MeshMap.net

A nearly live map of Meshtastic nodes seen by the official Meshtastic MQTT server

Features

• Shows all position-reporting nodes heard by Meshtastic's official MQTT server
  • Includes nodes self-reporting to MQTT or heard by another node reporting to MQTT
• Node data is updated every minute
• Nodes are removed from the map if their position is not updated after 24 hours
• Search for nodes by name or ID

FAQs

How do I get my node on the map?

These are general requirements. Refer to the official docs or reach out to the fantastic Meshtastic community (such as at r/meshtastic) for additional support.

• First, make sure you are running a recent firmware version
• Use the default primary channel and encryption key
• Enable "OK to MQTT" in LoRa configuration (signaling you want your messages uplinked via MQTT)
• Enable position reports from your node
  • This may mean enabling your node's built-in GPS, sharing your phone's location via the app, or setting a fixed position
  • Ensure "Position enabled" is enabled on the primary channel
  • Precise locations are filtered (see important update below -- the default precision will work)

If your node can be heard by another node already reporting to MQTT, that's it!

Important update as of August, 2024

Meshtastic has made a change to their MQTT server:

Only position packets with imprecise location information [10-16 bits] will be passed to the topic, ensuring that sensitive data is not exposed.

The most accurate resolution that conforms to this specification is 364 meters/1194 feet.

To enable MQTT reporting

• Enable the MQTT module, using all default settings, possibly with a custom root topic
  • View nodes around your area on the map to find MQTT topics being used
• Configure your node to connect to wifi or otherwise connect to the internet
• Enable MQTT uplink on your primary channel
  • It is not necessary, and not recommended unless you know what you're doing, to enable MQTT downlink

Does the map allow manual/self-reported nodes (not over MQTT)?

No, and that's a feature. The goal of this map is to provide a reasonably up-to-date, reliable data source for node locations. This is also why nodes are removed if no position reports are heard after 24 hours.

Can you add this awesome new feature I just came up with? (Or you'd like to report a bug)

Maybe! Open a GitHub issue and let's discuss it. Pull requests welcome!

Can I use your code for my own map?

Sure! But please pay attention to the license so we can all benefit from your improvements. :)

Why do I get an error when trying to build the Docker image?

The included Dockerfile is for building the meshobserv program, which is responsible for connecting to the MQTT server and handling node messages. Meshtastic nodes use Protocol Buffers to serialize their messages. The Meshtastic protobuf definitions must be compiled before building meshobserv. See the scripts directory for helpful build scripts.