From 9ec08228e50f22b0f8fac4a545fd275739664977 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: liamcottle Date: Sun, 5 Apr 2026 22:04:36 +1200 Subject: [PATCH] update faq --- docs/faq.md | 56 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++--------------------------- 1 file changed, 28 insertions(+), 28 deletions(-) diff --git a/docs/faq.md b/docs/faq.md index 36cd3fc8..46741d1c 100644 --- a/docs/faq.md +++ b/docs/faq.md @@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ A list of frequently-asked questions and answers for MeshCore ### 1.1. Q: What is MeshCore? -**A:** MeshCore is a multi platform system for enabling secure text based communications utilising LoRa radio hardware. It can be used for Off-Grid Communication, Emergency Response & Disaster Recovery, Outdoor Activities, Tactical Security including law enforcement and private security and also IoT sensor networks. ([source](https://meshcore.co.uk/)) +**A:** MeshCore is a multi platform system for enabling secure text based communications utilising LoRa radio hardware. It can be used for Off-Grid Communication, Emergency Response & Disaster Recovery, Outdoor Activities, Tactical Security including law enforcement and private security and also IoT sensor networks. ([source](https://meshcore.io/)) MeshCore is free and open source: * MeshCore is the routing and firmware etc, available on GitHub under MIT license @@ -106,19 +106,20 @@ Anyone is able to build anything they like on top of MeshCore without paying any ### 1.2. Q: What do you need to start using MeshCore? **A:** Everything you need for MeshCore is available at: -- Main web site: [https://meshcore.co.uk](https://meshcore.co.uk) -- Firmware Flasher: [https://flasher.meshcore.co.uk](https://flasher.meshcore.co.uk) +- Main Website: [https://meshcore.io](https://meshcore.io) +- Firmware Flasher: [https://flasher.meshcore.io](https://flasher.meshcore.io) - MeshCore Firmware on GitHub: [https://github.com/meshcore-dev/MeshCore](https://github.com/meshcore-dev/MeshCore) -- MeshCore Companion App: [https://meshcore.nz](https://meshcore.nz) -- MeshCore Map: [https://meshcore.co.uk/map.html](https://meshcore.co.uk/map.html) -- Andy Kirby has a very useful [intro video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1qne8uJBAc) for beginners. +- MeshCore Companion Web App: [https://app.meshcore.nz](https://app.meshcore.nz) +- MeshCore Map: [https://map.meshcore.io](https://map.meshcore.io) +- Andy Kirby's [MeshCore Intro Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1qne8uJBAc) +- Liam Cottle's [MeshCore Technical Presentation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwmkVkZQTf4) You need LoRa hardware devices to run MeshCore firmware as clients or server (repeater and room server). #### 1.2.1. Hardware MeshCore is available on a variety of 433MHz, 868MHz and 915MHz LoRa devices. For example, Lilygo T-Deck, T-Pager, RAK Wireless WisBlock RAK4631 devices (e.g. 19003, 19007, 19026), Heltec V3, Xiao S3 WIO, Xiao C3, Heltec T114, Station G2, Nano G2 Ultra, Seeed Studio T1000-E. More devices are being added regularly. -For an up-to-date list of supported devices, please go to https://flasher.meshcore.co.uk/ +For an up-to-date list of supported devices, please go to https://flasher.meshcore.io To use MeshCore without using a phone as the client interface, you can run MeshCore on a LiLygo's T-Deck, T-Deck Plus, T-Pager, T-Watch, or T-Display Pro. MeshCore Ultra firmware running on these devices are a complete off-grid secure communication solution. @@ -130,12 +131,11 @@ Companion radios are for connecting to the Android app or web app as a messenger 1. **BLE Companion** BLE Companion firmware runs on a supported LoRa device and connects to a smart device running the Android or iOS MeshCore client over BLE - + 2. **USB Serial Companion** USB Serial Companion firmware runs on a supported LoRa device and connects to a smart device or a computer over USB Serial running the MeshCore web client - - + #### 1.2.4. Repeater Repeaters are used to extend the range of a MeshCore network. Repeater firmware runs on the same devices that run client firmware. A repeater's job is to forward MeshCore packets to the destination device. It does **not** forward or retransmit every packet it receives, unlike other LoRa mesh systems. @@ -229,11 +229,11 @@ The separate `set advert.interval {minutes}` command controls the local zero-hop Repeater or room server can be administered with one of the options below: -- After a repeater or room server firmware is flashed on to a LoRa device, go to and use the web user interface to connect to the LoRa device via USB serial. From there you can set the name of the server, its frequency and other related settings, location, passwords etc. +- After a repeater or room server firmware is flashed on to a LoRa device, go to and use the web user interface to connect to the LoRa device via USB serial. From there you can set the name of the server, its frequency and other related settings, location, passwords etc. ![image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/2a9d9894-e34d-4dbe-b57c-fc3c250a2d34) -- Connect the server device using a USB cable to a computer running Chrome on https://flasher.meshcore.co.uk/, then use the `console` feature to connect to the device +- Connect the server device using a USB cable to a computer running Chrome on https://flasher.meshcore.io, then use the `console` feature to connect to the device - Use a MeshCore smartphone clients to remotely administer servers via LoRa. @@ -365,7 +365,7 @@ You should move to send 2-byte or 3-byte channel and direct messages when the va 5. Hear USB connection sound 6. Release trackball 7. T-Deck in DFU mode now -8. At this point you can begin flashing using +8. At this point you can begin flashing using ### 4.3. Q: Why is my T-Deck Plus not getting any satellite lock? **A:** For T-Deck Plus, the GPS baud rate should be set to **38400**. Also, some T-Deck Plus devices were found to have the GPS module installed upside down, with the GPS antenna facing down instead of up. If your T-Deck Plus still doesn't get any satellite lock after setting the baud rate to 38400, you might need to open the device to check the GPS orientation. @@ -586,7 +586,7 @@ MeshCore clients would need to reset path constantly and flood traffic across th This could change in the future if MeshCore develops a client firmware that repeats. [Source](https://discord.com/channels/826570251612323860/1330643963501351004/1354780032140054659) -### 5.12. Q: How do I add a node to the [MeshCore Map](https://meshcore.co.uk/map.html) +### 5.12. Q: How do I add a node to the [MeshCore Map](https://map.meshcore.io) **A:** To add a BLE Companion radio, connect to the BLE Companion radio from the MeshCore smartphone app. In the app, tap the `3 dot` menu icon at the top right corner, then tap `Internet Map`. Tap the `3 dot` menu icon again and choose `Add me to the Map` @@ -603,18 +603,18 @@ Below are the instructions to flash firmware onto a supported LoRa device using > Instructions for nRF devices like RAK, T1000-E, T114 are immediately after the ESP instructions For ESP-based devices (e.g. Heltec V3) you need: -- Download firmware file from flasher.meshcore.co.uk +- Download firmware file from https://flasher.meshcore.io - Go to the web site on a browser, find the section that has the firmware up need - Click the Download button, right click on the file you need, for example, - `Heltec_V3_companion_radio_ble-v1.7.1-165fb33.bin` - Non-merged bin keeps the existing Bluetooth pairing database - `Heltec_v3_companion_radio_usb-v1.7.1-165fb33-merged.bin` - Merged bin overwrites everything including the bootloader, existing Bluetooth pairing database, but keeps configurations. - - Right click on the file name and copy the link and note it for later use here is an example: `https://flasher.meshcore.dev/releases/download/companion-v1.7.1/Heltec_v3_companion_radio_ble-v1.7.1-165fb33.bin` + - Right click on the file name and copy the link and note it for later use here is an example: `https://flasher.meshcore.io/releases/download/companion-v1.7.1/Heltec_v3_companion_radio_ble-v1.7.1-165fb33.bin` - Run: - - `wget https://flasher.meshcore.dev/releases/download/companion-v1.7.1/Heltec_v3_companion_radio_ble-v1.7.1-165fb33.bin` to download the firmware file for your device type. or the version you need - USB, BLE, Repeater, Room Server, merged bin or non-merged bin + - `wget https://flasher.meshcore.io/releases/download/companion-v1.7.1/Heltec_v3_companion_radio_ble-v1.7.1-165fb33.bin` to download the firmware file for your device type. or the version you need - USB, BLE, Repeater, Room Server, merged bin or non-merged bin - If the above wget command only downloads a very small file (10K bytes instead of more than 100K byte, use this command instead: - - `wget --user-agent="Mozilla/5.0" --content-disposition "https://flasher.meshcore.dev/releases/download/companion-v1.7.1/Heltec_v3_companion_radio_usb-v1.7.1-165fb33.bin"` + - `wget --user-agent="Mozilla/5.0" --content-disposition "https://flasher.meshcore.io/releases/download/companion-v1.7.1/Heltec_v3_companion_radio_usb-v1.7.1-165fb33.bin"` - Confirm the `ttyXXXX` device path on your Raspberry Pi: - Go to `/dev` directory, run ls command to find confirm your device path - They are usually `/dev/ttyUSB0` for ESP devices @@ -631,14 +631,14 @@ For ESP-based devices (e.g. Heltec V3) you need: **Instructions for nRF devices:** For nRF devices (e.g. RAK, Heltec T114) you need the following: -- Download firmware file from flasher.meshcore.co.uk +- Download firmware file from https://flasher.meshcore.io - Go to the web site on a browser, find the section that has the firmware up need - You need the ZIP version for the adafruit flash tool (below) - Click the Download button, right click on the ZIP file, for example: - `RAK_4631_companion_radio_ble-v1.7.1-165fb33.zip` - - Right click on the file name and copy the link and note it for later use here is an example: `https://flasher.meshcore.dev/releases/download/companion-v1.7.1/RAK_4631_companion_radio_ble-v1.7.1-165fb33.zip` + - Right click on the file name and copy the link and note it for later use here is an example: `https://flasher.meshcore.io/releases/download/companion-v1.7.1/RAK_4631_companion_radio_ble-v1.7.1-165fb33.zip` - Run: - - `wget https://flasher.meshcore.dev/releases/download/companion-v1.7.1/RAK_4631_companion_radio_ble-v1.7.1-165fb33.zip` to download the firmware file for your device type. or the version you need - USB, BLE, Repeater, Room Server, ZIP file only + - `wget https://flasher.meshcore.io/releases/download/companion-v1.7.1/RAK_4631_companion_radio_ble-v1.7.1-165fb33.zip` to download the firmware file for your device type. or the version you need - USB, BLE, Repeater, Room Server, ZIP file only - Confirm the `ttyXXXX` device path on your Raspberry Pi: - Go to `/dev` directory, run ls command to find confirm your device path - They are usually `/dev/ttyACM0` for nRF devices @@ -666,10 +666,10 @@ As new MeshCore community projects become available on a weekly basis, we have s ### 5.15. Q: Are there client applications for Windows or Mac? -**A:** Yes, the same iOS and Android client is also available for Windows and Intel Mac (sorry, not available for ARM-based Mac yet). You can find them together with the Android APK here: +**A:** Yes, the same iOS and Android client is also available for Windows and Mac. You can find them together with the Android APK here: https://files.liamcottle.net/MeshCore -Both the Windows and Intel Mac versions of the client app are fully unlocked and are free to use. +Both the Windows and Mac versions of the client app are fully unlocked and are free to use. ### 5.16. Q: Are there any resources that compare MeshCore to other LoRa systems? @@ -718,16 +718,16 @@ You can get the epoch time on and use it to se - For Heltec T114, click the reset button **TWICE** (the bottom button) - For Xiao nRF52, click the reset button once. If that doesn't work, quickly double click the reset button twice. If that doesn't work, disconnection the board from your PC and reconnect again ([seeed studio wiki](https://wiki.seeedstudio.com/XIAO_BLE/#access-the-swd-pins-for-debugging-and-reflashing-bootloader)) 5. A new folder will appear on your computer's desktop -6. Download the `flash_erase*.uf2` file for your device on flasher.meshcore.co.uk +6. Download the `flash_erase*.uf2` file for your device on https://flasher.meshcore.io - RAK WisBlock and Heltec T114: `Flash_erase-nRF32_softdevice_v6.uf2` - Seeed Studio Xiao nRF52 WIO: `Flash_erase-nRF52_softdevice_v7.uf2` 8. drag and drop the uf2 file for your device to the root of the new folder 9. Wait for the copy to complete. You might get an error dialog, you can ignore it -10. Go to https://flasher.meshcore.co.uk/, click `Console` and select the serial port for your connected device +10. Go to https://flasher.meshcore.io, click `Console` and select the serial port for your connected device 11. In the console, press enter. Your flash should now be erased 12. You may now flash the latest MeshCore firmware onto your device -Separately, starting in firmware version 1.7.0, there is a CLI Rescue mode. If your device has a user button (e.g. some RAK, T114), you can activate the rescue mode by hold down the user button of the device within 8 seconds of boot. Then you can use the 'Console' on flasher.meshcore.co.uk +Separately, starting in firmware version 1.7.0, there is a CLI Rescue mode. If your device has a user button (e.g. some RAK, T114), you can activate the rescue mode by hold down the user button of the device within 8 seconds of boot. Then you can use the 'Console' on https://flasher.meshcore.io ### 6.8. Q: WebFlasher fails on Linux with failed to open @@ -745,7 +745,7 @@ Allow the browser user on it: **A:** The steps below work on both Android and iOS as nRF has made both apps' user interface the same on both platforms: 1. Download nRF's DFU app from iOS App Store or Android's Play Store, you can find the app by searching for `nrf dfu`, the app's full name is `nRF Device Firmware Update` -2. On flasher.meshcore.co.uk, download the **ZIP** version of the firmware for your nRF device (e.g. RAK or Heltec T114 or Seeed Studio's Xiao) +2. On https://flasher.meshcore.io, download the **ZIP** version of the firmware for your nRF device (e.g. RAK or Heltec T114 or Seeed Studio's Xiao) 3. From the MeshCore app, login remotely to the repeater you want to update with admin privilege 4. Go to the Command Line tab, type `start ota` and hit enter. 5. you should see `OK` to confirm the repeater device is now in OTA mode @@ -768,7 +768,7 @@ After this bootloader is flashed onto the device, you can trigger over the air u ### 7.2. Q: How to update ESP32-based devices over the air? **A:** For ESP32-based devices (e.g. Heltec V3): -1. On flasher.meshcore.co.uk, download the **non-merged** version of the firmware for your ESP32 device (e.g. `Heltec_v3_repeater-v1.6.2-4449fd3.bin`, no `"merged"` in the file name) +1. On https://flasher.meshcore.io, download the **non-merged** version of the firmware for your ESP32 device (e.g. `Heltec_v3_repeater-v1.6.2-4449fd3.bin`, no `"merged"` in the file name) 2. From the MeshCore app, login remotely to the repeater you want to update with admin privilege 4. Go to the Command Line tab, type `start ota` and hit enter. 5. you should see `OK` to confirm the repeater device is now in OTA mode