Guides
Getting started with Meshtastic
Warning
Meshtastic exposes your location by default! At least reduce the
Position precision or set the GPS Mode to DISABLED.
Hardware
Those all require a phone with the Meshtastic app to operate:
- Cheapest: Heltec v3, make sure to get a case and the 902-928MHz, you need to provide power over USB, any USB-C charger will do (v4 untested and out of stock as of 2026-02-26, v3 common), 20$USD
- Next best: WisBlock RAK4631, doesn't ship with a case, 25$USD, 90$ with a case and battery
- Standalone: T-Deck plus, looks like a blackberry, 80$
- Solar relay: SenseCAP Solar Node P1: 90$USD, untested
Those are not formally recommended, but should give you a good start. Let us know if you want to buy a lot so we can organize.
See also the official hardware list and anarcat's review.
Tip
If the device you picked comes with a removable antenna, make sure you connect the antenna before powering up the device. A radio that transmits without an antenna can damage itself!
Software
Once you have some hardware, you need to operate it. Typically, you download an app on your phone (Android, iOS) and control the device over Bluetooth. There is also a command line client, a web client, and lots more.
You might need to flash firmware on the device, which requires connecting the device to your computer (or phone?) and running a Chrome-derived web browser.
Anarcat wrote an advanced batch-flashing tool if you need to flash multiple devices, use at your own risk.
Settings
This section describes various settings we advise in the Meshtastic app.
Info
The two settings below are crucial to connect to the mesh. If those are not configured properly, you will not be able to see anything.
| Setting | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Modem preset | LONG_FAST |
default, don't change it (for now) |
| Region | US |
even though we're in Canada, pick the US preset because those are the frequencies (902.0 - 928.0 MHz) that apply here as well |
Note
Those settings are optional, but recommended.
| Setting | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth: PIN | (random) | change the default PIN to some random value and keep it in your password manager |
| Device: Role | CLIENT |
consider CLIENT_BASE if you run a relay, don't change the role without reading the Choosing The Right Device Role guide |
| LoRa: Ignore MQTT | true |
this keeps traffic from the wider mesh from entering the network and reduces overall noise. |
| Position: GPS Mode | DISABLE |
or reduce the Position precision in the Channel configuration, otherwise you leak your position to the network by default |
| User: "Short Name" | (arbitrary) | only 4 characters, set to something easy to remember, this is what's visible on the map and chats |
| User: "Long Name" | (arbitrary) | set to something useful, but not offensive, ham operators can set their call sign here |
Other guides
The above is only a primer. Anarcat wrote a lot more that should probably be progressively migrated here.