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

• Storage: The room server retains message history and pushes it to clients when they connect - a client receives the previous 32 unseen messages on login. (Persistence across a reboot/power cycle depends on your firmware and hardware; do not assume messages survive a power loss without verifying on your firmware version.)
• Access control: Two passwords - an admin password and a guest password - plus a per-companion ACL (setperm <pubkey> <level>, with levels Guest / Read-only / Read-write / Admin) and a separate set allow.read.only flag for unauthenticated read access.
• Repeater hybrid: A room server can also be configured as a repeater with set repeat on, but this is a trade-off - room servers benefit from an indoor location for USB/Bluetooth administration, whereas repeaters perform best with a high external antenna.
• Radio requirements: The room server's radio preset (frequency/bandwidth/spreading factor/coding rate) must match the rest of the network; otherwise its packets and adverts cannot be received by other nodes.

Access Control

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

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.