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Companion vs. repeater
- Companion: your personal radio. It pairs with the MeshCore phone app over Bluetooth so you can send and read messages. It does not relay other people's messages.
- Repeater: a radio mounted up high that relays messages for everybody. Repeaters are how the mesh grows. (See Repeaters.)
- Room server: a little bulletin board on the mesh that holds recent posts so you can catch up later.
1 Pick your hardware
Buy the US 915 MHz version. All of these are in the official MeshCore flasher:
- Pocket radio: Seeed SenseCAP T1000-E (rugged, water-resistant, several-day battery). Also good: Seeed Wio Tracker L1 Pro, LilyGo T-Deck Plus (keyboard and screen).
- Prices change a lot, so check current listings. TODO: verify hardware prices before publishing any
2 Flash MeshCore
On a computer, open https://flasher.meshcore.io in Chrome or Edge (it talks to the radio over USB). Put the antenna on before you power it up. Pick your device, choose Companion (Bluetooth), and flash.
3 Pair your phone
Install the MeshCore app (iOS/Android) and connect over Bluetooth. On radios without a screen the PIN is 123456, so change it after you connect.
4 Set the radio (Settings Card)
Pick the USA preset, then change Coding Rate to 8:
| Frequency | Bandwidth | Spreading Factor | Coding Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 910.525 MHz | 62.5 kHz | 7 | 8 |
We run CR 8 for now because the extra error correction gives longer reach and sturdier links while nodes are few and far apart. We'll revisit it as the area fills in.
New radios start on a European frequency until you set this, so do it first.
5 Say hi
Name your radio, tap Advert so others can find you, and post on the Public channel. Can't hear anybody? You probably need a repeater nearby, so ask on Discord.