diff --git a/src/packages/fff/fff-nodewatcher/Makefile b/src/packages/fff/fff-nodewatcher/Makefile
index 47054fa6..a897fbca 100644
--- a/src/packages/fff/fff-nodewatcher/Makefile
+++ b/src/packages/fff/fff-nodewatcher/Makefile
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 include $(TOPDIR)/rules.mk
 
 PKG_NAME:=fff-nodewatcher
-PKG_RELEASE:=61
+PKG_RELEASE:=62
 
 include $(INCLUDE_DIR)/package.mk
 
diff --git a/src/packages/fff/fff-nodewatcher/files/etc/uci-defaults/93-fff-nodewatcher b/src/packages/fff/fff-nodewatcher/files/etc/uci-defaults/93-fff-nodewatcher
index e8b0251a..7b06790a 100644
--- a/src/packages/fff/fff-nodewatcher/files/etc/uci-defaults/93-fff-nodewatcher
+++ b/src/packages/fff/fff-nodewatcher/files/etc/uci-defaults/93-fff-nodewatcher
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ uci batch >/dev/null <<EOF
   add nodewatcher script
   set nodewatcher.@script[-1].data_file='/tmp/crawldata/node.data'
   set nodewatcher.@script[-1].status_text_file='/tmp/status.txt'
+  set nodewatcher.@script[-1].disabled='0'
   add nodewatcher network
   set nodewatcher.@network[-1].mesh_interface='br-client'
   set nodewatcher.@network[-1].iface_blacklist='lo ifb0'
diff --git a/src/packages/fff/fff-nodewatcher/files/usr/sbin/nodewatcher b/src/packages/fff/fff-nodewatcher/files/usr/sbin/nodewatcher
index f113abd4..1c73ef3a 100755
--- a/src/packages/fff/fff-nodewatcher/files/usr/sbin/nodewatcher
+++ b/src/packages/fff/fff-nodewatcher/files/usr/sbin/nodewatcher
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ fi
 trap "lock -u \"$lockfile\"" INT TERM EXIT
 
 [ -s /etc/config/nodewatcher ] || exit 1
+[ "$(uci get nodewatcher.@script[0].disabled)" = "1" ] && exit 0
 
 SCRIPT_DATA_FILE=$(uci get nodewatcher.@script[0].data_file)