I remember the evening I build my first Meshtastic radio. It was a small Heltec board, smaller than I expected, with a tiny screen and an antenna connector. I connected the antenna, plugged it in, and nothing seemed to happen for a moment. Then the screen lit up with some cryptic abbreviations. Below I share what I learned in the past months as I slowly figured out what all those settings mean and how to use them properly.
This is not a quick-start guide. This is a patient walkthrough of what Meshtastic actually does, what the various settings mean in practical terms, and what you should probably avoid doing, especially when you are just starting out. I am writing this for people who, like me, had no prior experience with radio networks, mesh communication, or any of the terminology involved.
What Happens When You First Turn Your Meshtastic On
When you power on a Meshtastic radio for the first time, it enters a sort of waiting state. The device will not transmit anything meaningful until you configure at least one critical setting: the region.
The region setting tells the device which radio frequencies it is allowed to use. Different parts of the world have different rules about which frequencies are available for unlicensed use. In Europe, you might use EU_868. In the United States, you would use US. In Australia, ANZ. If you do not set this, the device simply will not transmit. It will sit there, waiting.
I spent an embarrassing amount of time wondering why my device was not finding any other nodes before I realized I had not set the region. The device even displays a message about this on the screen, but I did not understand what it meant at first.
Connecting to Your Meshtastic Radio
There are several ways to configure a Meshtastic device. You can use the smartphone app (available for both Android and iOS), you can use a web browser through the web client, or you can use command-line tools if you are technically inclined.
For my first experiment, I used the Android app. The process was straightforward: I enabled Bluetooth on my phone, opened the Meshtastic app, and tapped the button to add a new device. The app found my device (it appeared as something like "Meshtastic_XXXX" where the X's were some hexadecimal characters), and I selected it. The device showed a PIN code on its screen, I entered it on my phone, and they were paired.
Once connected, I could see the device's settings and change them. The first thing I did was set the region to EU_868, which is appropriate for my location in Europe.
Understanding the Default Channel
After setting the region, my device immediately started trying to communicate. Within a few minutes, I saw several other nodes appearing in the app. This surprised me because I had not configured anything else.
This happens because Meshtastic comes with a default primary channel called "LongFast." This is essentially a public channel that all Meshtastic devices use by default. Anyone using the same region and default settings can see your node and you can see theirs. Messages sent on this channel are encrypted, but the encryption key is public and widely known (it is just a single byte, essentially a placeholder).
In practical terms, this means that when you first turn on your device, you are joining a public mesh network. Your node will appear to others, and if you send a message on the primary channel, anyone within range (or within range of someone within range, and so on) can receive it.
This was both exciting and slightly alarming. I had not realized that simply turning on the device would make me visible to strangers. It is not dangerous in any meaningful way, but it is worth understanding. I was also surprized how many users are around me.
What "LongFast" Actually Means
The name "LongFast" refers to the modem preset that the channel uses. Meshtastic offers several presets that control how the radio communicates:
LONG_FAST is the default. It provides a reasonable balance between range and speed.
LONG_SLOW and VERY_LONG_SLOW sacrifice speed for even greater range. I would not recommend these for regular use because the long transmission times can cause problems in busy networks.
MEDIUM_FAST and MEDIUM_SLOW are faster but have somewhat reduced range. These are becoming popular in areas with many nodes because they reduce congestion.
SHORT_FAST and SHORT_SLOW are the fastest options with the shortest range. Useful in urban environments where nodes are close together.
SHORT_TURBO is the fastest of all, but uses a wider bandwidth that is not legal in all regions.
If you are just starting out, LONG_FAST is perfectly fine. If you join a busy mesh and experience problems, switching to a faster preset might help. All devices that want to communicate must use the same modem preset.
Meshtastic Radio Roles: This Is Important
One of the settings that causes the most confusion is the device role. When I first saw this setting, I assumed that choosing "Router" would make my device work better. This was wrong.
CLIENT is the default role, and it is the correct choice for almost everyone. Despite the name, client devices do participate in relaying messages. They send, receive, and intelligently repeat messages when needed.
CLIENT_MUTE is for devices that should send and receive but never relay messages for others. Useful if you have multiple devices in the same location.
ROUTER is for devices placed in strategic, high-visibility locations that should actively relay messages for the entire network. This role should only be used for stationary devices on mountaintops, tall buildings, or locations with exceptional line-of-sight. When a device is set to Router, it takes priority in rebroadcasting, which can prevent other nodes from properly relaying messages if it is poorly placed.
REPEATER is similar to Router but even more aggressive. For dedicated infrastructure nodes.
ROUTER_LATE is for infrastructure nodes that should help extend coverage but without taking priority over better-positioned nodes.
The critical point: do not set your device to Router or Repeater unless it is genuinely in an exceptional location. A poorly placed router can degrade network performance for everyone.
For my first experiment, I left my device as CLIENT.
Hop Limit: Leave It Alone
Another setting that beginners often want to change is the hop limit. This controls how many times a message can be relayed before it stops being forwarded. The default is 3, which means a message can be relayed up to three times.
It might seem logical that increasing this number would improve range. If three hops can get my message to someone 10 kilometers away, surely seven hops could reach someone 20 kilometers away, right?
In practice, increasing the hop limit often makes things worse. More hops mean more transmissions, which means more network congestion. The Meshtastic network has limited bandwidth, and every unnecessary transmission takes airtime away from other messages. The official documentation strongly recommends leaving this setting at 3 unless you have a specific, well-understood reason to change it.
I left mine at 3.
Privacy Considerations
By default, Meshtastic shares your location (if your device has GPS) on the primary channel. Anyone using the default settings can see where you are on a map.
For my first experiment, I did not have a GPS module, so this was not an issue. But if your device does have GPS, you should be aware. You can disable location sharing, reduce the precision, or create a private channel for location sharing.
The default primary channel uses minimal encryption. If you want actual privacy, you need to create a private channel with your own encryption key and share it only with your peers or familiy members.
My Actual First Experiment
After configuring the basics, I left my device running by a window for a few hours. Over time, it discovered several other nodes in my area. I could see their names, their signal strength, and, for those with GPS, their approximate locations.
I sent a message on the public channel, something generic like "Hallo, ich bin Dima" Within a few minutes, I received a response from someone welcoming me to the mesh.
I then took my device for a walk to see how far it could maintain contact. The range varied enormously depending on terrain and obstacles. In some directions, I could go several kilometers. In other directions, a hill or large building would cut off communication within a few hundred meters.
This taught me something important: range is not a single number. It depends on elevation, obstacles, antenna quality, and the position of other nodes.
Things I Learned Not to Do
Based on my experience and reading, here are some things to avoid:
Do not set your device to Router unless it is genuinely on a mountaintop or tall tower with exceptional coverage. A router in a poor location causes problems for everyone.
Do not increase the hop limit beyond 3 without a good reason. More hops usually means more problems, not better coverage.
Do not change the modem preset if you want to communicate with the public mesh. Everyone needs to use the same preset to communicate. If you change to SHORT_FAST and everyone else is using LONG_FAST, you will not be able to talk to them.
Do not power on the device without an antenna connected. This can damage the radio chip. I almost made this mistake while testing different cases for my device.
Do not expect instant communication. Messages can take several seconds to be acknowledged, especially if they need to hop through multiple nodes. This is normal.
Do not send too many messages in quick succession. The network has limited bandwidth. Flooding it with messages causes problems for everyone.
What Settings I Actually Changed
After all my reading and experimentation, I changed very few settings from the defaults:
- I set the region to EU_868 (required for my location), channel 1
- I gave my device a name so it would appear as something meaningful
- I left the role as CLIENT
- I left the modem preset as LONG_FAST
- I left the hop limit at 3
- I left the channel as the default LongFast
The defaults are well-chosen for most situations, and changing them without understanding the consequences can cause problems.
Creating a Private Channel (Eventually)
After a few weeks of using the public mesh, I created a private channel for communicating with a friend who also got a Meshtastic device. This involved creating a new channel with a custom name, generating an encryption key, and sharing the configuration (the app can generate a QR code for this).
Messages on this private channel are encrypted with a key that only we know. Other nodes can still relay our messages (this is necessary for the mesh to work), but they cannot read the contents. I kept the default LongFast channel as well, so my device still participates in the public mesh.
Conclusion
My first Meshtastic experiment was slower and more methodical than I expected. I spent more time reading documentation than actually sending messages. But this careful approach paid off.
If you are just starting out, my advice is simple: set your region, leave everything else at the defaults, and observe. Watch the nodes that appear, see how messages propagate, and get a feel for how the mesh behaves. There will be plenty of time later to experiment with advanced settings.
Meshtastic is a patient technology. The messages travel slowly, the network has limited capacity, and the range depends on factors outside your control. But there is something satisfying about watching a message hop from node to node across a city, arriving through a path you cannot see but can imagine. It works, reliably, without infrastructure, without monthly fees, without anyone's permission. That is worth taking the time to understand properly.
