MeshCore Defaults

MeshCore — Edmonton defaults

MeshCore is the primary mesh stack in YEG. Project home: meshcore.io · Docs: docs.meshcore.io · Source: github.com/meshcore-dev/meshcore · Discord: meshcore.gg · Map: map.meshcore.io

YEG MeshCore radio settings

Match these exactly to be heard on the local mesh. Confirm in Discord before changing — settings can shift as the network evolves.

SettingValue
Frequency910.525 MHz
Bandwidth62.5 kHz
Spreading factorSF7
Coding rate4/5
TX power22 dBm

Region & legality

SettingValue
RegionNorth America (902–928 MHz ISM band)
Maximum EIRP30 dBm (1 W) per Industry Canada RSS-210

EIRP = transmitter power + antenna gain − feedline loss. 22 dBm at the radio + a 5 dBi antenna ≈ 27 dBm EIRP, comfortably under 30. See /p/regulatory for details.

Node modes

ModeDescriptionPower
CompanionHandheld, paired with the phone app over BLEBattery / USB
RepeaterStore-and-forward — helps other traffic propagateMains / solar / fixed
Room ServerHosts a persistent named "room" (chat channel) others can joinMains / solar / fixed
SensorReports telemetry onlyEither
Terminal ChatStandalone chat node with screen + buttons, no phone neededEither

Run Companion unless you're deliberately deploying infrastructure.

Public channel

MeshCore ships with a public well-known channel for discovery. Common convention: stay on it for first contact, then move to a named room or private channel for ongoing chat.

Local rooms

⚠ Admin: fill these in. The Edmonton mesh may host one or more named rooms on dedicated room-server nodes. Room URLs / keys are shared in the YEG MeshCore Discord — list the active ones here once you have them.

Pairing the Companion app

Companion nodes pair with the official MeshCore mobile app over BLE. After pairing:

  1. Set your display name.
  2. Confirm radio settings match the YEG defaults above.
  3. Join Public and any local rooms you've been invited to.
  4. Send a test message and watch for replies — discovery on a small mesh can take time.

There is also meshcore.liamcottle.net — a web-based MeshCore client that pairs over Web Bluetooth in Chromium browsers.

Hardware

MeshCore runs on most LoRa boards Meshtastic supports — Heltec V3, LILYGO T-Beam, RAK Wisblock 4631, the Seeed SenseCAP T1000, RAK's tag-format trackers, and others. See hardware tiers for a curated list, and confirm board support against the current YEG-recommended firmware before flashing.

Differences from Meshtastic

MeshCoreMeshtastic
RoutingSource-routed with discoveryFlood, hop-limited
ChannelsRooms (server-hosted) + private channels8 PSK slots
Default airtimeDesigned to be lowerHigher
MaturitySmaller but actively developedLarger ecosystem
YEG communityPrimarySecondary

The two stacks share the band but not the protocol — a MeshCore node and a Meshtastic node will not hear each other's messages.