FAQ: 6. Troubleshooting

6.1. Q: My client says another client or a repeater or a room server was last seen many, many days ago.

A: This is almost always a clock/time-sync problem - see the shared answer under 6.2 below, which covers both this "last seen many days ago" symptom and the "not showing up at all" symptom.

6.2. Q: A repeater or a client or a room server I expect to see on my discover list (on T-Deck) or contact list (on a smart device client) are not listed.

A:

• If your client is a T-Deck, it may not have its time set (no GPS installed, no GPS lock, or wrong GPS baud rate).
• If you are using the Android or iOS client, the other client, repeater, or room server may have the wrong time.

You can get the epoch time on and use it to set your T-Deck clock. For a repeater and room server, the admin can use a T-Deck to remotely set their clock (clock sync), or use the time command in the USB serial console with the server device connected.

6.3. Q: How to connect to a repeater via BLE (Bluetooth)?

A: You can't connect to a device running repeater firmware via Bluetooth. Devices running the BLE companion firmware you can connect to it via Bluetooth using the android app

6.4. Q: My companion isn't showing up over Bluetooth?

A: make sure that you flashed the Bluetooth companion firmware and not the USB-only companion firmware.

6.5. Q: I can't connect via Bluetooth, what is the Bluetooth pairing code?

A: the default Bluetooth pairing code is 123456. Note that this is a well-known, fixed default - it is not a secret. For sensitive deployments, be aware that anyone within Bluetooth range (a short distance) could attempt to pair while the device is in pairing mode.

6.6. Q: My Heltec V3 keeps disconnecting from my smartphone. It can't hold a solid Bluetooth connection.

A: Heltec V3 has a very small coil antenna on its PCB for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. It has a very short range, only a few feet. Try repositioning the device closer to the phone first. It is possible to remove the coil antenna and replace it with a 31mm wire (roughly a quarter-wave at 2.4 GHz), and the BT range is much improved with the modification. However, this is an advanced, irreversible mod requiring fine soldering on a tiny PCB antenna feed - it can permanently damage the board and voids the warranty, and soldering an unmatched wire can worsen SWR. Only attempt it if you are experienced.

6.7. Q: My RAK/T1000-E/xiao_nRF52 device seems to be corrupted, how do I wipe it clean to start fresh?

A:

1. Connect USB-C cable to your device, per your device's instruction, get it to flash mode:

• For RAK, click the reset button TWICE
• For T1000-e, quickly disconnect and reconnect the magnetic side of the cable from the device TWICE
• For Heltec T114, click the reset button TWICE (the bottom button)
• For Xiao nRF52, click the reset button once; if that doesn't work, double-click the reset button (two quick presses); if that still fails, disconnect the board from your PC and reconnect again (seeed studio wiki)

1. A new folder will appear on your computer's desktop
2. Download the flash_erase*.uf2 file for your device on https://flasher.meshcore.io

• RAK WisBlock and Heltec T114: Flash_erase-nRF52_softdevice_v6.uf2
• Seeed Studio Xiao nRF52 WIO: Flash_erase-nRF52_softdevice_v7.uf2

1. drag and drop the uf2 file for your device to the root of the new folder
2. Wait for the copy to complete. You might get an error dialog, you can ignore it
3. Go to https://flasher.meshcore.io, click Console and select the serial port for your connected device
4. In the console, press enter. Your flash should now be erased
5. You may now flash the latest MeshCore firmware onto your device

Separately, starting in firmware version 1.7.0, there is a CLI Rescue mode. If your device has a user button (e.g. some RAK, T114), you can activate the rescue mode by hold down the user button of the device within 8 seconds of boot. Then you can use the 'Console' on https://flasher.meshcore.io

6.8. Q: WebFlasher fails on Linux with failed to open

A: If the usb port doesn't have the right ownership for this task, the process fails with the following error:

NetworkError: Failed to execute 'open' on 'SerialPort': Failed to open serial port.

Allow the browser user on it:

# setfacl -m u:YOUR_USER_HERE:rw /dev/ttyUSB0

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