What is the difference between a Repeater and Room Client in MeshCore?

What Is the Difference Between a Repeater and Room Client in MeshCore?

MeshCore ships two primaryseveral firmware variantsvariants. forThis end-userpage nodes,compares eachthe optimizedRepeater forfirmware with the Companion (room) client firmware - the variant a differentuser-carried rolenode inruns to connect to a room server. (Note: across the network.rest of this wiki this client is referred to as the Companion variant; "Room Client" here means the same Companion firmware used to interact with a room server.) Choosing the wrong one is a common source of confusion. This page explains both in detail.

REPEATER_FIRMWARE

A node flashed with REPEATER_FIRMWARE acts as pure RF infrastructure. Its sole job is to receiveforward LoRaMeshCore packets andtoward re-transmittheir themdestination to extend the reach of the mesh. Unlike flood-based mesh systems, a MeshCore repeater forwards selectively (route/path-based) - it does not rebroadcast every packet it receives. Key characteristics:

• No screen required: Repeater firmware is designed to run on minimal hardware - a bare ESP32 or nRF52 board with a LoRa module. It has no UI and does not need a display.
• Minimal power consumption: Because it does not maintain Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or app connections, a repeater node consumes significantly less power than a room client. This makes it ideal for solar-powered or battery-backed infrastructure deployments.
• NoOn-mesh identity: A repeater doeshas notits haveown on-mesh identity (a keypair and a user-facingname) identityso onit thecan mesh.be Itdiscovered and administered, but it does not sendoriginate or receive user messages; it only forwards packets at the radio layer.
• No room server interaction: Repeater firmware does not connect to a room server. It has no concept of message storage or retrieval.

Best for: Hilltop relays, tower-mounted infrastructure nodes, solar repeaters in remote locations - any deployment where the goal is coverage extension rather than message origination.

ROOM_CLIENT_FIRMWARE

A node flashed with ROOM_CLIENT_FIRMWARE has a full client identity and can connect to a MeshCore room server for message storage and retrieval. Key characteristics:

• Client identity: The node generates a public/private key pair on first boot. This keypair is its identity on the mesh and with room servers. Messages can be addressed to it specifically.
• Room server connectivity: A room client can connect to a room server (over RF through the mesh, or via Wi-Fi/TCP if configured) to upload outgoing messages and download stored messages it missed while offline.
• Higher power use: Maintaining a client identity, processing addressed messages, and optionally maintaining a TCP connection to a room server consumes more CPU cycles and radio time than a pure repeater.
• CanDoes alsonot relay: A Companion/room client nodedoes willnot re-broadcastrebroadcast packetsor itrelay receivesmesh justtraffic likethe way a repeater does,does. withinOnly itsRepeater configuredfirmware hopforwards limit.packets Itfor isother notnodes. onlyIf you need range extension, deploy a clientrepeater - it also participates in mesh routing.node.

Best for: User-carried nodes, base station nodes that interact with a room server, nodes that need to send and receive addressed messages.

Can a node be both?

No. You must choose one firmware at flash time. A single physical node cannot simultaneously run REPEATER_FIRMWARE and ROOM_CLIENT_FIRMWARE. If you need both roles at one location - for example, a hilltop site that also serves asneeds a roomroom-server-connected server gatewayclient - you need two separate physical nodes, ornodes: a singlerepeater nodefor runningrange ROOM_CLIENT_FIRMWAREextension (whichand alsoa relays,separate acceptingclient the higher power overhead).node.

Summary comparison

Feature	REPEATER_FIRMWARE	ROOM_CLIENT_FIRMWARE
Relays RFRelays/forwards packets for others	Yes (selectively, route-based)	YesNo
Has useron-mesh identity	NoYes (infrastructure)	Yes (user)
Connects to room server	No	Yes
Sends/receives user messages	No	Yes
Power use	Low	Higher
Screen needed	No	Optional