Glossary
A glossary of commonly-used terms for mesh networking.
Note: You really don’t need to know most of these if you just want to use the network, but if you want to talk shop with the radio nerds, you might find this useful.
A
B
C
Coding Rate: A Parameter in LORA radio setups that determines the level of error-correction used for communications. This is a ratio which ranges from 4:5 to 4:8, but is often just displayed as the last number. This is the one parameter than doesn’t need to match for two radios to communicate. If you want better noise-resistance, you can increase the ratio towards 4:8, at the expense of slightly-reduced speed.
Companion radio: A MechCore radio that is configured to use with the iPhone or Android mobile Meshcore application.
D
E
F
Frequency: The frequency that your radio is set to is one of the two parameters that need to match your local network in order to connect. In Northern California, the typical frequency is 915 MHz (the default US frequency). In Southern California, most nodes are using 927.875 MHz. For Santa Barbara, we recommend 927.875, since several SoCalMesh repeaters are alreadyy covering parts of Santa Barbara.
G
H
I
J
K
L
LORA: The low-level radio protocol that underlies MeshCore (and MeshTastic) radios. It’s a no-license required, spread-spectrum radio protocol which is extremely low-power and Long Range (which is where the initials LORA comes from).
M
N
O
P
Q
R
Repeater: A repeater is a node which only forwards messages from othe nodes. They are best set up on the highest-elevation areas available. Because the LORA radios are low-power, it is very easy (and highly recommended) to power these nodes with solar power.
Room server: A MeshTastic node can also be set up as a Room Server. This provides a place to leave messages for other users, so they don’t have to be online at the moment to see them.
S
SoCalMesh: Our neighbors to the south have self-organized under the banner of SoCalMesh. Their website is https://socalmesh.org, and they have a Discord server, where they discuss various topics related to their network. SOme of their nodes are reachable from our area (on a good day, in the right part of town).