Meshtastic-GOSHkathmandu

The control panel

The control panel is a small Python web app that runs on the computer a Meshtastic board is plugged into. It switches the board between operating modes with one click and shows a live dashboard of what the radio hears. It runs on macOS, Linux and Raspberry Pi, and works offline.

Live view of the mesh: nodes heard on the left, this board in the middle, outputs on the right

Run it

git clone https://github.com/saadcaffeine/Meshtastic-GOSHkathmandu.git
cd Meshtastic-GOSHkathmandu/panel
python3 -m venv venv && source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
python server.py --mock     # simulated board, no hardware needed
python server.py            # real board (auto-detects the USB port)

Then open http://127.0.0.1:8080.

Option	What it does
`--port /dev/cu.usbmodem1101`	use a specific serial port
`--mock`	simulate a board (good for demos and development)
`--host 0.0.0.0 --token SECRET`	open the panel to your network; changing modes then needs the token
`--web-port 8080`	the web page’s port
`--modules messages`	which add-on modules to load (`none` for none)

Operating modes

Mode	WiFi	Bluetooth	MQTT	Paxcounter	Use it for
Map reporter	on	off	on (direct)	off	putting the node on meshmap.net
Paxcounter sensor	off	off	off	on	counting nearby devices
Listener only	off	–	off	off	quietly watching the mesh
USB proxy (experimental)	off	off	via this computer	on	Paxcounter plus MQTT without WiFi on the node

Changing modes writes the settings and the board reboots; the panel waits for it to come back and confirms the mode. WiFi names and passwords are never changed.

What the dashboard shows

Connection pill and ⓘ details: the USB port, connected-since time, reconnects, the USB chip, and the board’s model, firmware, MAC address and capabilities.
Devices nearby: the latest Paxcounter total and a WiFi and Bluetooth chart with a table view and CSV download.
Live view: nodes heard, your board, and where the data goes (LoRa mesh, map uplink, Paxcounter, USB). Dots move in each node’s own colour.
Node status: battery, channel busy and airtime gauges, plus WiFi, Bluetooth, MQTT and uplink state.
Nodes: last heard (timed by the computer’s clock, because boards without GPS have no reliable clock), packets, last packet type, SNR and RSSI bars, hops, Paxcounter count and battery.
Raw data: live packets with LED activity lights by type and by node, one line per packet that expands to its JSON, plus the full board settings. Private keys, channel keys and passwords are hidden.

Messages (add-on)

The Messages card works like a simplified Meshtastic app:

Conversations: channels (for example #LongFast) and direct messages, with unread counts. Start a direct message with any node from the dropdown.
Messages: incoming bubbles show the sender in their node colour, the time, SNR and hops. Your own messages show their delivery status: sending → sent → heard by the mesh (channel) or delivered (direct), or no answer / not delivered.
Sending: Enter sends and Shift+Enter starts a new line. A counter keeps you under Meshtastic’s 200-byte limit (emoji and Nepali script take several bytes per character). With --token, sending needs the token.
History is saved on the computer in panel/data/messages.jsonl.

Messages add-on with a channel conversation and a direct message

Add-on modules

Messages is an add-on module. Modules are optional cards with their own code in panel/modules/<name>/, so new features can be added without touching the core panel:

python server.py --modules messages   # choose modules (comma-separated)
python server.py --modules none       # core panel only

To write one, see the template in panel/modules/README.md. A module can react to every packet, add API endpoints and draw its own card using the panel’s colours and icons.

Reading the indicators

Icon	Meaning	Rough guide
▂▄▆█ bars	SNR, how far the signal is above the noise	above 0 dB is comfortable; LongFast still works to about −15 dB
arcs	RSSI, received strength	−40 to −75 dBm strong, −95 to −115 dBm weak
●–●–○ chain	hops, relays in between	“direct” means heard first-hand
ring	last heard	empties over 15 minutes
half-dial	channel busy / airtime	above 25% channel busy means the mesh is crowded

How it works

radio.py talks to the board with the Meshtastic Python library and reconnects automatically after reboots or unplugging.
server.py is a Flask app. It keeps per-node statistics from received packets, logs Paxcounter readings to data/pax_log.csv, and uses paho-mqtt to confirm uplink or forward proxy traffic.
static/index.html is a single offline page with no build step. Device pictures come from Meshtastic’s web flasher images when online, with drawn shapes as a fallback.

Source: panel/.

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