Getting started with Meshcore¶

There are two ways of configuring a Meshcore device:

a companion: this a "client" to the mesh, that needs a repeater to relay messages, but that is the primary interface to send and receive messages
a repeater: this is the "relay" in the mesh, which transmits messages between clients and repeaters and other clients and repeaters

If you're just getting started, try a Companion, and we'll assume you're configuring a Companion for the rest of this guide, unless otherwise noted.

Warning

Some Meshcore configurations exposes your location by default on devices which have a GPS device! To work around this problem, you can disable the GPS or reduce the coordinates precision, we recommend two digits (~1km) for clients and 3 digits (~100m) for repeaters.

Hardware¶

Pick a device in our hardware review notes or the official hardware list.

It's cheap! Expect to pay 50$CAD for a starter kit, 150$CAD for a decent solar relay.

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¶

Now you own a LoRa transceiver, congratulations! The next step is to make sure it runs Meshcore by installing firmware on it, and that you can talk to the device, typically by installing an app on your phone.

Flash the firmware on the device¶

First you need to flash your device, which essentially means connecting to the following website from a Chrome (or derivative) web browser:

https://meshcore.co.uk/flasher.html

If you have picked a standalone device, you may skip this step if it comes flashed with Meshcore already.

Important

This is the moment when you pick between Companion and Repeater, and you can't go back without reflashing! This is also when you configure a repeater, although some settings can be performed over Bluetooth later.

Install an app¶

Unless you picked a standalone device, now you'll need something to talk with people on the mesh. Unless you use a standalone device, this means installing software on your phone.

You can try that from your computer with a web browser by using one of the web-based apps: Liam Cottle's and MeshOS. There are also iOS and Android versions.

A warning about proprietary software

Both official Meshcore apps are proprietary software that do not publish their source code and require a subscription or a 10 second wait time for certain features.

You can work around some of those problems by installin the open app which requires going through Obtainium on Android or test flight. It's a little complicated, so don't venture there unless you get frustrated with the official apps (and, honestly, you might!).

Backing up Meshtastic before flashing

If you're replacing a Meshtastic device, you can backup your Meshtastic configuration and keys to restore those if you change your mind or want to use that configuration on another device. This can be done by exporting the configuration in the Meshtastic app settings, or with the Meshtastic command line tool:

meshtastic --export-config > devicename.yaml

Configuration¶

The main configuration you need to do on the device is set the "region".

The Montreal mesh uses the "recommended USA / Canada" preset:

Frequency: 910.525 MHz
Bandwidth: 62.5 kHz
Spreading Factor (SF): 7 or SF7
Coding Rate (CR): 5 or CR5

You shouldn't need to write those down by hands, generally. Just pick the recommended preset.

You made it! Say hi!

At this point, your radio should be properly configured and should be able to say "hi!" on the "Public" channel. Introduce yourself! What device did you setup, where's your general area, what's the weather like, etc. Be kind, reply to people, participate!

Channels¶

If you want to go a little further, you should know that Meshcore supports the concept of "channels" which are essentially different communities separated by their own private keys.

Many of those are "public", in the sense that the encryption key is derived from an easy to guess name, like #testing, so those are not "really" encrypted.

But you can use channels to really create your own secret communication channels. Contents will be encrypted as long as the channel name remains secret, but who is talking to who, the number of messages sent will be visible to an attacker.

Public channels¶

We know about the follow channels currently in use:

Name	Hex Key	Base64	Purpose
Public	`8b3387e9c5cdea6ac9e5edbaa115cd72`	`izOH6cXN6mrJ5e26oRXNcg==`	General conversations
`#testing`	`cde5e82cf515647dcb547a79a4f065d1`	`zeXoLPUVZH3LVHp5pPBl0Q==`	Should be used for test
`#wardriving`	`e3c26491e9cd321e3a6be50d57d54acf`	`48JkkenNMh46a+UNV9VKzw==`	Used by Meshmapper pings

You should generally not need the hex and Base64 keys. They are only provided here as a reference for some rate situations where you need to enter the secret key directly. (For example, some standalone firmware like the T-Deck require this.)

See also the channels used in other communities: