Self-check
Answer a few questions about your node and see what would help most. It runs in your browser and nothing you choose is sent anywhere.
This is a practical guide, not a coverage prediction. Radio depends on the terrain and buildings around you, so treat the suggestions as things worth trying.
Choose your answers to see suggestions. The full list is below.
Every suggestion the self-check can give, with the situations it applies to. Use this list if you’d rather read than click.
You’re a backbone node
A fixed, high, always-on node is exactly what the mesh needs. Keep it running, keep the firmware current, and let neighbours know it’s there so they can plan around it.
Why it helps: messages can only travel through nodes that are on. Reliable, well-placed nodes are what turn scattered radios into a network.
Applies when: fixed, up high, on around the clock.
Stay on
Run it from a USB mains adapter, or a small solar panel with a battery if it’s outdoors. Most nodes draw very little power.
Why it helps: a node that comes and goes can’t be relied on to pass other people’s messages. One that is always there gives everyone nearby a dependable path.
Applies when: fixed, but not always on.
Go up
Walls, concrete, metal roofing, foil-backed insulation and tinted glass all soak up the signal. A window facing open sky is a big step up from a desk or drawer.
Why it helps: LoRa signals travel best in a clear line. Every obstacle between you and the next node costs range.
Applies when: indoors, away from windows.
Go up
An upper-floor window, a balcony or a roofline mount will usually beat anything else you can change. Keep the antenna vertical and clear of metal.
Why it helps: getting above nearby roofs and trees opens a clear path to more distant nodes, which is what joins suburbs together.
Applies when: at a window, or outdoors near the ground.
Antenna
Use an antenna made for 915–928 MHz, keep the cable between radio and antenna short (long thin cable loses a lot of signal), mount it vertically, and seal outdoor connectors against water.
Why it helps: a high site is only as good as what reaches the antenna. Cable and connector losses can undo the benefit of the height.
Applies when: up high.
On the move
Keep it on while you’re out, carry it high (a top pocket or bag strap beats a back pocket), and share what you can hear from different places. If you can, add a fixed node at home as well.
Why it helps: mobile users test coverage across the city and find the gaps. A fixed home node gives your area a permanent path.
Applies when: portable.
Basics
Make sure the region is set to ANZ, the channel and modem preset are the defaults used locally, the antenna is attached, and the firmware is reasonably current. Then work on placement.
Why it helps: a wrong region or preset means your node is talking on a different frequency or speed from everyone else, so no amount of height will help.
Applies when: you rarely see other nodes.
Neighbours
Ask in the Melbourne community who has nodes in your area and what they can hear. Two neighbours comparing notes often find the one spot that links them.
Why it helps: gaps are usually fixed by one well-placed node in the right street, not by many nodes in the same one.
Applies when: you see few nodes or messages fail.
Airtime
Lengthen how often your node broadcasts its position and telemetry, turn off modules you don’t use, avoid repeated test messages on the public channel, and run range tests on a private channel.
Why it helps: every node shares the same airtime. From 25% utilisation, Meshtastic skips its own routine position and telemetry broadcasts, and messages are more likely to collide.
Applies when: channel utilisation is over 25%.
Airtime
The channel is getting busy. Check your position and telemetry intervals are no shorter than you need.
Why it helps: small savings on every node add up to a quieter channel for everyone.
Applies when: channel utilisation is 15% to 25%.
Airtime
Open your node’s details in the Meshtastic app and look for channel utilisation (ChUtil). It shows how busy the channel is around you.
Why it helps: it’s the quickest way to tell whether your area needs fewer broadcasts.
Applies when: you don’t know the figure.
Settings
Router roles are only for stationary nodes in extremely strategic spots. On a node that is low, indoors, portable or not always on, Client is the right choice. Repeater is deprecated in current firmware.
Why it helps: routers repeat everything they hear. In the wrong place they cause collisions, use up hops before messages reach better-placed nodes, and create one-way links.
Applies when: set to a router role, and not fixed, high and always on.
Settings
The official guidance keeps Router for places like hilltops and tall towers, and suggests Client base for a home roof or attic node. If yours really is a strategic site, talk to nearby operators first so your area doesn’t end up with several routers covering the same ground.
Why it helps: one well-chosen router helps an area; several overlapping ones mostly add traffic.
Applies when: set to a router role, fixed, up high and always on.
Settings
Mark your own other nodes (your handheld, the car) as favourites on it, so it relays strongly for them while behaving like a Client for everyone else.
Why it helps: your household gets a strong home relay without adding router-style traffic for the whole area.
Applies when: set to Client base.
Settings
If this is the roof or attic node for your household, Client base lets it relay strongly for your own favourited nodes, and you can set your other nodes to Client mute.
Why it helps: one strong home relay, without your own nodes repeating each other.
Applies when: fixed, up high, on Client or not sure.
Settings
Client mute receives and sends your own messages but doesn’t rebroadcast others. It suits a handheld that sits next to your own better-placed node.
Why it helps: it stops two of your nodes repeating the same messages from the same spot.
Applies when: set to Client mute.
Settings
Client is the default for good reason. Only change the role if you have a specific reason and have read the official guidance.
Why it helps: most mesh problems caused by settings come from roles changed without a plan.
Applies when: you’re not sure of the role.
Everyone
Tell the community which nodes you can hear and how well, at suburb level. Reception reports are how gaps get found and fixed.
Why it helps: nobody can see the whole mesh from one place. Shared observations build the picture.
Applies to everyone. Melbourne community