]]; then
+        echo $"Expected n version $NODEJS_N_VERSION but actually have $CURR_N_VERSION"
+        exit 5267452
+    fi
+    if [[ "$CURR_NODE_VERSION" != "v${NODEJS_VERSION}" ]]; then
+        echo $"Expected node version $NODEJS_VERSION but actually have $CURR_NODE_VERSION"
+        exit 5274527
+    fi
+
+    if ! grep -q "nodejs_base" $rootdir$COMPLETION_FILE; then
+        echo "nodejs_base" >> $rootdir$COMPLETION_FILE
+    fi
+}
+
 
 ##############################################################################
 
@@ -1339,6 +1415,7 @@ configure_wifi
 configure_user_interface
 image_setup_utils
 image_install_inadyn
+image_install_nodejs
 
 # remove downloaded packages
 chroot $rootdir apt-get -y autoremove
diff --git a/src/freedombone-utils-nodejs b/src/freedombone-utils-nodejs
index 998950be..ec83e379 100755
--- a/src/freedombone-utils-nodejs
+++ b/src/freedombone-utils-nodejs
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ function remove_nodejs {
         return
     fi
     if [ ! -f $NODEJS_INSTALLED_APPS_FILE ]; then
-        remove_app nodejs
+        #remove_app nodejs
         return
     fi
     sed -i "/install_${1}/d" $NODEJS_INSTALLED_APPS_FILE
@@ -132,20 +132,22 @@ function install_nodejs {
         mesh_install_nodejs
         return
     fi
-    if [[ $(is_completed $FUNCNAME) == "1" ]]; then
-        upgrade_nodejs
-        return
-    fi
+    if ! grep -q "nodejs_base" $COMPLETION_FILE; then
 
-    apt-get -yq install nodejs
-    apt-get -yq install npm curl
+        if [[ $(is_completed $FUNCNAME) == "1" ]]; then
+            upgrade_nodejs
+            return
+        fi
 
-    if [ ! -f /usr/bin/nodejs ]; then
-        echo $'nodejs was not installed'
-        exit 63962
-    fi
+        apt-get -yq install nodejs
+        apt-get -yq install npm curl
 
-    cat <<EOF > /root/install-nodejs.sh
+        if [ ! -f /usr/bin/nodejs ]; then
+            echo $'nodejs was not installed'
+            exit 63962
+        fi
+
+        cat <<EOF > /root/install-nodejs.sh
 #!/bin/bash
 PATH="/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/bin"
 NODE_PATH="/usr/lib/node_modules"
@@ -173,34 +175,35 @@ npm install -g graceful-fs@4.1.10 --save
 npm install -g minimatch@3.0.3 --save
 exit 0
 EOF
-    chmod +x /root/install-nodejs.sh
-    /root/install-nodejs.sh
-    if [ ! "$?" = "0" ]; then
+        chmod +x /root/install-nodejs.sh
+        /root/install-nodejs.sh
+        if [ ! "$?" = "0" ]; then
+            rm -f /root/install-nodejs.sh
+            exit 7632572
+        fi
         rm -f /root/install-nodejs.sh
-        exit 7632572
-    fi
-    rm -f /root/install-nodejs.sh
 
-    # second npm install attempt seems necessary
-    npm install -g npm@${NPM_VERSION} --save
-    cp /usr/local/bin/npm /usr/bin/npm
+        # second npm install attempt seems necessary
+        npm install -g npm@${NPM_VERSION} --save
+        cp /usr/local/bin/npm /usr/bin/npm
 
-    # node seems tricky so here we're going to double check
-    # that the versions we expect did get installed
-    CURR_NODE_VERSION=$(node --version)
-    CURR_NPM_VERSION=$(npm --version)
-    CURR_N_VERSION=$(n --version)
-    if [[ "$CURR_NPM_VERSION" != "$NPM_VERSION" ]]; then
-        echo $"Expected npm version $NPM_VERSION but actually have $CURR_NPM_VERSION"
-        exit 6728252
-    fi
-    if [[ "$CURR_N_VERSION" != "$NODEJS_N_VERSION" ]]; then
-        echo $"Expected n version $NODEJS_N_VERSION but actually have $CURR_N_VERSION"
-        exit 5267452
-    fi
-    if [[ "$CURR_NODE_VERSION" != "v${NODEJS_VERSION}" ]]; then
-        echo $"Expected node version $NODEJS_VERSION but actually have $CURR_NODE_VERSION"
-        exit 5274527
+        # node seems tricky so here we're going to double check
+        # that the versions we expect did get installed
+        CURR_NODE_VERSION=$(node --version)
+        CURR_NPM_VERSION=$(npm --version)
+        CURR_N_VERSION=$(n --version)
+        if [[ "$CURR_NPM_VERSION" != "$NPM_VERSION" ]]; then
+            echo $"Expected npm version $NPM_VERSION but actually have $CURR_NPM_VERSION"
+            exit 6728252
+        fi
+        if [[ "$CURR_N_VERSION" != "$NODEJS_N_VERSION" ]]; then
+            echo $"Expected n version $NODEJS_N_VERSION but actually have $CURR_N_VERSION"
+            exit 5267452
+        fi
+        if [[ "$CURR_NODE_VERSION" != "v${NODEJS_VERSION}" ]]; then
+            echo $"Expected node version $NODEJS_VERSION but actually have $CURR_NODE_VERSION"
+            exit 5274527
+        fi
     fi
 
     if [ $1 ]; then