Meshtastic-GOSHkathmandu

Putting a node on the public map (MQTT and meshmap.net)

A node shows up on meshmap.net when it publishes its position to Meshtastic’s public MQTT server through the default channel, with “OK to MQTT” on and an imprecise (blurred) location. The map refreshes every minute and drops nodes that haven’t sent a position for 8 hours.

What is MQTT here?

MQTT is a lightweight publish/subscribe messaging protocol. A Meshtastic node with internet access can copy (“uplink”) the packets it sees to an MQTT server, where maps and other tools pick them up. Meshtastic runs a public server:

Setting	Default
Server	mqtt.meshtastic.org
Username / password	meshdev / large4cats (public, shared by everyone)
Root topic	msh/NP_865 in Nepal (msh/<REGION>)
Topic for a node’s packets	msh/NP_865/2/e/LongFast/!<nodeid>

Docs: MQTT module settings · MQTT integration.

Checklist for meshmap.net

From the meshmap.net README:

• Recent firmware
• Default primary channel and key (LongFast, key AQ==)
• OK to MQTT turned on (lora.config_ok_to_mqtt)
• Position reporting on, with a fixed position or GPS
• Precise location off: position precision between about 364 m and 23.3 km
• MQTT module on with the default server; uplink turned on for the primary channel
• Internet access: WiFi on the node (2.4 GHz only), or a phone or computer acting as a proxy

With the CLI

meshtastic --set network.wifi_enabled true --set network.wifi_ssid "YourWiFi" --set network.wifi_psk "YourPassword"
meshtastic --set bluetooth.enabled false --set paxcounter.enabled false
meshtastic --set mqtt.enabled true --set mqtt.map_reporting_enabled true --set lora.config_ok_to_mqtt true
meshtastic --ch-index 0 --ch-set uplink_enabled true --ch-set module_settings.position_precision 13
meshtastic --setlat 27.70 --setlon 85.32          # a fixed position (example: central Kathmandu)

Or click Map reporter in the control panel. It never touches your WiFi name or password, so set those once with the CLI or the web client.

Tips from this project

• Phone hotspot: ESP32 boards only see 2.4 GHz WiFi. On an iPhone, turn on Maximize Compatibility in Personal Hotspot.
• Check it’s working: the control panel watches the node’s own topic on the public server and shows “Uplink confirmed” when its messages arrive.
• Privacy: a position precision of 13 bits blurs the location to a few kilometres. Don’t use full precision for a node at home.
• USB proxy (experimental): the panel can forward MQTT through the computer’s internet instead of the node’s WiFi (mqtt.proxy_to_client_enabled). This is less tested.

Next: The control panel →

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