Keyboard shortcuts

Press ← or → to navigate between chapters

Press S or / to search in the book

Press ? to show this help

Press Esc to hide this help

📖 Freq51 Meshtastic Glossary

Welcome to the Freq51 Meshtastic Glossary! This page gathers key terms you’ll see when working with Meshtastic devices, channels, and Freq51 community practices — organized A to Z.

Jump to a section: A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · I · J · K · L · M · N · O · P · Q · R · S · T · U · V · W · X · Y · Z

A

  • App / Application / Client Application — An application that connects to a Meshtastic node to send and receive messages via the mesh. See also: Client.
  • Airtime (Time on Air) — The length of time a LoRa transmission occupies the channel. Longer-range settings typically increase airtime and reduce throughput.
  • APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) — A ham radio data system sometimes bridged to/from Meshtastic by communities. Check local regulations and Freq51 guidance before use. See also: Gateway, MQTT Bridge.

B

  • Band (ISM Band) — The regional frequency range for LoRa (e.g., 915 MHz, 868 MHz). Devices must operate on the correct regional band.
  • Bandwidth (LoRa) — LoRa radio parameter affecting data rate and range. Included in Modem Presets.
  • BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) — Short‑range wireless link commonly used by Meshtastic apps to connect to nodes.
  • Bridge — See Gateway and MQTT Bridge.
  • Broadcast — A message sent to all participants on the current channel.

C

  • Channel — A logical grouping defining who can communicate; includes a name, encryption, and settings.
  • Channel Key — See PSK (Pre‑Shared Key).
  • Client — A node used primarily for user messaging; behavior depends on the assigned Role.
  • CLI (Command Line Interface) — Text-based interface (usually over USB/Serial) to configure or interact with a node.
  • Coding Rate (CR) — LoRa forward‑error‑correction setting that trades speed for robustness. Included in Modem Presets.

D

  • Deduplication — Logic to avoid processing or rebroadcasting the same packet multiple times. See also: Rebroadcast Logic.
  • Device — A Meshtastic‑compatible radio running the Meshtastic firmware.
  • Device Role — See Role.
  • DFU (Device Firmware Update) — Special mode used for firmware updates.
  • Direct Message (DM) — Encrypted, point‑to‑point communication using public key cryptography. See also: PKC.

E

  • Encryption — Channel messages secured with a Pre‑Shared Key (PSK). Direct messages can use public key cryptography.
  • ESP32 — Espressif MCU used in many devices; higher power usage than NRF52; can support Wi‑Fi.
  • EUI / EIRP — Regulatory power concepts sometimes referenced for compliance. Check regional rules and Freq51 onboarding.

F

  • FAQ (Freq51) — Answers to common community questions and practices.
  • FEC (Forward Error Correction) — See Coding Rate.
  • Firmware — Low-level software that runs on a node’s microcontroller.
  • Flash / Flashing — Installing or updating firmware on a device.
  • Freq51 — Community coordination around stable deployments, recommended settings, and onboarding for a healthy mesh.

G

  • Gateway — A node that bridges the mesh to external systems (often via MQTT). Requires careful configuration to avoid loops and flooding.
  • GPIO (General Purpose Input/Output) — Digital I/O pins for sensors, buttons, etc.
  • GPS — Global Positioning System; nodes can report position as telemetry.

H

  • Hop — A relay through another node.
  • Hop Limit — The maximum number of hops a packet may traverse; helps control congestion and airtime.
  • Hidden Client — See Role (CLIENT_HIDDEN).

I

  • ID (Node ID / Long Name / Short Name) — Identifiers for a node in the mesh and UI.
  • Interval (Telemetry/Position) — Frequency at which telemetry or position is sent; balance visibility with airtime usage.

J

  • — (No common entry)

K

  • Key (Channel Key) — See PSK (Pre‑Shared Key).

L

  • LoRa — Low‑power, long‑range radio used by Meshtastic.
  • LoS (Line of Sight) — A clear, unobstructed RF path through air; best link quality typically requires LoS.
  • Lost and Found — See Role (LOST_AND_FOUND).

M

  • Mesh Network — Decentralized network where nodes can forward messages for others.
  • Modem Preset — Bundled LoRa parameters (Bandwidth, Spreading Factor, Coding Rate). All nodes must match to communicate.

Modem Presets (summary)

  • SHORT_TURBO — Highest bandwidth, shortest range.
  • SHORT_FAST — High speed; short range.
  • SHORT_SLOW — Moderate range; fairly high speed.
  • MEDIUM_FAST — Balanced speed/range.
  • MEDIUM_SLOW — More range; less speed.
  • LONG_FAST — Default; long range, reasonable speed.
  • LONG_MODERATE — More range/airtime; slower than LONG_FAST.
  • LONG_SLOW — Very high link budget; very slow data rate.
  • VERY_LONG_SLOW — Slowest; very high range; high airtime.

Note: As a general community default, use LONG_FAST unless coordinated otherwise.

  • MQTT / MQTT Bridge — Protocol and bridge commonly used to link the mesh to servers/services. Configure topics, filters, and rebroadcast logic carefully to prevent loops.

N

  • Node — A device on the mesh that can send, receive, and relay messages.
  • NRF52 — Nordic MCU used in many low‑power devices.

O

  • OTA (Over‑the‑Air) — Wireless firmware update capability (device/platform dependent).

P

  • Packet — A unit of data sent over the mesh.
  • PKC (Public Key Cryptography) — Used for direct, end‑to‑end messages with keypairs.
  • Preset — See Modem Preset.
  • Protobuf — Google’s serialization format used by Meshtastic protocols.
  • PSK (Pre‑Shared Key) — Channel encryption key. All nodes on a channel must share the PSK to exchange messages.

Q

  • Quiet Client (Muted Client) — Client variant limiting rebroadcast/chat behavior to conserve airtime. See Role (CLIENT_MUTE).

R

  • Rebroadcast — Relaying a received packet. Behavior is controlled to minimize duplicates and loops. See: Rebroadcast Logic.
  • Rebroadcast Logic — Rules/filters that determine whether and how messages are relayed (including deduplication). Critical when bridging (e.g., MQTT).
  • Region — Regulatory domain determining allowed frequency band and power. See: Band.
  • Repeater — Coverage‑extending node that is not shown in the standard node list.
  • Role (Device Role) — The behavior mode of a node on the mesh. See the overview below.

Device Roles (overview)

  • CLIENT — Standard user node for sending/receiving messages.
  • CLIENT_MUTE — Client with reduced chat/rebroadcast behavior to conserve airtime.
  • CLIENT_HIDDEN — Client that participates without appearing prominently in lists/UIs.
  • TRACKER — Focused on position reporting (GPS), minimal chat.
  • LOST_AND_FOUND — Special mode for recovery/identification scenarios.
  • SENSOR — Publishes sensor/system data as telemetry.
  • TAK — Integrates with Team Awareness Kit features.
  • TAK_TRACKER — TAK‑focused tracking (position reporting).
  • REPEATER — Extends coverage; not shown in standard node lists.
  • ROUTER — Extends coverage; shown in node lists.
  • ROUTER_LATE — Router variant tuned for later/delayed relays.
  • Router — Coverage‑extending node visible in node lists.
  • ROUTER_LATE — Role variant tuned for delayed/late relaying. See Role.
  • rp2040 — Raspberry Pi microcontroller used in some boards.
  • RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) — Measure of received signal power.

S

  • RX (Receive) — Receiving data on the radio.
  • Sensor — A node role or device function publishing environmental/system data.
  • Serial — USB/UART link used by CLI and for flashing firmware.
  • SNR (Signal‑to‑Noise Ratio) — Measure of signal clarity vs. noise.
  • Spread(ing) Factor (SF) — LoRa parameter controlling chirp length; higher SF increases range and airtime, reduces data rate.
  • SWR (Standing Wave Ratio) — RF measure of antenna/feedline match quality.

T

  • TAK / TAK Tracker — Roles supporting Team Awareness Kit integrations, typically focused on position reporting and limited chat.
  • Telemetry — Periodic transmission of sensor, GPS, and/or system metrics from a node.
  • TX (Transmit) — Sending data on the radio.

U

  • UART — Hardware serial interface used for logging, CLI, and debugging.
  • Uplink / Downlink — Directional terms sometimes used around gateways/bridges: uplink (mesh → server), downlink (server → mesh), especially with MQTT.

V

  • VERY_LONG_SLOW — See Modem Preset.
  • Voltage (Battery Voltage) — Telemetry metric many nodes advertise to indicate power status.

W

  • Web UI — Some devices/platforms expose a local web-based configuration/status page (varies by hardware/firmware build).
  • Wi‑Fi — On supported ESP32 devices, can be used for features like MQTT bridging or a web UI.

X

Y

Z