Firmware OTA Updates

MeshMonitor can update your Meshtastic node's firmware over Wi-Fi (OTA) without physical USB access. This page covers requirements, the update process, limitations, and troubleshooting.

Experimental Feature

OTA firmware updates are a new feature. While tested on supported hardware, unexpected issues can occur including nodes becoming temporarily unresponsive. Always ensure you have USB access to your node as a fallback recovery method. If you encounter problems, please report a bug.

Requirements

Before using OTA updates, your setup must meet all of the following:

Requirement	Details
TCP connection	MeshMonitor must be connected to the node via TCP/IP (direct Wi-Fi). Serial and BLE bridge connections cannot use OTA updates.
ESP32 hardware	Only ESP32 and ESP32-S3 boards are supported (e.g., Heltec V3/V4, T-Beam, RAK WisBlock, Station G2). nRF52 and RP2040 boards do not support Wi-Fi OTA.
Wi-Fi enabled	The node must be connected to your local network with a known, reachable IP address.
Firmware >= 2.7.18	The node must already be running firmware version 2.7.18 or later. Earlier versions do not support the OTA update command.
OTA bootloader installed	A one-time USB flash of the OTA bootloader partition is required before the first OTA update. See below.
Admin access	Only MeshMonitor administrators can initiate firmware updates.
Docker/server deployment	OTA updates are only available when running MeshMonitor via Docker or as a standalone server. The desktop app (Windows/macOS) does not currently support OTA updates.

Connection Type Limitation

OTA updates require a direct TCP connection between MeshMonitor and the node. This means:

Supported: MeshMonitor connected via MESHTASTIC_NODE_IP (TCP/IP over Wi-Fi)
Not supported: Serial connections (/dev/ttyUSB0, COM3, etc.)
Not supported: BLE bridge connections

If you are using a serial or BLE bridge connection, you must update your node's firmware using the standard USB method or the Meshtastic Web Flasher.

One-Time OTA Bootloader Setup

The OTA bootloader must be flashed once via USB before any Wi-Fi OTA update will work. This writes a small bootloader to a dedicated partition that enables the node to receive firmware over the network.

What You Need

A USB data cable connected to the node
Python with esptool installed: pip install esptool
The OTA bootloader binary from the Meshtastic firmware release

Identify Your Board Type

Download the latest firmware .zip from Meshtastic Firmware Releases and extract it. Locate the appropriate OTA bootloader file:

Board Type	Bootloader File	Flash Address
ESP32-S3 (Heltec V3/V4, T-Beam Supreme, Station G2)	`mt-esp32s3-ota.bin`	`0x340000`
ESP32 (T-Beam, T-Lora, Heltec V2)	`mt-esp32-ota.bin`	`0x260000`

Flash the Bootloader

Linux / macOS:

bash

esptool.py --port /dev/ttyUSB0 --baud 460800 write_flash 0x340000 mt-esp32s3-ota.bin

Windows:

powershell

python -m esptool --port COM3 --baud 460800 write_flash 0x340000 mt-esp32s3-ota.bin

Replace the port (/dev/ttyUSB0 or COM3) with your actual serial port, and adjust the address and filename for your board type.

Verify Success

The flash is successful when you see:

Hash of data verified.
Leaving...
Hard resetting via RTS pin...

The node will reboot and return to normal Meshtastic operation. You can now disconnect the USB cable. All future firmware updates can be done over Wi-Fi through MeshMonitor.

The OTA Update Process

Once the prerequisites are met, updating firmware through MeshMonitor follows these steps:

Select a version — Choose a firmware version from the list in Configuration > Firmware Updates. Stable and alpha channels are available, or you can specify a custom URL.
Preflight check — MeshMonitor verifies your hardware is OTA-capable, identifies the correct firmware binary for your board, and checks version compatibility.
Config backup — Your node's configuration is automatically backed up before any changes are made. The backup is stored on the MeshMonitor server and can be restored later.
Download & extract — The firmware release is downloaded from GitHub and the correct binary for your board is identified from the archive.
Flash — The firmware is uploaded to your node over Wi-Fi. A progress bar shows the upload status. The node will reboot during this process.
Reconnect — After the update completes, MeshMonitor automatically disconnects and reconnects to the node, re-downloading all configuration data to reflect the new firmware version.

TIP

The entire update process runs inside a modal dialog that prevents interaction with the rest of the UI. This protects the update from being interrupted. Only the Cancel and Done buttons within the dialog are active during the update.

After the Update

When you click Done after a successful update, MeshMonitor will:

Fully disconnect from the node
Reconnect from scratch
Re-download all node configuration, channels, and module settings

The UI will briefly show a disconnected state (just like when MeshMonitor first starts up) while it re-establishes the connection. This ensures that all displayed data reflects the new firmware version.

Config Backups & Restore

Every OTA update creates an automatic config backup. You can view and restore backups from the Backup Management section in Configuration > Firmware Updates. This is useful if an update changes settings unexpectedly.

Troubleshooting

"OTA bootloader has not been installed"

If MeshMonitor reports that the node rebooted before firmware could be transferred, the OTA bootloader is not installed. Connect via USB and follow the bootloader setup instructions above.

First OTA attempt fails, second succeeds

Some users report that the first OTA attempt after installing the bootloader fails, but the second attempt works. If your first flash attempt fails, click Retry Flash in the update dialog.

Flash times out or shows "Connection refused"

Ensure the node's Wi-Fi IP address is correct and reachable from the MeshMonitor server. Verify connectivity:

bash

meshtastic --host <NODE_IP> --info

If the node recently rebooted, wait 30 seconds for it to reconnect to Wi-Fi before retrying.

Node is unresponsive after update

If the node does not come back online after a firmware update:

Wait 2 minutes — the node may take time to boot with new firmware
Power cycle the node (unplug and replug power)
If still unresponsive, connect via USB and flash firmware manually using the Meshtastic Web Flasher

Your config backup is still available in MeshMonitor and can be restored after recovering the node.

Reporting Issues

OTA firmware updates are an actively developed feature. If you encounter any problems:

Note the exact error message shown in the update dialog
Check the MeshMonitor server logs for additional details (docker compose logs meshmonitor)
Open an issue on GitHub with:
- Your hardware model
- Current and target firmware versions
- The error message or unexpected behavior
- Server logs if available

Supported Hardware

The following ESP32 boards have been tested with OTA updates:

Board	Status
Heltec V3 (ESP32-S3)	Tested
Heltec V4 (ESP32-S3)	Expected to work
T-Beam Supreme (ESP32-S3)	Expected to work
Station G2 (ESP32-S3)	Expected to work
RAK WisBlock (nRF52)	Not supported (no Wi-Fi)
T-Echo (nRF52)	Not supported (no Wi-Fi)
RP2040-based boards	Not supported (no Wi-Fi)

If you successfully use OTA updates on a board not listed here, please let us know so we can update this list.

Firmware OTA Updates ​

Requirements ​

Connection Type Limitation ​

One-Time OTA Bootloader Setup ​

What You Need ​

Identify Your Board Type ​

Flash the Bootloader ​

Verify Success ​

The OTA Update Process ​

After the Update ​

Config Backups & Restore ​

Troubleshooting ​

"OTA bootloader has not been installed" ​

First OTA attempt fails, second succeeds ​

Flash times out or shows "Connection refused" ​

Node is unresponsive after update ​

Reporting Issues ​

Supported Hardware ​