Step-by-step documentation to provision your radio hardware and hook into local RF relays.
These devices are operated in the 902-928 MHz band with maximum of 1 watt PEP at the antenna when omni directional and when operating directional, 1 watt maximum over all elements of the antenna not to exceed 1 watt ERP at 6 dBi gain, [FCC Part 15 15.247(b) 3,4 and (c)] which has a shared usage with not only Amateur Radio but other unlicensed as well as licensed services on a shared basis. In this shared band, these mesh devices are being operated as unlicensed, low-power devices under FCC Rules Part 15 in the ISM Band or "Industrial, Scientific and Medical Band", and as such, encryption is allowed when operated as a Part 15 unlicensed device. FCC Rules Part 97, which govern Amateur Radio, does not allow encryption, and as a station licensed by the FCC, stations identifying as Amateur Radio stations are not allowed to communicate with unlicensed stations operating in the shared ISM Band. If you are a licensed Amateur Radio operator, pick your ID carefully so that you are not confused for an Amateur Radio station communicating with unlicensed, Part 15 stations.
MeshCore handles client nodes and background infrastructure differently. Hardware behavior is determined entirely by whether you flash the companion or the repeater binary block to the device chip.
Launch a browser supporting Web Serial interface actions (Chrome, Edge, or Brave) and navigate to the flashing utility workspace: meshcore.io/flasher.
Companion Bluetooth if
you want the radio to link with your phone app, or select Repeater if building an unattended infrastructure mast.
Once a radio board is flashed with companion firmware, it will act as a local Bluetooth server to your companion client application.
Launch the MeshCore app on your smartphone and tap Connect in the top header window. Select your active hardware from the Bluetooth radio pool list and enter the PIN displayed on the node screen (or fallback to 123456 for screenless card setups).
Navigate to your core radio configuration screen inside the phone application and lock the baseline region profile to apply standard NC channels automatically:
Navigate to the Channels tab and add or join the following regional channels to hook into the community grid:
Locate the user node description card block to name your local device so tracking utilities can catalog signal hops across the network canvas:
Flashed with the specialized Repeater firmware build, these
nodes operate completely unattended. They turn off power-hungry smartphone Bluetooth chips to
optimize processing loops and maximize battery retention on remote solar infrastructure masts.
Because repeater builds shut down Bluetooth beacons, you cannot configure them through the phone app. Instead, you change settings directly over a wired connection right after flashing:
config.meshcore.io).MeshCore relies on dedicated physical infrastructure rather than client-device signal flooding. Follow these hardware rules to ensure smooth traffic flow across counties:
Once deployed, check your nearby companion nodes to confirm they can successfully route text messages through your new repeater's custom node ID marker.