Meshtastic Native on the Raspberry Pi

[@patrickunderwood2469]

Just what I was waiting for

[@RealSnail3D]

Also. Great meshtastic spokeman. So pumped to see my fave project meshtastic kickin azz

[@dollarbutt]

Not sure a guy with a young colonel sanders villain look is a great spokesman, but we can agree to disagree.

[@davidleonard1540]

Awesome video! and instructions I got it working in about an hour. Using RPi4 and the Waveshare SX1262 LoRaWAN Node Module Expansion Board for Raspberry Pi HAT. I did have a problem trying to install it using apt, but it worked when I switched to dpkg. 😁😁

[@GarenEvans]

Also had problems with apt, but it worked when I used sudo apt ./{deb file name}

[@GarenEvans]

for example: sudo apt install ./meshtasticd_2.5.4.8d288d5_arm64.deb

[@Iraseferovich]

Nice contribution! This concept is really shaping up!

[@liverenders]

Very interesting addition, keep up the great work!

[@serebryanyy_volk]

That's amazing. 🎉

[@papafrank7094]

Thank you so much for your video. It's well explained so that everyone can do this install. And you are so right about the antenna. Try and do this without an antenna and you'll cook some of your hardware. Again, Thanks!

[@arie1293]

I'm excited this is able to run on native linux. Have had a HopeRF RFM95 module collecting dust for a few years and just got Meshtastic set up on a Rpi 3A+ with it. I don't yet have another device to test with but seeing some traffic from nearby nodes!

[@The_Castor]

Did i miss the Pi400 cyber deck video somewhere? I have one on my work bench that needs purpose in life and this video was 9 months ago. I just learned about all this stuff tonight and want to jump into it.

[@JK-dx7ex]

awesome work

[@JonathanFisherS]

thanks again!

[@richard_wenner]

Great video and good job. Looking forward to following your progress. Thank you.

[@jmcasler1512]

You're my hero! Thank you!!!!

[@gregspeakman9337]

Good vid. I am looking forward to trying it out.

[@mrshlee]

This is wonderful news.

[@VilhelmEdgren]

Can someone talk about the reasons why one would want to run meshtastic on raspi over more dedicated hardware. What are the benefits and opportunities and so on?

[@markharrison1160]

At a minimum IMO you have another interface option by that I mean keyboard and screen. Second you gain immense options and power in things you could do with IOT and messaging because of all things linux. IE scripting, Input and Output pins, web servers, and probably more.

[@suzyamerica4679]

@@markharrison1160 Automated device-to-device communication is wanted for some distributed sensor net applications and a whole lot more.

[@VilhelmEdgren]

@@markharrison1160 yeah, I kinda get it, uts cool, but screen and keyboard is possible with the microcontrollers, they have quite a few output input pins too, the raspberry pis are kinda power hungry to use for iot. I just can't see when I would need this seeing as I already need a computer to set this up anyway. I really want a reason to want this if you know what I mean

[@benjaminlong7317]

It looks like it can have a much larger routing table than a micro-controller based install.

[@liverenders]

If you cant imagine its use case, then its probably not for you. You probably are better off sticking to dedicated hardware. IMO this opens endless doors for use cases, its linux. Its limited by your imaginitation and willingness.

[@cboles1854]

Did you guys ever make the Pi400 Meshtastic video? I'm looking for exactly that type of project.

[@vpot-j3t]

Will there be support for USB to SPI adapters like the FT232H? I have a ton of OpenWRT routers deployed and it would be awesome to plug in a radio over USB and turn them into Meshtastic nodes as well.

[@Meshtastic]

Actually, that's something @JPBennett is looking into. He's got a few of those devices on the way to take a look. Stay tuned...

[@suzyamerica4679]

Jonathon - with that kind of microphone (LDC or lookalike) you want to put a pop filter between you and it. In fact, don't let anyone breathe on the business end of the mic without some kind of cloth barrier in between, and maybe 12-15cm between the mic itself and the pop filter. (chiming in as a part time sound engineer) Love the vid and keep up with the good work. I'm still poking around in the firmware source figuring out what does what.

[@NoahJohnson7452]

when are you releasing the build video?

[@SRWieZ]

I would love to see support for SX1301/2/3 to recycle my Nebra indoor hotspots into Meshtastic node for the network.

[@Meshtastic]

We use github.com/jgromes/RadioLib ... convince them and once they support it, we can support it. :)

[@DavideArzarello]

Great video! Thanks for the support of Meshtastic on Raspberry Pi. I successfully installed and configured a Pi Zero W 2 with the SX1262 Waveshare HAT module. Now, I'm looking to add/stack a display HAT or module. Is an I2C or SPI display natively supported? Are there any modules that work off the shelf?

[@Meshtastic]

Any i2c oled that automatically works with the existing firmware should also work on native. For TFTs, that has so far been case-by-case because with SPI we have to be aware of possible pin conflicts. Some confirmed displays are the waveshare 2.8inch RPi LCD 320x240 and the Adafruit 320x240 TFT w/touch. It's possible there are others too.

[@MeanGeneHacks]

Any support for RAK2245 hat??

[@Meshtastic]

Unlikely we'll be able to support any of the RAK hats because they're SX1302s (lorawan concentrators).

[@MyTube4Utoo]

Thank you.

[@Lymitliss]

Once installed, is there a command to force Meshtastic to check/apply updates? Also, I noticed Mesh no longer starts automatically after a Pi restart. I have to go into the command and enable it every time...just started doing this yesterday.

[@Meshtastic]

Did you enable it as a service so it'll start on boot? meshtastic.org/docs/hardware/devices/linux-native-hardware/#creating-and-enabling-a-systemctl-script-non-deb-installs

[@mousbleu]

Awesome.

[@alldave]

you looked like a flight attendant at @1:48 with don't turn it on without....😂

[@dperv27]

Great video!! I ordered my Waveshare HAT. The videos doesn't explain nor does the online documentation. Do I need to setup a webserver first (i.e. install Apache)?

[@Meshtastic]

No, that is not required.

[@kerron_]

Very cool how many lora modules does it support.

[@Meshtastic]

Theoretically you could support more than one radio by running more than once instance of the binary. Not a whole lot of testing has been done around that though. Might be something we explore further in the future.

[@cheesefries7436]

Cool stuff!

[@Satscape]

I have spare Pis, but just wondering...why? Don't the hats cost more than a Heltec LoRa32? Then the Pi will need at least 2 amps. Boot time of the pi is way longer than a Heltec....so why? What is the advantage?

[@Meshtastic]

Better question is why not? Depends on which hat you get. The Waveshare SX1262 is $23.99 on Amazon. Many folks already have Pis, and with a Pi you get getting a lot more than just a node. Definitely not something you'd want to be deploying, there's better options for that. But for a fixed location, like base station -- a lot of possibilities. More stuff to come! ;)

[@L0e0e0L]

RJ45

[@fotografm]

That's great. What kind of user i/o does it provide ? Command line or maybe a web interface ? Would like to see this. Would also like to get packet analysis software like an interface to eg. Wireshark ?

[@Meshtastic]

You can use any of the existing clients that has TCP connection such as the web interface or the network management client. You can also emulate the existing screen (like you'd see on the device) and it supports mouse+keyboard. Additionally, we have a new GUI that's being developed which will also offer linux native support including mouse + keyboard.

[@fotografm]

​@Meshtastic thanks for your reply. I got it working. I miss the ability to be able to traceroute to a node. Is there any way of doing that ?

[@memyselfandi8544]

Question, does Raspberry Pi offer more hardware security of the channel encryption for repeater devices? And can raspberry pi function better as a repeater/router? What about ESP32? Can Raspberry Pi function as a gateway? MQTT server? More development and instruction coming?

[@sachaw100]

Crypto is the same (although if you are worried about repeaters, they are not required to decrypt packets), we are still limited by whatever transceiver you are using, the larger nodedb size will help for large networks.

[@memyselfandi8544]

@@sachaw100 Thanks, I will establish repeater sites here in WA state. Have 4 wisblocks on order.

[@RealSnail3D]

Nice!

[@MaxIme-ny8bx]

Would that setup and hat work on a RPi ZeroW?

[@Meshtastic]

Yes, it's been tested on the Pi ZeroW as well.

[@richard_wenner]

Using a Pi5 involves a tortuous route involving the libgpio library due to the hardware chip changes (on the 5). Use an older Pi as they are cheaper and easily capable of running this code.

[@richard_wenner]

Ignore this fool. He is digging warrens required of his own ineptitude. RTFM and all works well :(

[@Meshtastic]

Thanks for the update!

[@SR-fi8ef]

Is it possible to flash an old phone with Linux and use that to connect with Meshtatic?

[@Meshtastic]

Possible? Anything's possible depending on how much time and work you want :-). Likely not though.

[@on2aav]

Great ! thanks, I do have the SX1278 (SPI), can this be used also ? If yes, what extras are needed inside the Yaml ?

[@Meshtastic]

You could make that one work, but by wiring it to a Pi yourself and defining the pins. The hat is easier. You could probably try to follow the pin out from the hat.

[@on2aav]

@@Meshtastic All is working just fine now, I used an old hat I made for Lora APRS using the HopeRF 96 (433) and after tweaking the Yaml, SPI and I2C (oled) it all works like a charm without any issues whatsoever ! , now checking how to make some logging done. Thanks for a great job on this extra option.

[@Meshtastic]

Nice! I think I saw your comment on FB about that. Feel free to submit a PR to add that to the config.yaml.

[@on2aav]

It's done. Hope you find it ;)

[@zachreyhelmberger894]

Fantastic! Is there any way I can log sensor data? I can see, on the Meshtastic Android app, temperature and humidty data from the SHT30 sensor I connected to a Heltec LoRa V3 board but I do not know how to channel that data into a file so I can make temperature time-series charts and humidity time-series charts.

[@Meshtastic]

The Android app doesn't do any logging, but the Apple apps do log. Additionally, many folks use MQTT for logging as well. A pretty neat setup is this one, which uses Adafruit IO meshtastic.org/docs/software/integrations/mqtt/adafruit-io/

[@batica81]

Will UART hats be supported in the future?

[@Meshtastic]

Unfortunately, no. We are unable to support UART hats.

[@TheRealBigJake]

How do you update meshtastic on the Pi Zero 2. I installed it from this video back when you released it and it's not updating with the system.

[@Meshtastic]

You can install the latest .deb from the releases: github.com/meshtastic/firmware/releases We also have an experimental debian repository as well: meshtastic.github.io/

[@TheRealBigJake]

​@@MeshtasticThanks, I'll give that a go. I've been running it in 64bit on the Zero 2 since I watched this video. Had to enable zram so it wouldn't crash doing a system update was all.

[@TheRealBigJake]

​@@MeshtasticThat worked! I'm not a Linux expert but I can follow directions 😊

[@shadyss96]

I think I've wiped and attempted this on my pi3 for a week now. Hopefully I'll get it today.

[@fotografm]

This works great on my raspi 4. I tried it on the Raspi 5 but get the debug output error "meshtasticd.service failed to find sx1262 radio". Any ideas what the problem might be ? I did change the uart parameter for Raspi 5 but that is for gps not the sx1262.

[@Meshtastic]

Did you complete these steps? meshtastic.org/docs/hardware/devices/linux-native-hardware/#hardware-interfaces

[@fotografm]

@@Meshtastic Yes I did and I checked the config.txt afterwards to ensure that the changes had been applied. I also edited the config.yaml as instructed.

[@fotografm]

@@Meshtastic I get the debug error: Warning, cannot claim pin GPIO20St16invalid_argument No I2C device configured, skipping. My config.yaml contains Lora: Module: sx1262 # Waveshare SX126X XXXM DIO2_AS_RF_SWITCH: true CS: 21 IRQ: 16 Busy: 20 Reset: 18

[@lanealucy]

Can it interface a arduino lora hat over a arduino uno serial connection?

[@Meshtastic]

I'm not sure in what manner you are referring to. If you are asking can you use the raspberry pi interfaced to the Uno with LoRa hat to act as the radio for Meshtastic, then the answer is no.

[@lanealucy]

@@Meshtastic already made a feature request on GitHub

[@kentnebergall3156]

I've been saying since the Helium mining crash that I really, really wish they would just make a console that could use old Helium miner on Meshtastic and tie them to local LAN/internet backbones as home base stations. Sounds like that's a much closer option now. There is so much hardware out there that could use a second life, where we can actually USE these communications systems ourselves instead of just finding lost pets and key rings for a tiny sub-set of neighbors.

[@Meshtastic]

Unfortunately, most of those helium units use LoRaWAN concentrators which would not be compatible with Meshtastic.

[@kentnebergall3156]

Thank you for responding.

[@miestermind]

Can I swap the pi for a Jetson Orin?

[@Meshtastic]

Without some modifications, likely no. You could probably make it work assuming you double check pin assignments and such. Feel free to join the discord and pop by the #linux-native channel. The kind folks there, including Jonathan, can help you out.

[@dafoex]

For people that want to play with their own MQTT server, could you run one on the Pi itself? I don't see why not, I'm just wondering how you'd give it the address or IP. Does meshtasticd understand other network interfaces of the Pi and could I just tell it "localhost" from the app? Either way I'm getting ideas that usually result in a not insignificant drop in funds, heh heh heh

[@Meshtastic]

Yes, there are folks that are running a mosquito instance on the same Pi as their Meshtastic setup.

[@7ingel7angel7om]

Yes, a Gateway 🎉

[@Meshtastic]

Meshtastic on native Linux devices does not function as a gateway. We can do some gateway-ish things but not what you'd expect when you think of a Lorawan gateway. Meshtastic is LoRa P2P.

[@7ingel7angel7om]

@@Meshtastic aww 😔

[@anayat100]

hello sir, how are you, it's a very good and informative video I was searching for. can you help in choosing mesh for GPS car tracker without internet and cellular network?

[@RussellNelson]

RAK 821?

[@Meshtastic]

Not seeing a RAK821, do you have a link? It would need to be a SPI hat. Most of the RAK devices are LoRaWAN concentrators which are not compatible.

[@RussellNelson]

Yes, this is a LoRaWAN concentrator (gateway). I guess I should hand it off to one of my LoRaWAN friends.@@Meshtastic

[@modhappy]

You should create your own MeshtasticOS Raspberry Pi Distro

[@Meshtastic]

We might host a repo with meshtasticd and potentially other tools in there. Full blown distro is likely overkill, not to mention a lot of work.

[@bladde8sdfsdf344]

Mit Version 2.5.9 funktioniert diese Anleitung leider nicht mehr

[@Meshtastic]

Hi -- What specifically isn't working for you?

[@dnawloka]

Many device configs have been moved from /etc/meshtasticd/config.yaml to /etc/meshtasticd/available.d/ you can find there file lora-waveshare-sxxx.yaml to activate, simply copy or link the appropriate file into /etc/meshtasticd/config.d/

[@MehdiGuizani]

We want more mesh 😂

[@arekx]

Ups, no 32bit meshtasticd build. Wanted to run it on raspberry pi 2, assembled hardware and a surprise for me... Edit: but own build from git works !

[@Meshtastic]

Sorry about the surprise, it was mentioned in the video that it was for 64 bit and we do have a footnote in our docs about our current issues building for 32 bit and a recommendation on how to resolve. We're working to resolve this though to have both. Glad you were able to figure it out!

[@lslBASICS]

useful commands manually start meshtasticd meshtasticd -c /etc/meshtasticd/config.yaml sudo systemctl enable meshtasticd --now sudo systemctl disable meshtasticd --now view the log of the systemctl journalctl -u meshtasticd -f

[@KillDaRoy]

GPS and MQTT wont work

[@Meshtastic]

GPS and MQTT have been confirmed to work. It sounds like there might be a configuration issue. Join the discord and post your issue in #linux-native and I'm sure someone can help get you squared away.

[@KillDaRoy]

@@Meshtastic Thx for reply. MQTT works now, on the first channel. But unfortunately not GPS, despite the identical settings here in the video. Oddly enough, he revealed his position a few times, but then stopped. The GPS fix is ​​stable. Unfortunately, Meshtastic currently crashes after about 48 hours. After 2-3 reboots it works again, but only for the next about 48 hours.

[@kerron_]

I want turn my pilot gateway pro rak7243 into a mestastic device

[@Meshtastic]

Unfortunately, LoRaWAN concentrators are not compatible with Meshtastic.

[@kerron_]

Oh OK I'll rip that sucker out and wire up a compatible lora module. Thanks for responding.

[@perkunast9680]

I don't get it a PI uses lots of power and needs cooling why add it?.

[@Meshtastic]

We highlighted the Raspberry Pi in this video (which was the most requested hardware support prior to release), but Linux native support means a lot more than just the Raspberry Pi. You can run it on other linux devices too, and use a device like a CH341 USB stick with a radio, letting you plug into virtually any computer or device. The real benefit is the processing power and flexibility that Linux-native opens up. It allows for tasks that embedded devices struggle with when using a in base station. We've seen some great implementations like weather bots and disaster alerts. Additionally, there’s exciting work being done on low-power micro-Linux devices like the Milk-V Duo and LuckFox Pico, which offer more efficient, compact solutions. So while the Pi is a great starting point, the Linux native support is designed to unlock a much wider range of possibilities!

[@lowdrag462]

And that’s it so easy😂😂😂😂😂

[@Meshtastic]

Exactly! :)

[@helinick81]

most HAts are UART... after weeks of waiting now none of the UART PI hats work.... waste of time

[@Meshtastic]

Sorry, SPI has always been a requirement for Meshtastic. We do not support any UART radios. There are several options available for SPI hats, including the one linked in this video.

[@andrewmckenzie9080]

@meshtastic out of interest why the requirement of SPI over UART?

[@Meshtastic]

We utilize RadioLib as our communication library and this is something they don't and will not support. You can read a good summary as to why here: github.com/jgromes/RadioLib/issues/664#issuecomment-1385559414