This guide walks you through flashing a device with the MeshCore repeater firmware, connecting it to the Bay Area network.

Recommended: Install the OTAFIX bootloader before flashing. For repeaters which are nRF52 based devices, like the Seeed SenseCAP Solar Node P1-Pro and RAK WisMesh Repeater Mini from our list of recommended devices, the MeshCore team has released an updated bootloader which automatically falls back into DFU mode if an OTA firmware update fails. Without it, a failed update on a mounted repeater means a physical trip to manually trigger DFU mode or connecting via USB. Read the blog post for installation instructions. This is a one-time step best done before installing your repeater in its desired physical location.

Flashing Repeater Firmware

1. Connect the device to your computer with a data-capable USB cable. If your operating system asks whether to allow the computer to connect to the new device, allow it.

2. Using Chrome (or Chrome based browser), navigate to the MeshCore Flasher. Chrome is required because the flasher uses the Web Serial API, which other browsers don’t support.

3. Wait a moment for the app to load, then find your device model in the list. Choose the Community Firmware version.

4. For role, select Repeater.

5. Follow the on-screen flashing instructions. The steps vary by device model, so read each prompt carefully.

Configuring Repeater Settings

1. Once flashing succeeds, open the “Repeater Setup”, click “Connect”, and select your device from the list.

2. Type in your desired Name for the repeater, which is what others in the network will see your repeater referenced as. You can always change this later, so don’t sweat it.

3. Set Location coordinates (lat/lng) of the repeater. While not required, does help in determining where there may be coverage or where others may place repeaters in the future. The coordinates do not need to be exact, general vicinity is aboslutely acceptable.

4. Set an Admin Password. Repeaters can be administered over the mesh from the MeshCore app using a companion device.

5. Choose Radio Settings › USA/Canada (Recommended).

Setting	Value
Frequency	910.525 MHz
Bandwidth	62.5 kHz
Spreading factor	7
Coding rate	5

6. Set Advert Intervals with the following values:

Setting	Value
Auto Advert (Zero Hop)	0
Auto Advert (Flood)	12
Flood Max	32

7. Check the box for Show Advanced Settings and change the following values:

Setting	Value
Path Hash Mode	2-byte (1)

8. Click “Save Settings”, then “Reboot”.

Setting Repeater Prefix

Every repeater on the network has a unique identification key, its public key. The first portion of the public key is known as the prefix and is what the mesh uses to route messages. The prefix is either 1 byte (represented as 2 hex characters) or 2 bytes (4 hex characters). A 1-byte prefix supports up to 256 unique prefixes; a 2-byte prefix supports up to 65,536. The Bay Area network uses 2-byte (4-character) prefixes to give the network room to grow. This prefix must be unique — if two repeaters share the same prefix it will cause routing collisions, resulting in messages possibly not reaching their intended destination. The CoreScope tool below shows which prefixes are already in use in the Bay Area so you can claim one that’s available.

1. In a new tab, open the CoreScope Hash Matrix and select 2-byte. From the grid of prefixes shown, ensure that your repeater’s default set prefix or your desired 2-byte prefix is not already in use within the Bay Area network.

2. Switch back to the “Repeater Setup” tab. If you need to change your prefix, click “Edit” (pencil icon) next to Public Key. Enter your chosen 2-byte (4-character) prefix and click “Generate” and then “Use This Key” once completed.

3. Click “Reboot”.

4. Reconnect to the repeater and click “Console”. Type the following command:

   get prv.key and press Enter

   Copy the private key and save this in a secure place if in the future you need to restore your repeater’s identity configuration or migrate the repeater identity to different hardware.

5. Optional: Once your repeater boots back up, in the “Repeater Setup” click “Send Advert”. This broadcasts your repeater’s presence so the rest of the mesh discovers it immediately rather than waiting for the next automatic advertisement.

That’s it — your repeater is live on the Bay Area mesh. If you run into trouble, ask in Discord.