MeshCore KISS Modem Protocol
MeshCore KISS Modem Protocol
Standard KISS TNC firmware for MeshCore LoRa radios. Compatible with any KISS client (Direwolf, APRSdroid, YAAC, etc.) for sending and receiving raw packets. MeshCore-specific extensions (cryptography, radio configuration, telemetry) are available through the standard SetHardware (0x06) command.
Serial Configuration
115200 baud, 8N1, no flow control.
Frame Format
Standard KISS framing per the KA9Q/K3MC specification.
| Byte | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
0xC0 | FEND | Frame delimiter |
0xDB | FESC | Escape character |
0xDC | TFEND | Escaped FEND (FESC + TFEND = 0xC0) |
0xDD | TFESC | Escaped FESC (FESC + TFESC = 0xDB) |
┌──────┬───────────┬──────────────┬──────┐
│ FEND │ Type Byte │ Data (escaped)│ FEND │
│ 0xC0 │ 1 byte │ 0-510 bytes │ 0xC0 │
└──────┴───────────┴──────────────┴──────┘Type Byte
The type byte is split into two nibbles:
| Bits | Field | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 7-4 | Port | Port number (0 for single-port TNC) |
| 3-0 | Command | Command number |
Maximum unescaped frame size: 512 bytes.
Standard KISS Commands
Host to TNC
| Command | Value | Data | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data | 0x00 | Raw packet | Queue packet for transmission |
| TXDELAY | 0x01 | Delay (1 byte) | Transmitter keyup delay in 10ms units (default: 50 = 500ms) |
| Persistence | 0x02 | P (1 byte) | CSMA persistence parameter 0-255 (default: 63) |
| SlotTime | 0x03 | Interval (1 byte) | CSMA slot interval in 10ms units (default: 10 = 100ms) |
| TXtail | 0x04 | Delay (1 byte) | Post-TX hold time in 10ms units (default: 0) |
| FullDuplex | 0x05 | Mode (1 byte) | 0 = half duplex, nonzero = full duplex (default: 0) |
| SetHardware | 0x06 | Sub-command + data | MeshCore extensions (see below) |
| Return | 0xFF | - | Exit KISS mode (no-op) |
TNC to Host
| Type | Value | Data | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data | 0x00 | Raw packet | Received packet from radio |
Data frames carry raw packet data only, with no metadata prepended. The Data command payload is limited to 255 bytes to match the MeshCore maximum transmission unit (MAX_TRANS_UNIT); frames larger than 255 bytes are silently dropped. The KISS specification recommends at least 1024 bytes for general-purpose TNCs; this modem is intended for MeshCore packets only, whose protocol MTU is 255 bytes.
CSMA Behavior
The TNC implements p-persistent CSMA for half-duplex operation:
- When a packet is queued, monitor carrier detect
- When the channel clears, generate a random value 0-255
- If the value is less than or equal to P (Persistence), wait TXDELAY then transmit
- Otherwise, wait SlotTime and repeat from step 1
In full-duplex mode, CSMA is bypassed and packets transmit after TXDELAY.
SetHardware Extensions (0x06)
MeshCore-specific functionality uses the standard KISS SetHardware command. The first byte of SetHardware data is a sub-command. Standard KISS clients ignore these frames.
Frame Format
┌──────┬──────┬─────────────┬──────────────┬──────┐
│ FEND │ 0x06 │ Sub-command │ Data (escaped)│ FEND │
│ 0xC0 │ │ 1 byte │ variable │ 0xC0 │
└──────┴──────┴─────────────┴──────────────┴──────┘Request Sub-commands (Host to TNC)
| Sub-command | Value | Data |
|---|---|---|
| GetIdentity | 0x01 | - |
| GetRandom | 0x02 | Length (1 byte, 1-64) |
| VerifySignature | 0x03 | PubKey (32) + Signature (64) + Data |
| SignData | 0x04 | Data to sign |
| EncryptData | 0x05 | Key (32) + Plaintext |
| DecryptData | 0x06 | Key (32) + MAC (2) + Ciphertext |
| KeyExchange | 0x07 | Remote PubKey (32) |
| Hash | 0x08 | Data to hash |
| SetRadio | 0x09 | Freq (4) + BW (4) + SF (1) + CR (1) |
| SetTxPower | 0x0A | Power dBm (1) |
| GetRadio | 0x0B | - |
| GetTxPower | 0x0C | - |
| GetCurrentRssi | 0x0D | - |
| IsChannelBusy | 0x0E | - |
| GetAirtime | 0x0F | Packet length (1) |
| GetNoiseFloor | 0x10 | - |
| GetVersion | 0x11 | - |
| GetStats | 0x12 | - |
| GetBattery | 0x13 | - |
| GetMCUTemp | 0x14 | - |
| GetSensors | 0x15 | Permissions (1) |
| GetDeviceName | 0x16 | - |
| Ping | 0x17 | - |
| Reboot | 0x18 | - |
| SetSignalReport | 0x19 | Enable (1): 0x00=disable, nonzero=enable |
| GetSignalReport | 0x1A | - |
Response Sub-commands (TNC to Host)
Response codes use the high-bit convention: response = command | 0x80. Generic and unsolicited responses use the 0xF0+ range.
| Sub-command | Value | Data |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | 0x81 | PubKey (32) |
| Random | 0x82 | Random bytes (1-64) |
| Verify | 0x83 | Result (1): 0x00=invalid, 0x01=valid |
| Signature | 0x84 | Signature (64) |
| Encrypted | 0x85 | MAC (2) + Ciphertext |
| Decrypted | 0x86 | Plaintext |
| SharedSecret | 0x87 | Shared secret (32) |
| Hash | 0x88 | SHA-256 hash (32) |
| Radio | 0x8B | Freq (4) + BW (4) + SF (1) + CR (1) |
| TxPower | 0x8C | Power dBm (1) |
| CurrentRssi | 0x8D | RSSI dBm (1, signed) |
| ChannelBusy | 0x8E | Result (1): 0x00=clear, 0x01=busy |
| Airtime | 0x8F | Milliseconds (4) |
| NoiseFloor | 0x90 | dBm (2, signed) |
| Version | 0x91 | Version (1) + Reserved (1) |
| Stats | 0x92 | RX (4) + TX (4) + Errors (4) |
| Battery | 0x93 | Millivolts (2) |
| MCUTemp | 0x94 | Temperature (2, signed) |
| Sensors | 0x95 | CayenneLPP payload |
| DeviceName | 0x96 | Name (variable, UTF-8) |
| Pong | 0x97 | - |
| SignalReport | 0x9A | Status (1): 0x00=disabled, 0x01=enabled |
| OK | 0xF0 | - |
| Error | 0xF1 | Error code (1) |
| TxDone | 0xF8 | Result (1): 0x00=failed, 0x01=success |
| RxMeta | 0xF9 | SNR (1) + RSSI (1) |
Error Codes
| Code | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| InvalidLength | 0x01 | Request data too short |
| InvalidParam | 0x02 | Invalid parameter value |
| NoCallback | 0x03 | Feature not available |
| MacFailed | 0x04 | MAC verification failed |
| UnknownCmd | 0x05 | Unknown sub-command |
| EncryptFailed | 0x06 | Encryption failed |
Unsolicited Events
The TNC sends these SetHardware frames without a preceding request:
TxDone (0xF8): Sent after a packet has been transmitted. Contains a single byte: 0x01 for success, 0x00 for failure.
RxMeta (0xF9): Sent immediately after each standard data frame (type 0x00) with metadata for the received packet. Contains SNR (1 byte, signed, value x4 for 0.25 dB precision) followed by RSSI (1 byte, signed, dBm). Enabled by default; can be toggled with SetSignalReport. Standard KISS clients ignore this frame.
Data Formats
Radio Parameters (SetRadio / Radio response)
All values little-endian.
| Field | Size | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Frequency | 4 bytes | Hz (e.g., 869618000) |
| Bandwidth | 4 bytes | Hz (e.g., 62500) |
| SF | 1 byte | Spreading factor (5-12) |
| CR | 1 byte | Coding rate (5-8) |
Version (Version response)
| Field | Size | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Version | 1 byte | Firmware version |
| Reserved | 1 byte | Always 0 |
Encrypted (Encrypted response)
| Field | Size | Description |
|---|---|---|
| MAC | 2 bytes | HMAC-SHA256 truncated to 2 bytes |
| Ciphertext | variable | AES-128 block-encrypted data with zero padding |
Airtime (Airtime response)
All values little-endian.
| Field | Size | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Airtime | 4 bytes | uint32_t, estimated air time in milliseconds |
Noise Floor (NoiseFloor response)
All values little-endian.
| Field | Size | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Noise floor | 2 bytes | int16_t, dBm (signed) |
The modem recalibrates the noise floor every 2 seconds with an AGC reset every 30 seconds.
Stats (Stats response)
All values little-endian.
| Field | Size | Description |
|---|---|---|
| RX | 4 bytes | Packets received |
| TX | 4 bytes | Packets transmitted |
| Errors | 4 bytes | Receive errors |
Battery (Battery response)
All values little-endian.
| Field | Size | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Millivolts | 2 bytes | uint16_t, battery voltage in mV |
MCU Temperature (MCUTemp response)
All values little-endian.
| Field | Size | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 2 bytes | int16_t, tenths of °C (e.g., 253 = 25.3°C) |
Returns NoCallback error if the board does not support temperature readings.
Device Name (DeviceName response)
| Field | Size | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Name | variable | UTF-8 string, no null terminator |
Reboot
Sends an OK response, flushes serial, then reboots the device. The host should expect the connection to drop.
Sensor Permissions (GetSensors)
| Bit | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0x01 | Base (battery) |
| 1 | 0x02 | Location (GPS) |
| 2 | 0x04 | Environment (temp, humidity, pressure) |
Use 0x07 for all permissions.
Sensor Data (Sensors response)
Data returned in CayenneLPP format. See CayenneLPP documentation for parsing.
Cryptographic Algorithms
| Operation | Algorithm |
|---|---|
| Identity / Signing / Verification | Ed25519 |
| Key Exchange | X25519 (ECDH) |
| Encryption | AES-128 block encryption with zero padding + HMAC-SHA256 (MAC truncated to 2 bytes) |
| Hashing | SHA-256 |
Notes
- Data payload limit (255 bytes) matches MeshCore MAX_TRANS_UNIT; no change needed for KISS “1024+ recommended” (that applies to general TNCs, not MeshCore)
- Modem generates identity on first boot (stored in flash)
- All multi-byte values are little-endian unless stated otherwise
- SNR values in RxMeta are multiplied by 4 for 0.25 dB precision
- TxDone is sent as a SetHardware event after each transmission
- Standard KISS clients receive only type 0x00 data frames and can safely ignore all SetHardware (0x06) frames
- See packet_format.md for packet format