MeshCore Room Servers

What is a Room Server?

What is a MeshCore Room Server?

A Room Server is a store-and-forward bulletin board that runs directly on a LoRa node running MeshCore firmware. It acts as a shared message board for the mesh community - any node that can reach the room server can post and read messages without needing internet access or a central server. The whole point of a room server (versus an ordinary channel) is that it retains message history: roaming users who were out of range can come back later and pull the messages they missed, much like an email server.

Key Characteristics

Access Control

MeshCore room servers use two passwords plus a per-companion ACL - not a single "three-tier" password ladder:

MechanismDefaultPermissions
Admin passwordpasswordFull control: manage permissions, delete messages, change all settings
Guest passwordhelloRead and write messages once authenticated as a guest
Per-companion ACL (setperm)per nodeLevels: Guest / Read-only / Read-write / Admin
set allow.read.only flagoffWhen enabled, allows unauthenticated read-only access; off by default (no automatic no-password read)

Warning: Both default passwords must be changed immediately after first login. The default admin password password and guest password hello are publicly known.

Why Room Servers Matter

Room servers enable asynchronous community communication entirely over the mesh. A traveler passing through can read recent area messages, a neighborhood can coordinate during a power outage, or volunteers can leave notes for the next person who checks in - all without any internet connection or cellular infrastructure. Because the server stores and re-pushes missed messages, participants do not all need to be in range at the same time.

Room Server Setup & Configuration

Step 1 - Flash Room Server Firmware

Use the MeshCore web flasher at flasher.meshcore.io. Select your hardware (e.g., Heltec V3) and choose the Room Server firmware variant.

Step 2 - Connect via Serial or Bluetooth

Connect via USB serial at 115200 baud using a terminal emulator (PuTTY, screen, minicom) or via Bluetooth using the MeshCore companion app.

Step 3 - Immediate Security: Change Default Passwords

Before anything else, change both default passwords. The defaults are publicly documented and must not remain in production:

password yourSecureAdminPassword
set guest.password yourSecureGuestPassword

These are the two passwords a room server uses (admin and guest). For finer control you can also assign per-companion permissions with setperm <pubkey> <level> (Guest / Read-only / Read-write / Admin), and enable unauthenticated read-only access with set allow.read.only on (default off). This is a two-password-plus-ACL model, not a single three-tier password ladder.

Step 4 - Set Node Identity and Location

set name MyRoomServer
set lat 46.879682
set lon -96.789803

Accurate coordinates allow the room server to appear correctly on network maps and help users gauge how far they are from it.

Step 5 - Verify Radio Preset

The room server's radio settings must match the network. The MeshCore USA/Canada preset (as of 2026-06-08) for most North American MeshCore networks (NoDakMesh, RegionMesh, etc.) is:

Prefer applying the named USA/Canada preset from the firmware menu or companion app rather than hand-entering these values - that sets them automatically and avoids landing off the network if the preset has changed. Verify against the current MeshCore preset for your region before relying on the numbers above.

Step 6 - Optional: Enable Repeat Mode

If there is no separate repeater at this location, you can enable packet relay on the room server:

set repeat on

See Dual Deployment: Repeater + Room Server for why a dedicated repeater device is preferred over this option.

Step 7 - Broadcast Presence

Trigger an immediate advertisement so other nodes discover the room server without waiting for the next scheduled broadcast:

advert

Complete Configuration Reference

set guest.password yourGuestPassword
password yourAdminPassword
set name MyRoomServer
set lat 46.879682
set lon -96.789803
set repeat on # optional: also relay packets
advert # broadcast presence immediately

Dual Deployment: Repeater + Room Server

Dual Deployment: Separate Repeater and Room Server

Why Two Devices?

A repeater and a room server have conflicting placement requirements:

DeviceIdeal PlacementWhy
RepeaterOutdoors, elevated, high external antennaMaximum RF range in all directions
Room ServerIndoors, near power and USB/BT accessEasy administration, configuration, and monitoring

Forcing one device to do both jobs means compromising on placement - either the repeater antenna is too low, or the room server is too hard to access for administration.

Cost

Two Heltec V3 units cost approximately $54 total (roughly $27 each, as of 2026-06-08; pricing is volatile - verify current street price). This is a minimal investment for a significant capability improvement at a fixed site.

When Single-Device is Acceptable

If budget or space constraints make dual deployment impossible, enabling set repeat on on the room server is workable - it simply won't perform as well as a dedicated repeater at height. (set repeat on is the documented MeshCore CLI command for the repeater-hybrid mode; confirm against your firmware's CLI help output.) In that case, do your best to place the device near a window or in an elevated location to improve the antenna's line of sight.