How to add additional nodes to mesh

Support Python API
1

Noobish question, but what device settings must match in order to add more devices to a mesh network (aka broaden the total range of the mesh). Here’s one of my devices. If I were to plug in another Tbeam and update settings, which should match to ensure it extends the range?

my_node_num: 84680532
has_gps: true
num_channels: 13
region: “1.0-US”
hw_model: “tbeam”
firmware_version: “1.1.50”
packet_id_bits: 32
current_packet_id: 152979471
node_num_bits: 32
message_timeout_msec: 300000
min_app_version: 20120

preferences {
ls_secs: 300
region: US
}
channel_settings {
modem_config: Bw125Cr48Sf4096
psk: “\001”
name: “Geo1”
}

Channel URL https://www.meshtastic.org/c/#GAMiAQEqBEdlbzE=
Nodes in mesh:
{‘num’: 84680532, ‘user’: {‘id’: ‘tMoney’, ‘longName’: ‘GeoDynamicMini’, ‘shortName’: ‘tm’, ‘macaddr’: ‘PGEFDB9U’}, ‘position’: {}}

2

The following command using the CLI will allow any subsequent radios you set up to have the same channel settings, they will be able to talk as long as they have the same URL

meshtastic --seturl https://www.meshtastic.org/c/#GAMiAQEqBEdlbzE=

The URL is a hash of your various channel settings, so setting the URL is the easiest way to get all your radios on the same “mesh”

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3

The important one is the Primary channel URL. You’ll need that and if you’re using the meshtastic python command line, use the –seturl command on each new device. Remember to reboot the device after those changes.

If you want to add the additional devices via the phone app, you’ll need that URL somewhere on the phone (in an email, SMS, etc.) so that you can click on it and have it open within the Meshtastic app. At that point it allows you to accept new channel settings and you’re done.

Also, make sure that if you expicitly set radio settings to anything other than the default, you also replicate those on each device.

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4

@Avron I haven’t played with the primary/secondary urls yet. I don’t want to mislead @tcote19, what details are hashed into the url? With the docs moving from repo to repo we’re in a bit of limbo at the moment. So I’m feeling less confident about my answer haha

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5

I’m not totally sure myself, but I have found that the URL doesn’t seem to change if I change the radio settings. For example, changing from longslow to shortfast doesn’t change the URL, but the devices no longer communicate if not using the same channel settings. Both need to be the same.

6

Interesting! I would have thought the URL covered those settings.

7

I was hoping there’d be some documentation to explain it… :wink:

8

Soon there will be! If you fiddle with it and find anything let me know and I’ll get it added!

9

Hey @jfirwin and @Avron So I’ve had some more time to mess around with this and I’m still a bit confused about the functionality. Please take a look at my video and let me know if I’m missing something here.

My assumption was that I could get all individual Tbeams working together as one “mesh” where then any associated phones/apps will have one global thread of messages being sent/received.

Let me know your thoughts and solutions! Thanks for the help!

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10

Hi,
The expected result is that the text “hey” shows up on the phone. There seems to be a bug in the bluetooth communication between the board and the phone in the 1.2.* firmware. I know that @geeksville is planning to look into the problem.

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11

To piggyback on this, it looks like you did receive the message on the one with the screen. If you monitor the other two (via serial) you can verify that the message was received there.

12

Thank you both. Yes the messages seem to pass through each node without issue. The main problem is that the app’s message thread is not updating.

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