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Using meshtasticd for Virtual Nodes ​

meshtasticd is a virtual Meshtastic node daemon that simulates a Meshtastic device in software. It's perfect for development, testing, and running virtual mesh networks without physical hardware.

What is meshtasticd? ​

meshtasticd provides virtual node simulation - running a software Meshtastic node without physical hardware.

Use cases include:

  • Testing MeshMonitor without physical hardware
  • Running a virtual Meshtastic node on a server or Raspberry Pi
  • Developing and testing mesh applications
  • Creating virtual mesh networks for simulation and testing

Physical Device Connections ​

For physical Meshtastic devices, use the appropriate bridge:

meshtasticd is designed for virtual node simulation, not for connecting physical hardware.

Installing meshtasticd ​

From Python Package ​

The easiest way to install meshtasticd is via pip:

bash
pip install meshtastic

This installs both the Meshtastic Python library and the meshtasticd daemon.

From Source ​

To install from source:

bash
git clone https://github.com/meshtastic/python.git
cd python
pip install -e .

Running meshtasticd ​

Basic Usage ​

Start meshtasticd with a hardware model:

bash
meshtasticd --hwmodel RAK4631

Available hardware models include:

  • RAK4631 - RAK WisBlock Core
  • TBEAM - TTGO T-Beam
  • TLORA_V2 - TTGO LoRa32 V2
  • HELTEC_V3 - Heltec V3
  • BETAFPV_2400_TX - BetaFPV 2.4GHz TX

With Custom Port ​

By default, meshtasticd listens on localhost:4403. To specify a different port:

bash
meshtasticd --hwmodel RAK4631 --port 4404

With Configuration File ​

You can specify a custom configuration file:

bash
meshtasticd --hwmodel RAK4631 --config ./meshtastic-config.yaml

Configuring MeshMonitor ​

Point to localhost ​

When using meshtasticd, set the node IP to localhost:

bash
export MESHTASTIC_NODE_IP=localhost

Or in your .env file:

env
MESHTASTIC_NODE_IP=localhost

Docker Compose Setup ​

When running both meshtasticd and MeshMonitor in Docker, you need to ensure they can communicate:

yaml
version: '3.8'

services:
  meshtasticd:
    image: meshtastic/meshtasticd:latest
    command: meshtasticd --hwmodel RAK4631
    ports:
      - "4403:4403"
    networks:
      - mesh-network

  meshmonitor:
    image: meshmonitor:latest
    environment:
      - MESHTASTIC_NODE_IP=meshtasticd
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    networks:
      - mesh-network
    depends_on:
      - meshtasticd

networks:
  mesh-network:
    driver: bridge

Using Docker Host Network ​

Alternatively, use host networking to simplify connectivity:

yaml
services:
  meshmonitor:
    image: meshmonitor:latest
    network_mode: "host"
    environment:
      - MESHTASTIC_NODE_IP=localhost

Initial Configuration ​

After starting meshtasticd, you may want to configure it using the Meshtastic CLI:

bash
# Connect to the virtual node
meshtastic --host localhost

# Set your node name
meshtastic --set node.name "My Virtual Node"

# Configure LoRa region
meshtastic --set lora.region US

# Enable WiFi (if desired)
meshtastic --set network.wifi_enabled true

Testing the Connection ​

Verify MeshMonitor can connect to your meshtasticd instance:

  1. Start meshtasticd:

    bash
    meshtasticd --hwmodel RAK4631

  2. In another terminal, test connectivity:

    bash
    meshtastic --host localhost --info

  3. Start MeshMonitor and check the logs for successful connection

Virtual Mesh Network ​

You can create a virtual mesh network by running multiple meshtasticd instances:

bash
# Terminal 1: First node
meshtasticd --hwmodel RAK4631 --port 4403

# Terminal 2: Second node
meshtasticd --hwmodel TBEAM --port 4404

# Terminal 3: Third node
meshtasticd --hwmodel HELTEC_V3 --port 4405

Connect MeshMonitor to any of these nodes, and configure them to communicate with each other using MQTT or other Meshtastic networking features.

Troubleshooting ​

Port Already in Use ​

If you see "Address already in use" errors:

bash
# Find what's using port 4403
lsof -i :4403

# Kill the process or use a different port
meshtasticd --hwmodel RAK4631 --port 4404

Connection Refused ​

If MeshMonitor cannot connect:

  1. Verify meshtasticd is running:

    bash
    ps aux | grep meshtasticd

  2. Check if the port is open:

    bash
    netstat -an | grep 4403

  3. Test with the Meshtastic CLI:

    bash
    meshtastic --host localhost --info

Permission Denied ​

On Linux, you may need permissions for virtual serial ports:

bash
sudo usermod -aG dialout $USER
# Log out and back in

Production Use ​

For production deployments of meshtasticd:

Using systemd ​

Create a systemd service file /etc/systemd/system/meshtasticd.service:

ini
[Unit]
Description=Meshtastic Daemon
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=meshtastic
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/meshtasticd --hwmodel RAK4631
Restart=always
RestartSec=10

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and start the service:

bash
sudo systemctl enable meshtasticd
sudo systemctl start meshtasticd

Using Docker ​

Run meshtasticd as a Docker container:

bash
docker run -d \
  --name meshtasticd \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  -p 4403:4403 \
  meshtastic/meshtasticd:latest \
  meshtasticd --hwmodel RAK4631

Next Steps ​