MeshCore Support

EXPERIMENTAL

MeshCore support is an experimental feature introduced in MeshMonitor v3.4.13. It is under active development and may have rough edges. If you encounter any issues, please submit a bug report on GitHub.

Overview

MeshCore is an alternative LoRa mesh networking protocol that runs on many of the same hardware devices as Meshtastic. MeshMonitor can now connect to and monitor MeshCore devices alongside your existing Meshtastic network.

When enabled, MeshCore adds a dedicated MeshCore tab to the MeshMonitor UI, providing:

• Connection management - Connect via serial port or TCP
• Node list - View all discovered MeshCore nodes with signal quality, battery, and radio info
• Contact management - Browse and refresh your contact list
• Messaging - Send and receive messages (broadcast or direct)
• Admin commands - Login to remote nodes, query status, configure settings
• Map integration - MeshCore nodes with GPS coordinates appear on the map

Requirements

MeshCore support requires:

1. A MeshCore device - A LoRa device flashed with MeshCore firmware (Companion, Repeater, or Room Server)
2. Python 3 - Must be available in the container/host as python3
3. meshcore Python library - Required for Companion device communication (pip install meshcore)
4. Serial port access - If connecting via USB serial, the device must be mapped into the container

Environment Variables

MeshCore is disabled by default. To enable it, set the following environment variables:

Variable	Required	Default	Description
MESHCORE_ENABLED	Yes	false	Set to true to enable MeshCore support
MESHCORE_SERIAL_PORT	Conditional	-	Serial port path (e.g., /dev/ttyACM0). Required for serial connections.
MESHCORE_BAUD_RATE	No	115200	Baud rate for serial connection
MESHCORE_TCP_HOST	Conditional	-	TCP host address. Required for TCP connections.
MESHCORE_TCP_PORT	No	4403	TCP port for network connection

You must provide either MESHCORE_SERIAL_PORT (for USB serial) or MESHCORE_TCP_HOST (for TCP network) when MeshCore is enabled.

Docker Compose Example

services:
  meshmonitor:
    image: yeraze/meshmonitor:latest
    environment:
      - MESHTASTIC_NODE_IP=192.168.1.100
      - MESHCORE_ENABLED=true
      - MESHCORE_SERIAL_PORT=/dev/ttyACM0
    devices:
      - /dev/ttyACM0:/dev/ttyACM0
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"

For TCP connections:

services:
  meshmonitor:
    environment:
      - MESHTASTIC_NODE_IP=192.168.1.100
      - MESHCORE_ENABLED=true
      - MESHCORE_TCP_HOST=192.168.1.200
      - MESHCORE_TCP_PORT=4403
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"

Device Types

MeshCore firmware comes in several variants. MeshMonitor automatically detects the device type on connection:

Device Type	Description	Connection Method
Companion	Full-featured device with binary protocol support	Python bridge (serial or TCP)
Repeater	Lightweight relay with text CLI interface	Direct serial
Room Server	Chat room server for group messaging	Python bridge

Using MeshCore

Connecting

1. Enable MeshCore via environment variables and restart MeshMonitor
2. Navigate to the MeshCore tab in the UI
3. If environment variables are configured, MeshMonitor will auto-connect on startup
4. You can also connect manually by entering connection details in the UI

Viewing Nodes and Contacts

Once connected, the MeshCore tab displays:

• Connection status - Shows the connected device name, type, and radio parameters
• Node list - All discovered nodes with their public key, signal quality (RSSI/SNR), battery voltage, and uptime
• Contacts - Your device's contact list with last-seen timestamps

Sending Messages

1. Select a contact from the dropdown (or leave empty for broadcast)
2. Type your message (maximum 228 characters for LoRa)
3. Click Send

Admin Commands

For nodes you have admin access to:

1. Enter the target node's public key (64-character hex string)
2. Enter the admin password
3. Click Login to authenticate
4. Once logged in, you can query node status (battery, uptime, radio settings)

Radio Configuration

With admin access to your local node, you can configure radio parameters:

• Frequency (100-1000 MHz)
• Bandwidth (125, 250, 500 kHz)
• Spreading Factor (5-12)
• Coding Rate (5-8)

DANGER

Changing radio parameters will disconnect you from nodes using different settings. Make sure all nodes in your mesh use the same radio configuration.

Permissions

MeshCore access is controlled through MeshMonitor's permission system:

Permission	Scope	Description
meshcore read	Unauthenticated	View connection status, nodes, contacts, and messages
meshcore write	Authenticated	Connect/disconnect, send messages, admin commands, configuration

Anonymous users can view MeshCore data if the meshcore read permission is granted to the anonymous user (this is the default). Modifying settings or sending messages requires authentication.

Troubleshooting

MeshCore tab not visible

• Ensure MESHCORE_ENABLED=true is set in your environment
• Restart the MeshMonitor container after changing environment variables

Connection fails

• Verify the serial port is accessible inside the container (check devices: mapping in docker-compose)
• Ensure python3 is available and the meshcore Python library is installed
• Check MeshMonitor logs for [MeshCore] entries for detailed error messages

Python bridge errors

• The MeshCore Python bridge (scripts/meshcore-bridge.py) requires the meshcore Python package
• Install it with: pip install meshcore
• For TCP connections, ensure your meshcore library version supports TCP (TCPConnection)

No nodes appearing

• Verify your MeshCore device is properly flashed and operating
• Check that the radio frequency and parameters match other nodes in your mesh
• Try sending an advert to announce your presence on the network

Reporting Issues

This is an experimental feature and we appreciate your feedback. If you encounter any problems:

1. Check the existing issues to see if your problem has been reported
2. If not, open a new issue with:
   • Your MeshCore device type and firmware version
   • MeshMonitor version
   • Relevant log output (look for [MeshCore] prefixed messages)
   • Steps to reproduce the issue