Initial Setup Walkthrough

Prerequisites

• A Meshtastic-compatible device (T-Beam, Heltec, RAK WisBlock, etc.) flashed with current firmware - use the official flasher at flasher.meshtastic.org.
• A phone with the Meshtastic app (iOS or Android) or a Chrome-based browser for the web client.
• An antenna connected before powering the device.

Step 0 - Set the Region (do this first)

Config → LoRa → Region - set this to your country (e.g. US) before transmitting. The region is the master legal control: it determines both your authorized frequency band and the maximum power the firmware will permit. The device should not be used to transmit until the region is set correctly - in the US, only 902-928 MHz is available for these unlicensed Part 15 devices, and an incorrect region will transmit out-of-band on frequencies you are not authorized to use. Leave lora.tx_power at its default of 0 so the firmware applies the region-legal maximum.

Step 1 - Connect to the Device

Via Bluetooth: Open the Meshtastic app, tap the + button, and scan for your device. Pair when prompted.

Via USB: Navigate to client.meshtastic.org in Chrome, click New connection → Serial, and select the device's COM/serial port.

Step 2 - Set the Device Name

Navigate to Config → Device:

• Long Name: Your full identifier for this node, e.g. KD9XYZ-Hilltop-1. This appears in message headers and node lists.
• Short Name: Up to 4 bytes (typically 4 ASCII characters), shown on the map, e.g. H1. Note that multi-byte UTF-8 characters such as emoji or non-ASCII text consume more than one byte each, so fewer than 4 will fit.

Step 3 - Set the Device Role

Config → Device → Role. Use ROUTER when you want the infrastructure node to stay visible in the Nodes list and topology (the recommended choice for most infrastructure); use REPEATER for a pure relay that is invisible in the Nodes list and originates no NodeInfo, Position, or Telemetry. Note that REPEATER is deprecated as of firmware ~2.7.x, so ROUTER is preferred for new deployments; for ordinary non-infrastructure nodes the official guidance is CLIENT. Both ROUTER and REPEATER are infrastructure relay roles - neither is specifically a "monitoring point." See the Router vs. Repeater Role page for guidance.

Step 4 - Configure the Channel

The default channel (LongFast or Default) works for joining the public mesh. To match a local community's private channel:

1. Navigate to Channels → Channel 0.
2. Set the Name and PSK to match the local standard. The PSK (pre-shared key) is the channel's encryption key - all nodes that share a channel must use the same key to read each other's messages. Your local community provides this key, usually as a shared QR code or channel URL that imports the name and key together; you rarely need to type a raw key by hand. A PSK can be 0 bytes (no encryption), 16 bytes (AES-128), or 32 bytes (AES-256). See the channel-configuration page for details.
3. Contact your local Meshtastic community (Discord, or a local club) for the channel name and key.

Step 5 - Set the Modem Preset

Radio Config → LoRa → Modem Preset - select the preset your local network uses (typically Long Fast or Medium Slow). Critical: all nodes on the same network must use the same modem preset or they cannot hear each other.

Step 6 - Configure a Fixed Position

For an unattended repeater without GPS, set a fixed position so the node can report its location:

1. Config → Position → Fixed Position → Enable.
2. Enter the latitude, longitude, and altitude of the deployment site (look up coordinates with any map app).
3. Set Position Broadcast Interval to a long value for a static node - 43200 seconds (12 hours) or 86400 seconds (24 hours) is appropriate, since a fixed node's position never changes and frequent rebroadcasts waste airtime.

Step 7 - Power Optimisations (Battery / Solar)

• Config → Power - set sleep and minimum wake intervals to the lowest practical values.
• Automatic forced power-saving is tied to the ROUTER role (ESP32 only), not REPEATER - the firmware enables it for ROUTER and it cannot be turned off. The REPEATER role does not force power-saving sleep; tune power settings manually where the platform supports it.
• Screen Timeout (display.screen_on_secs) controls how long the display stays on after activity. Lowering it reduces draw, but note that a value of 0 selects the firmware default (about 10 minutes), not "always off" - set a small non-zero value if you want the screen to turn off quickly.

Step 8 - Disable Bluetooth (Optional)

Config → Bluetooth → Enabled → false. This saves power and removes an attack surface on unattended nodes. Note: once Bluetooth is disabled, you will need a USB/serial connection or remote admin (PKC admin keys, firmware ≥2.5) to re-enable it.

Step 9 - Verify Operation

• Watch the node list for other nearby nodes appearing - this confirms receive is working.
• Send a test message and verify it is received on another device.
• If the node is uplinked to MQTT through an internet gateway, it may also appear on the third-party community map meshmap.net. Note that meshmap.net is not an official Meshtastic property and only shows nodes whose data reaches it via an MQTT gateway - a node with no internet gateway may never appear there, and appearance timing is not guaranteed.