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Channel Settings

Overview​

Channel settings are an integral part of the way your devices communicate across the mesh. If you have mismatched channel settings, your radios will be unable to communicate with one another.

Settings​

SettingAcceptable ValuesDefault
idinteger0
modem_configBw125Cr45Sf128, Bw500Cr45Sf128, Bw31_25Cr48Sf512, Bw125Cr48Sf4096Bw125Cr48Sf4096
namestring""
psk0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, none, default, random1
regionUnset, US, EU433, EU865, CN, JP, ANZ, KR, TW, RUUnset

id​

Set Channel ID​

Set the PRIMARY channel ID
meshtastic --ch-set id 1234 --ch-index 0
note

The channel id must be an integer.

modem_config​

SettingName (Range/Speed)BandwidthCoding RateSpread FactorSpeed
Bw500Cr45Sf128Short/Fast500 kHz4/57 = 128chips/symbol18.89 kbps
Bw125Cr45Sf128Short/Slow125 kHz4/57 = 128chips/symbol4.69 kbps
Bw250Cr47Sf1024Medium/Fast250 kHz4/710 = 1024chips/symbol1.2 kbps
Bw250Cr46Sf2048Medium/Slow250 kHz4/611 = 2048chips/symbol0.75 kbps
Bw31_25Cr48Sf512Long/Fast31.25 kHz4/89 = 512chips/symbol0.19 kbps
Bw125Cr48Sf4096Long/Slow125 kHz4/812 = 4096chips/symbol0.13 kbps

Set Modem​

Set Modem - LongSlow
meshtastic --ch-set modem_config Bw125Cr48Sf4096 --ch-index 0
tip

For advanced modem configuration, see Channel Settings - Advanced.

name​

The name of the channel. If this is left an empty string it is assumed that this channel is the special (minimally secure) "Default" channel. Channel Names should be short (less than 12 bytes).

Set Channel Name​

Set channel name for the PRIMARY channel
meshtastic --ch-set name MyChannel --ch-index 0
Set channel name for the PRIMARY channel with spaces
meshtastic --ch-set name "My Channel" --ch-index 0
note

A channel id must be set in order to name a channel.

psk​

note

Selecting a default or any of the simple values from the following table will use publicly known encryption keys. They're shipped with Meshtastic source code and thus, anyone can listen to messages encrypted by them. They're great for testing and public channels.

SettingBehavior
noneDisable Encryption
defaultDefault Encryption (use the weak encryption key)
randomGenerate a secure 256-bit encryption key. Use this setting for private communication.
simple0- simple254Uses a single byte encoding for encryption
tip

If you use Meshtastic for exchanging messages you don't want other people to see, random is the setting you should use.

Set/Disable Encryption​

Set encryption to default on PRIMARY channel
meshtastic --ch-set psk default --ch-index 0
Set encryption to random on PRIMARY channel
meshtastic --ch-set psk random --ch-index 0
Set encryption to single byte on PRIMARY channel
meshtastic --ch-set psk simple15 --ch-index 0
Set encryption to your own key on PRIMARY channel
meshtastic --ch-set psk 0x1a1a1a1a2b2b2b2b1a1a1a1a2b2b2b2b1a1a1a1a2b2b2b2b1a1a1a1a2b2b2b2b --ch-index 0
Disable encryption on PRIMARY channel
meshtastic --ch-set psk none --ch-index 0

region​

The region variable sets which region your radio is configured to work in. It is important to ensure that you've set it to the correct region. If left Unset, it will default to US settings.

NameCenter FrequencySpacingNumber of ChannelsPower Limit
US903.082.16130
EU433433.1750.280
EU868865.20.3100
CN470.02.0200
JP920.00.51013
ANZ916.00.5200
KR921.90.280
TW923.00.2100
RU868.90.2220
Unset903.082.16130
note

For more details about region settings, you can see the source code here

Set Region​

Unset Region
meshtastic --set region Unset
Set Region
meshtastic --set region US