Recommended Settings - LongFast

To help maintain a healthy and reliable mesh network across Las Vegas, we suggest the following configuration settings for your Meshtastic devices. These settings are designed to keep communication strong and independent of outside systems. While services like MQTT are useful for sharing data and mapping, we intentionally limit reliance on them to ensure the network can operate entirely off-grid. This approach helps the mesh remain functional during situations where power or internet access may be unavailable, keeping local communication reliable when it’s needed most.

Radio Settings

Device Settings
Setting Recommended Value Details
Role CLIENT_MUTE For most nodes. See official docs for other roles.
Node info broadcast interval 10800 seconds (3 hours) How often your node announces itself to the mesh.

Position Settings

Setting Recommended Value Notes
Smart position enabled True Helps devices determine when they've moved.
Position broadcast interval 3600 seconds (1 hour) For mobile nodes.
GPS update interval 1800 seconds (30 minutes) Regular GPS refresh for mobile devices.
Position flags Disable unused flags Fixed nodes should turn off most position-related flags.

LoRa Settings

Setting Recommended Value Notes
Hop limit 4-5 Please avoid setting higher than 6 to reduce network congestion. ONLY use 6 or 7 hops when you absolutely need to get a message through, then switch back down.
Ignore MQTT True Ensures nodes don't rely on cloud-based data relays.
OK to MQTT True / False (Firmware v2.5.0+) Allows your node to appear on meshmap.net. Disable it if not wanted.

Module Settings

Telemetry
Setting Recommended Value Notes
Device metrics update interval 3600 seconds (1 hour) Consider 1800 (30 min) when testing or monitoring new devices.
Environment metrics module enabled True Enables evnironment metrics.
Environment metrics update interval 3600 seconds (1 hour) Disable if you're not using environmental sensors.
Power metrics module False For advanced setups with I²C sensors—usually not needed.

Neighbor Info

Setting Recommended Value Notes
Neighbor Info enabled True Enables your node to keep track of nearby devices.
Update interval 14400 seconds (4 hours) Plenty for casual monitoring.
Transmit over LoRa True Share info with nearby nodes via radio.

Apply Settings Using Meshtastic CLI

If you haven't installed the CLI yet, follow the official instructions here:

Meshtastic CLI Installation Guide

Device Settings
meshtastic \
  --set device.role CLIENT_MUTE \
  --set device.node_info_broadcast_secs 10800
Position Settings
meshtastic \
  --set position.position_broadcast_smart_enabled true \
  --set position.position_broadcast_secs 3600 \
  --set position.gps_update_interval 1800 \
  --pos-fields ALTITUDE ALTITUDE_MSL HEADING SPEED
LoRa Settings
meshtastic \
  --set lora.hop_limit 5 \
  --set lora.ignore_mqtt true \
  --set lora.config_ok_to_mqtt true
Telemetry Module
meshtastic \
  --set telemetry.device_update_interval 3600 \
  --set telemetry.environment_update_interval 3600 \
  --set telemetry.power_measurement_enabled false \
  --set telemetry.environment_measurement_enabled false \
  --set telemetry.air_quality_enabled false
Neighbor Info Module
meshtastic \
  --set neighbor_info.enabled true \
  --set neighbor_info.update_interval 14400 \
  --set neighbor_info.transmit_over_lora true

Radio Settings

Device Settings
Setting Recommended Value Details
Role CLIENT For most nodes. See official docs for other roles.
Node info broadcast interval 10800 seconds (3 hours) How often your node announces itself to the mesh.

Position Settings

Setting Recommended Value Notes
Smart position enabled True Helps devices determine when they've moved.
Position broadcast interval 3600 seconds (1 hour) For mobile nodes. Disable for fixed installations.
GPS update interval 1800 seconds (30 minutes) Regular GPS refresh for mobile devices.
Position flags Disable unused flags Fixed nodes should turn off most position-related flags.

LoRa Settings

Setting Recommended Value Notes
Hop limit 5 Please avoid setting higher than 6 to reduce network congestion.
Ignore MQTT True Ensures nodes don't rely on cloud-based data relays.
OK to MQTT True (Firmware v2.5.0+) Allows your node to appear on meshmap.net

Module Settings

Telemetry
Setting Recommended Value Notes
Device metrics update interval 3600 seconds (1 hour) Consider 1800 (30 min) when testing or monitoring new devices.
Environment metrics update interval 3600 seconds (1 hour) Disable if you're not using environmental sensors.
Power metrics module False For advanced setups with I²C sensors—usually not needed.

Neighbor Info

Setting Recommended Value Notes
Neighbor Info enabled True Enables your node to keep track of nearby devices.
Update interval 14400 seconds (4 hours) Plenty for casual monitoring.
Transmit over LoRa True Share info with nearby nodes via radio.

Apply Settings Using Meshtastic CLI

If you haven't installed the CLI yet, follow the official instructions here:

Meshtastic CLI Installation Guide

Device Settings
meshtastic \
  --set device.role CLIENT \
  --set device.node_info_broadcast_secs 10800
Position Settings
meshtastic \
  --set position.position_broadcast_smart_enabled true \
  --set position.position_broadcast_secs 3600 \
  --set position.gps_update_interval 1800 \
  --pos-fields ALTITUDE ALTITUDE_MSL HEADING SPEED
LoRa Settings
meshtastic \
  --set lora.hop_limit 5 \
  --set lora.ignore_mqtt true \
  --set lora.config_ok_to_mqtt true
Telemetry Module
meshtastic \
  --set telemetry.device_update_interval 3600 \
  --set telemetry.environment_update_interval 3600 \
  --set telemetry.power_measurement_enabled false \
  --set telemetry.environment_measurement_enabled false \
  --set telemetry.air_quality_enabled false
Neighbor Info Module
meshtastic \
  --set neighbor_info.enabled true \
  --set neighbor_info.update_interval 14400 \
  --set neighbor_info.transmit_over_lora true