Lightweight off-grid communicator firmware for the LilyGo T-Deck Plus and T-Watch Ultra. Built on MeshCore, MCLite is purpose-built for emergency and outdoor communication -- no internet, no cell towers, no training needed. Turn it on and communicate.
MCLite is ideal for groups, families, search and rescue teams, and anyone who needs reliable off-grid messaging. It is fully compatible with other MeshCore devices and companion apps (iOS, Android) -- MCLite users can communicate with anyone on the same MeshCore network. All configuration is done in a single file -- one person sets it up, copies it to everyone's SD card, and the whole group is ready to go. No accounts, no pairing, no per-device setup. Perfect for kids, older family members, or anyone who just needs it to work.
Most features below are optional. The primary goal is to keep things extremely simple -- anyone who can use a smartphone can use MCLite without explanation. Advanced features like telemetry, GPS sharing, or PIN lock are there when you need them, but they stay out of the way until then.
 Conversations |
 Chat — map / telemetry / share |
 Canned quick replies |
 Emoji picker |
 Heard adverts |
 Map view |
 Admin hub |
 Contact management |
MCLite runs on two LilyGo ESP32-S3 boards. They share the same SX1262 LoRa radio, so they interoperate on the same mesh and run the same features -- pick whichever form factor suits you (or mix both in one group).
- T-Deck Plus -- handheld with a physical QWERTY keyboard, trackball, GPS, and a 2.8" display. The original, fully-featured target.
- T-Watch Ultra -- wrist-worn device with a 2.01" AMOLED touchscreen. Fully touch-driven with an on-screen keyboard.
New here? Three steps, no toolchain or install needed:
- Flash your T-Deck Plus or T-Watch Ultra from the browser with the web flasher (Chrome or Edge).
- Configure your identity, contacts, and channels in the offline config tool, then download
config.json. - Copy
config.jsonto the SD card, insert it, and power on.
That's it. Full walkthrough — including updates and companion mode — in Getting Started below.
Release history and per-version changes: see CHANGELOG.md.
- Direct messages -- private encrypted conversations between contacts
- Channels -- group communication via shared or public channels, with optional read-only (listen-only) mode
- Room servers -- join community message boards run by MeshCore room servers (up to 8). Posts arrive on the conversation list with an
Ricon, ordered alongside DMs and channels by last activity. Auto-login on boot with retry; re-login on chat-open and after 10 minutes of silence to recover from brief radio dropouts. - Heard adverts -- browse a rolling 64-entry list of every device your radio has decoded, reachable from the admin screen. Per-row type icon (chat / repeater / room / sensor), hops, last-heard age, GPS when present. Tap a chat advert for the full per-hop path + fingerprint and a one-tap Save that adds it to your contact list (queued, applies on next reboot). Manual-advert button announces yourself on demand without waiting for the next periodic cycle
- Share a contact -- the Share button in a DM chat header re-broadcasts that contact's signed advert at zero hop, so a nearby device picks them up in its own Heard Adverts and adds them with no key typing (MeshCore's standard contact-sharing). Saved contacts' adverts are kept on the SD card so sharing works after a reboot. Toggle with
messaging.share_contact - SOS alerts -- long-press the trackball (hold 6 seconds) to broadcast an emergency alert
- Battery alerts -- automatic low-battery warnings sent to your contacts
- GPS location sharing -- manually send your position in lat/lon or UTMREF/MGRS (military grid) format, used by search and rescue worldwide. Last-known position support when GPS signal is temporarily lost. Optionally broadcast your location in adverts (
location_precision, off by default) so contacts see you on their map -- with a privacy precision setting (exact, or coarsened to a ~100 m / ~750 m / ~3 km / ~12 km / ~50 km grid). Note adverts are unencrypted and reach everyone in range; targeted per-contact telemetry replies and the in-chat GPS insert always use your exact position - Telemetry -- responds to MeshCore-standard telemetry requests (battery, GPS) with per-contact permissions. Compatible with MeshCore companion apps. Optionally request telemetry from contacts to see their battery, location, and distance
- Map view -- visualise positions on a slippy map (optional, requires tile pack on SD card). Tap the map button in a chat header for that contact's position (shown once the contact is located), or tap the status-bar GPS icon for the general map: your own location plus markers for every heard node / contact that carries GPS (same chat / repeater / room / sensor symbols as the heard-adverts list). Tap a marker for its name, drag to pan, zoomable, with Center and Reload buttons
- Message history -- conversations saved to SD card and restored on reboot
- Quick replies -- optional canned message picker for fast responses (OK, Copy, Need help, etc.), translatable and customizable; per-conversation override lists turn a contact/channel/room into a command menu (e.g. a Home Assistant bridge)
- Themes -- selectable UI color palettes: Dark (default), Light, Amber (a "military" night mode that preserves night vision), and High contrast. Switch on-device (Admin -> Theme, reboots to apply) or set
display.themein config. You can also define your own palettes underdisplay.themes-- start from a built-inbaseand override any color with a#RRGGBBvalue - Emoji -- received emoji render inline in chat (monochrome OpenMoji glyphs with a plain-text fallback, so anything outside the included set degrades gracefully rather than showing boxes). An on-device emoji picker (
display.emoji, on by default, can be disabled) adds a smiley button to compose from a curated set, without letting a message exceed the 160-byte radio limit - Multi-language -- English, German, French, and Italian included. Add your own translations via SD card
- Notification sounds -- chime on incoming messages, alarm on SOS. Supports custom WAV files from SD card
- Haptic feedback (T-Watch Ultra) -- vibration on incoming messages and SOS alerts, independent of the sound mute
- Real-time clock (T-Watch Ultra) -- battery-backed RTC keeps accurate time across reboots and before the first GPS fix
- Auto-dim -- screen and keyboard backlight dim after inactivity to save battery
- Multiple input methods -- QWERTY keyboard, trackball, and touchscreen
- Screen lock -- hold the trackball for 1 second to lock. Key lock blocks all input and unlocks with another 1s hold. PIN lock requires a code to unlock. Optional auto-lock on display dim
- Region scope -- tag outgoing packets with MeshCore transport codes so repeaters can filter by region. Set a global scope or override per channel/room
- Path hash mode -- configurable repeater path fingerprint size (1/2/3 bytes per hop). Larger sizes reduce path collisions in dense meshes at the cost of a few extra bytes per hop. Defaults to 1 byte for compatibility with pre-v1.15 peers
- Offgrid mode -- one-flag toggle that switches to the community offgrid frequency (433/869/918 MHz, auto-picked from your normal frequency) and relays packets for other offgrid nodes. Camping / hiking / SAR scenarios where no repeaters exist. Toggle on-device from the admin screen or via config tool, reboot to apply. While offgrid, only other offgrid peers receive your messages, SOS, and battery alerts.
- Update from SD card -- drop a firmware
.binon the SD card and the device offers to install it on boot (or from the admin screen) -- no USB needed - Update over WiFi -- optionally connect to WiFi on-device (scan + enter password) and check GitHub for newer firmware; download and install with one tap. Off by default
- Companion mode (WiFi / USB / BLE) -- bridge the radio to a phone/desktop/CLI using the standard MeshCore companion protocol, in parallel with normal on-device use (received and app-sent messages appear in both — but messages typed on the device don't sync to the app; see the limitation note under Companion mode). BLE pairs with the official MeshCore mobile apps (6-digit PIN); WiFi/USB work with
meshcore-cli/meshcore.js/meshcore_py. One transport at a time; messaging is read-only for config (no remote edits). See note below - Zero-config for end users -- all settings live in one JSON file on the SD card. Set it up once, copy to every device in your group
Option 1: Web Flasher (recommended)
Visit the MCLite Web Flasher, choose your device (T-Deck Plus or T-Watch Ultra), select a version, and flash directly from your browser. The flasher walks you through putting your board into download mode. No software to install -- just Chrome/Edge and a USB cable.
Option 2: Manual
Download the latest binary for your board from the Releases page -- mclite-v*.bin for the T-Deck Plus, mclite-watch-v*.bin for the T-Watch Ultra -- and flash with esptool at offset 0x0:
esptool.py write_flash 0x0 mclite-v0.4.0.bin # T-Deck Plus
esptool.py write_flash 0x0 mclite-watch-v0.4.0.bin # T-Watch Ultra
The T-Watch Ultra has no power switch -- if esptool can't connect, put it in download mode manually: hold BOOT, tap RST, release BOOT.
Once MCLite is installed you can update it without a computer:
- From SD card -- copy a newer merged binary (
mclite-v*.binfor the T-Deck Plus,mclite-watch-v*.binfor the T-Watch Ultra) to the SD card. On the next boot the device detects it and offers Install / Cancel, then flashes and reboots. The file is renamed afterwards so it won't re-prompt. - Over WiFi -- on the device go to Admin → WiFi, switch WiFi on, pick your network and enter the password (saved for next time), then tap Check for updates. If a newer release exists on GitHub it downloads and installs. Enable auto-update (config tool → WiFi, or it checks on boot when on) to be prompted automatically.
Use a phone, desktop, or CLI as a companion to the radio while the device keeps working normally — received and app-sent messages appear in both places at once. (One exception: messages you type on the device don't sync to the app — see the Important limitation note under Notes below.) MCLite speaks the standard MeshCore companion protocol over three transports (one active at a time): Bluetooth, WiFi, and USB. A companion can send/receive messages and manage conversations — add, rename, and remove contacts; add and remove channels; log into rooms — gated by permissions.conversation_management. With permissions.settings set to full it can also change device settings — device name, radio parameters (frequency/SF/BW/CR), TX power, BLE pairing PIN, path-hash mode, and region/scope (the last two handy for matching a large 3-byte mesh). The identity/keys, advert location (MCLite advertises GPS at the configured precision), and auto-add stay device-managed by design and are refused.
The way to use the official MeshCore iOS / Android apps.
- On the device: Admin → Bluetooth. The screen shows a 6-digit pairing PIN (generated once and saved).
- Turn the Bluetooth Companion switch on — the device advertises as
MeshCore-<name>. - In the app: scan, pick this device, and enter the PIN when prompted. It bonds once and reconnects automatically.
The Bluetooth status-bar icon turns green while a client is connected.
- On the device: Admin → WiFi, switch WiFi on and connect to your network.
- Turn on the WiFi Companion switch (enabled once WiFi is connected). The row shows
Companion <ip>:5000. - From a computer on the same network:
(
pip install meshcore-cli meshcore-cli -t <device-ip> -p 5000 infos # or: contacts, recv, chan_msg, etc.meshcore.jsandmeshcore_pywork too.) The status-bar WiFi icon turns green while a client is attached. Note: the WiFi transport has no pairing/auth (the protocol's only auth is the Bluetooth passkey) — only enable it on networks you trust.
Turn on the USB Companion switch (Admin → USB; works with WiFi off), then connect over the USB-CDC port:
meshcore-cli -s /dev/ttyACM0 infos
While USB companion is active the device's serial debug logging is muted — the binary protocol and log text can't share the one USB port (there's no spare log UART on these boards). Logs resume the moment you turn it off. The charge bolt turns green while a USB client is bridging.
- One transport, one client at a time — the modes are mutually exclusive by design (the protocol is single-session). Turning one on turns the others off.
- WiFi vs Bluetooth can't run together — they share the 2.4 GHz radio and there isn't enough RAM for both. Enabling Bluetooth turns WiFi off; once Bluetooth has been used, switching back to WiFi needs a reboot (the BLE stack can't be freed at runtime). The WiFi screen shows a notice and a Reboot button when this applies.
- Conversation management — one consistent rule for both contacts and channels: adding and editing apply instantly (the companion session stays connected, and the change shows on the device's own conversation list and Admin screens right away), while removing reboots the device to apply (the app reconnects on its own). The reboot on removal is required for channels — MeshCore offers no way to drop a channel from the running radio, so MCLite rebuilds its channel table from config at boot — and is kept for contact removal too so the behaviour is uniform. Editing a contact from the app changes its display name only; per-contact permissions stay in the config file / on-device Admin.
⚠️ Important limitation — messages you type on the device do not appear in the companion app. Sending from the device still works: the message goes out over the mesh and others receive it normally — it just won't show up in the app. This is a hard constraint of the MeshCore companion protocol, not an MCLite bug: its sync stream carries only received messages, and there is no frame for an outgoing/firmware-composed message (stock MeshCore assumes the app is the sole composer — verified against the 1.16 reference firmware, whose sync queue is fed exclusively by receive callbacks). A direct message you typed on the device therefore can't be shown as "sent" in the app at all, so it is left out rather than mislabelled as incoming. If you want a complete, correctly-sided history in the app, compose your messages from the app. Everything else mirrors both ways: messages you receive, and messages you send from the app, appear on the device and in the app.
Option 1: Config Tool (recommended)
- Open the MCLite Config Tool in any web browser (or use the local file at
tools/config-tool/mclite_config_tool.html). It works offline -- no internet needed, nothing to install. - The Setup Wizard opens automatically and walks you through the essentials: device name, region, key pair, and default channels. For more detailed settings (telemetry, GPS format, PIN lock, etc.), use the full editor after completing the wizard.
- Click Export to download
mclite-config.zip(includes config and language files) - Unzip and copy all contents to the root of your SD card
- Insert the SD card and power on -- done
To set up a group: use Fleet Mode in the Setup Wizard. Add a device for each person in your group, generate keys for all, then export -- the tool creates a ZIP with a folder per device, each containing config.json and language files. Copy each folder's contents to the corresponding SD card and you're done.
Option 2: Blank SD card (quick start)
- Insert a blank FAT32-formatted SD card (max 32 GB) and power on
- MCLite auto-generates a unique identity and creates a default config with the Public and #mclite channels
- The device is immediately functional -- you can send and receive on both channels
- To add contacts, channels, or change settings (language, radio preset, etc.): open the Config Tool, click Import to load the auto-created
config.jsonfrom your SD card, make your changes, click Export, and copy the updated file back to the SD card
Example config.json (click to expand)
You don't need to write this by hand -- use the Config Tool. This example shows all available options with their defaults.
If you want a visual map view (the map button in a chat header, or a contact's telemetry pop-up → Map), copy slippy map tiles to /tiles/ on the SD card root:
/tiles/<zoom>/<x>/<y>.png (256×256 PNG, Web Mercator / EPSG:3857)
This is the same layout used by MeshCore's official T-Deck firmware, so any existing tile pack works unchanged. Zoom levels are auto-detected from the folder names present.
Getting tiles: map-tiles-downloader is a terminal tool (TUI) that produces exactly this layout -- pick a country/region, zoom range, tile source, and export.
Region codes in that tool are GeoNames admin1 codes, not the local administrative numbers you may be familiar with. For Germany, a few common ones: 02 = Bayern, 04 = Hamburg, 07 = Nordrhein-Westfalen, 16 = Berlin. Check the GeoNames admin1 codes list for other countries.
Controls & shortcuts
The T-Deck Plus is keyboard + trackball driven; the T-Watch Ultra is touch driven with two physical buttons (lower = BOOT, upper = PWR). Touch shortcuts work the same on both.
| Action | T-Deck Plus | T-Watch Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Admin / device info | Sym + 0 | Short-press upper (PWR) button |
| Lock / unlock | Hold trackball 1s | Hold lower (BOOT) button 1s |
| SOS broadcast | Hold trackball 6s | Hold lower (BOOT) button 6s |
| Power off | Slide the power switch | Long-press upper (PWR) button |
| Mute / unmute | Tap speaker icon in status bar | Same |
| Contact telemetry | Tap the telemetry (refresh) button in chat header | Same |
| Share a contact | Tap the share (↑) button in a DM chat header | Same |
| Retry failed message | Tap the X on a failed message | Same |
| Quick reply | Tap the list icon (≡) by the text input | Same |
Screenshot (when debug.screenshots is on) |
Shift + $ | Double-press upper (PWR) button |
Conversation list icons
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| @ | Direct message (contact) |
| # | Public or hashtag channel |
| * | Private channel |
| R | Room server (purple) |
| Green eye | Contact recently seen on the mesh |
| Green dot | Unread messages |
| Battery / GPS | Contact's last reported telemetry |
Status bar
| Icon | Meaning |
|---|---|
| GPS | Green = live fix, amber = last known, gray = no fix, dimmed = GPS disabled. Tap to open the map |
| Battery | Charge level; charging symbol when plugged in |
Map view (needs offline tiles on the SD card -- see Map tiles)
Open it by tapping the GPS icon in the status bar (works even when GPS is off -- the icon stays dimmed but tappable), or from a contact's telemetry pop-up via Map (which opens the same map centered on that contact, with it highlighted). It's one map either way -- it always shows every node whose location we know: contacts (from a telemetry request or their advert), heard nodes, and your own position.
Markers use the same letters and colors as the Heard Adverts list, drawn as a filled dot with the symbol on top:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| @ (blue) | Chat client that's a saved contact |
| @ (grey) | Chat client heard on the mesh (not a contact) |
| P | Repeater |
| R | Room server |
| S | Sensor |
| Green / amber dot | Your own position (green = live fix, amber = last known) -- distinct from node markers |
- Tap a marker to show its name in the bottom bar; the selected one gets a ring and a slightly larger dot.
- Center (GPS button) centers on your own location as soon as a fix is available; with no fix it returns to where the map opened (the contact, or a nearby node).
- Reload (↻) re-scans all node locations and re-checks your own, without moving the view.
- Drag to pan, + / − to zoom.
Message delivery indicators
| Icon | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Single check | Message sent, waiting for acknowledgement |
| Double check | Message delivered (acknowledged by recipient) |
| X | Delivery failed -- tap to retry |
SOS keyword -- incoming messages containing "SOS" (default) trigger an alert sound. The same keyword is sent via the trackball long-press SOS. Best left unchanged so all devices recognize each other's alerts.
MCLite uses MeshCore for radio communication and is compatible with other MeshCore devices. Built-in radio presets:
- EU/UK/CH: 869.618 MHz, SF8, BW62.5, CR8, 22 dBm
- US/Canada: 910.525 MHz, SF7, BW62.5, CR5, 22 dBm
- Australia Wide: 915.800 MHz, SF10, BW250, CR5, 22 dBm
- Australia Victoria: 916.575 MHz, SF10, BW250, CR5, 22 dBm
All devices in your group must use the same radio settings. Compatible with both 1-byte and 2-byte repeaters.
EU/UK/CH (868 MHz): MCLite enforces the ETSI EN 300 220 duty cycle limit for the G3 sub-band (869.40–869.65 MHz). TX duty cycle is capped at 10% through MeshCore's airtime budget mechanism. The Admin screen shows real-time channel utilization so you can verify compliance.
US/Canada (915 MHz): The US ISM band (902–928 MHz) has no duty cycle restriction under FCC Part 15.247. MCLite uses the MeshCore default airtime budget (33%).
Australia (915 MHz): The 915–928 MHz ISM band is available under ACMA class licence (LIPD-2015). MCLite uses the MeshCore default airtime budget (33%).
Disclaimer: MCLite is experimental open-source software, not a certified radio product. The firmware-level duty cycle cap is provided as a best-effort aid, not a guarantee of regulatory compliance. The operator is solely responsible for ensuring that their complete setup (firmware, hardware, antenna, configuration) complies with all applicable local laws and regulations. The authors accept no liability for non-compliance or any consequences arising from the use of this software.
MCLite firmware is released under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.
MCLite uses the following open-source libraries:
| Library | License |
|---|---|
| MeshCore | MIT |
| LVGL | MIT |
| LovyanGFX | MIT + BSD-2-Clause |
| ArduinoJson | MIT |
| RadioLib | MIT |
| TinyGPSPlus | LGPL-2.1 |
| Arduino ESP32 core | LGPL-2.1 |
LGPL-2.1 libraries are dynamically linked. Users may replace them by rebuilding with PlatformIO. See LICENSES.md for full copyright notices.
Contributions are welcome. Please open an issue or pull request on GitHub.
Help spread MCLite by linking to it from your own page. Drop one of these snippets into any HTML — the buttons render identically across light and dark themes and require no external CSS or fonts.
<!-- Flash button -->
<a href="https://laserir.github.io/MCLite/tools/web-flasher/">
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/laserir/MCLite/main/docs/images/btn-flash.svg" alt="Flash MCLite now" height="48">
</a>
<!-- Config tool button -->
<a href="https://laserir.github.io/MCLite/tools/config-tool/mclite_config_tool.html">
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/laserir/MCLite/main/docs/images/btn-config.svg" alt="Open Config Tool" height="48">
</a>
<!-- GitHub button -->
<a href="https://github.com/laserir/MCLite">
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/laserir/MCLite/main/docs/images/btn-github.svg" alt="View MCLite on GitHub" height="48">
</a>Running a regional MCLite group? You can publish a preset link that opens the config tool with your channels, radio settings, contacts, boot text, and more already filled in — visitors only need to add their own identity before exporting.
- Open the Config Tool and configure the settings you want to share.
- Choose Share preset link… from the ⋯ menu (top-right).
- Tick the sidebar sections to include —
Device(name, identity keys) andSecurity(PIN, lock mode) are always excluded. - Copy the generated URL and embed it on your site, just like the Config Tool button:
<!-- Pre-filled config link (replace the # fragment with your generated preset) -->
<a href="https://laserir.github.io/MCLite/tools/config-tool/mclite_config_tool.html#preset=YOUR_BASE64_PAYLOAD">
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/laserir/MCLite/main/docs/images/btn-group-preset.svg" alt="Open MCLite Group Preset" height="48">
</a>The preset is encoded entirely in the URL fragment (#preset=…), so it's never sent to a server. Opening the link generates a fresh keypair and overlays your shared settings on top — the visitor reviews them in the Preset applied banner before exporting.
{ // Language: "" = English (default), "de" = German, "fr" = French, "it" = Italian // Add your own: place <code>.json in /mclite/lang/ on the SD card "language": "", "device": { "name": "Alice" // Display name shown in status bar and to other devices }, // Radio settings — all devices in your group MUST use the same values // Use the Config Tool's preset buttons to fill these automatically "radio": { "frequency": 869.618, // MHz — EU/UK/CH: 869.618, US/Canada: 910.525 "spreading_factor": 8, // EU: 8, US: 7 — higher = more range, slower "bandwidth": 62.5, // kHz — 62.5 for both presets "tx_power": 22, // dBm (1-22) — transmission power "coding_rate": 8, // EU: 8, US: 5 — error correction level "scope": "*", // Region scope: "*" = no filtering, "#name" = hashtag region (e.g. "#europe") "path_hash_mode": 0 // 0 (default, 1B/hop), 1 (2B/hop), 2 (3B/hop). Larger = fewer collisions in dense meshes but more airtime per hop. Keep 0 for compatibility with pre-v1.15 peers. }, // Your identity — generated by the Config Tool (do NOT share your private key) "identity": { "private_key": "...your private key (hex)...", "public_key": "...your public key (hex)..." }, // Contacts — people you can send direct messages to "contacts": [ { "alias": "Bob", // Display name "public_key": "...hex...", // Their public key (from their config) "allow_telemetry": true, // Base telemetry permission (must be true for location/environment to work) "allow_location": false, // Let them request your GPS location (requires allow_telemetry) "allow_environment": false, // Let them request environment sensor data (requires allow_telemetry) "always_sound": false, // Play sound even when device is muted "allow_sos": true, // Show SOS alerts from this contact "send_sos": true, // Include in your outgoing SOS broadcast "canned": ["Open gate", "Lights on", "Status?"] // Optional per-conversation quick replies — overrides the // global list for THIS chat (max 8). Works on contacts, channels and rooms. // Great as a command menu for a Home Assistant / automation bridge. Omit = use global. } ], // Channels — group communication "channels": [ { "name": "Public", // Well-known MeshCore public channel (all devices use this key) "type": "public", // "public" = hardcoded PSK, "hashtag" = open, "private" = user-provided PSK "psk": "8b3387e9c5cdea6ac9e5edbaa115cd72", "index": 0, "allow_sos": false, // Public channel: ignore SOS from strangers "send_sos": false, // Public channel: SOS off by default (readable by everyone) "read_only": true // Listen-only mode — hides the input bar }, { "name": "#mclite", // Hashtag channels: lowercase only (a-z, 0-9, -), shared by name "type": "hashtag", "index": 1, "allow_sos": true, "send_sos": false // Hashtag default false — community channels shouldn't get SOS spam }, { "name": "Team Alpha", "type": "private", // Private channel — PSK shared out-of-band with group members "psk": "a1b2c3d4e5f6a7b8a1b2c3d4e5f6a7b8", "index": 2, "allow_sos": true, "send_sos": true, // Private channel default true (trusted small group) "scope": "#local" // Override global scope for this channel (omit or "" = inherit global) } ], // Room servers — community message boards run by MeshCore room servers (max 8) "room_servers": [ { "name": "Ruhrgebiet", // Display name shown in conversation list "public_key": "...64-hex...", // Server's Ed25519 public key (shared out-of-band) "password": "secret", // Up to 15 chars; "" = public room "allow_sos": true, // Trigger SOS alert on posts starting with the SOS keyword "send_sos": false, // Include this room in your outgoing SOS broadcast (default off — community rooms shouldn't be spammed) "read_only": false, // Listen-only mode — hides the input bar "scope": "" // Per-room scope override (omit or "" = inherit global) } ], "display": { "brightness": 180, // 0-255 "theme": "dark", // UI palette: "dark" (default), "light", "amber", "high_contrast", or a custom name (see "themes") "auto_dim_seconds": 30, // Dim screen after N seconds of inactivity (0 = off) "dim_brightness": 0, // Brightness when dimmed (0 = screen off, default) "boot_text": "", // Optional text shown on boot screen (e.g. team name) "kbd_backlight": true, // Keyboard backlight on/off with auto-dim "kbd_brightness": 127, // Keyboard backlight brightness (1-255) "emoji": true, // Show the chat emoji picker (received emoji always render). Default on. // Optional custom palettes. Select one by putting its "name" in "theme" above. // Each entry starts from "base" (a built-in) and overrides any of the color // keys with "#RRGGBB". Unspecified keys inherit from the base. "themes": [ { "name": "my-theme", // selectable name (use it in "theme") "base": "dark", // built-in to start from: dark | light | amber | high_contrast "accent": "#FF8C00", // override any keys: bg_primary, bg_secondary, bg_status_bar, "bg_primary": "#101018" // bg_input, text_primary, text_secondary, text_timestamp, } // bubble_self, bubble_self_meta, bubble_them, bubble_self_text, ] // accent, unread_dot, online_dot, battery_low, battery_ok, }, // gps_last_known, offgrid_accent, room_accent, scrim, text_on_accent "messaging": { "save_history": true, // Save messages to SD card "max_history_per_chat": 100, // Max messages stored per conversation "location_format": "decimal", // "decimal" = lat/lon, "mgrs" = UTMREF/MGRS, "both" "max_retries": 3, // DM delivery retry attempts (1-5) "request_telemetry": true, // Telemetry button in a chat shows battery/location (optional) "show_telemetry": "both", // Badges on convo list: "battery", "location", "both", "none" "auto_telemetry": false, // Auto-refresh GPS of contacts who don't broadcast it, to keep map // markers fresh. Throttled + self-limiting (backs off non-responders). Opt-in, off by default. "canned_messages": true, // Quick-reply picker: true = on (default messages, default), false = off, // or ["Reply 1", "Reply 2"] = on with custom messages (max 8). // This is the GLOBAL list; individual contacts/channels/rooms can override // it with their own "canned" array (see above). Per-conversation lists win. "share_contact": true // Share button in a DM chat header re-broadcasts that contact's advert so // a nearby device can add them from Heard Adverts (no key typing). On by default. }, "sound": { "enabled": true, // Master sound toggle "sos_keyword": "SOS", // Keyword that triggers SOS alert sound "sos_repeat": 3 // How many times to repeat SOS alarm (1-10) }, "gps": { "enabled": true, "timezone": "", // POSIX TZ string for automatic DST (e.g. "CET-1CEST,M3.5.0/2,M10.5.0/3") "clock_offset": 0, // UTC offset in hours, no DST (-12 to +14). Ignored if timezone is set "last_known_max_age": 1800, // Seconds before last-known GPS position expires (60-7200) "location_precision": 0 // Location in adverts: 0=off (default), 32=exact, or a privacy grid (19≈100m, 16≈750m, 14≈3km, 12≈12km, 10≈50km). Unencrypted; telemetry replies + in-chat GPS stay exact }, "battery": { "low_alert_enabled": true, // Send automatic low-battery alert to contacts "low_alert_threshold": 15 // Battery % that triggers the alert (5-50) }, "security": { "lock": "key", // "none" = no lock, "key" = key lock (1s hold), "pin" = PIN lock "pin_code": "", // PIN code (4-8 alphanumeric characters, only for "pin" mode) "auto_lock": "key", // Lock on display dim: "none", "key", "pin" (falls back if unavailable) "admin_enabled": true // Allow access to device info screen (press 0) } }