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title: Nodes

parent: User Guide

nav_order: 4

last_updated: 2026-08-30

description: Browse, filter, and sort mesh nodes — view details, signal quality, roles, and quick actions.

aliases:

• node-list

• mesh-nodes

• peers

• hop-histogram

The Nodes screen lists every node visible on your mesh.

The node list shows every node your radio has heard, including:

• Node name — user-configured long name

• Short name — 4-character identifier

• Signal quality — SNR, RSSI, and a quality word, shown only for nodes your radio heard directly. In the Complete layout a node reached through a relay shows its hop count here instead; a node heard only over MQTT shows neither

• Last heard — time since last communication

• Distance — estimated distance (if positions are shared)

• Battery — remote node battery level (if telemetry is enabled)

The list has two densities, set at Settings → Node Layout. Complete shows every field a node has reported and hides the ones it hasn't. Compact fits more nodes on screen and lets you pick the fields yourself — Power, Last Heard Time, Relative Last Heard Time, Distance and Bearing, Hops Away, Signal (Direct Only), Channel, and Device & Role. The Environment Metrics toggle applies to both densities. A preview above the toggles shows the effect before you leave the screen.

There is no separate "away" tier.

Nodes can be configured with different roles that affect their mesh behavior:

Most users should keep the default Client role. Consider a different role when:

• Router — You have a node in a fixed, elevated location with reliable power (rooftop, hilltop). Routers stay awake continuously to relay messages for others and are essential for extending mesh coverage. Don't use Router on battery-powered handheld radios.

• Router Late — An infrastructure node that always rebroadcasts packets once but only after all other routing modes have had their turn. Provides supplemental coverage for local clusters without competing with primary routers.

• Client Base — Treats traffic from/to your favorited nodes with Router Late priority (ensuring those messages get extra relay coverage) while handling everything else as a normal Client.

• Client Mute — You want to receive mesh traffic but not contribute to relaying. Useful for monitoring-only radios or to reduce congestion in dense areas.

• Tracker — An unattended radio whose sole purpose is broadcasting its GPS position (e.g., a vehicle, pet, or asset). Sleeps between broadcasts to conserve battery.

• Sensor — An unattended radio reporting environmental telemetry (temperature, humidity, air quality). Similar power profile to Tracker.

• TAK / TAK Tracker — Only needed if interoperating with ATAK/WinTAK systems. See TAK Integration for details.

│ 💡 Tip: The mesh works best when most nodes are Client or Router. Too many Client Mute nodes

│ reduce mesh resilience; too many Routers in a dense area can cause congestion. A good rule of

│ thumb: one Router per 5–10 Clients in your area.

Nodes display encryption status icons next to their name:

│ 💡 Tip: PKI encryption (firmware 2.5+) provides stronger security than channel PSK because each

│ node has a unique key pair. If you see a key mismatch warning, the node may have been reset or

│ compromised.

To clear a mismatch, first confirm through another trusted channel that the key change was intentional — a factory reset causes one. Then touch & hold the node, choose Remove, and let the two radios exchange keys again the next time yours hears it.

From the node list, you can:

• Tap a node to view its detail page

• Touch & hold for quick actions:

• Mark/remove favorite

• Mute/unmute notifications

• Send a direct message

• Trace route

• Ignore/unignore

• Eliminar

On a node's detail screen, tap Share Contact to produce a link and a QR code for that node. From the same dialog, Write to NFC tag saves the link to a writable NFC tag that anyone can tap to open.

To add someone else's contact, use the import button on the node list and choose Scan Shared Contact QR Code, Scan Shared Contact NFC, or Input Shared Contact URL. The app asks you to confirm with Import Shared Contact?, and warns you when the contact is one you already have.

Type in the search field to filter nodes by name or short name. The filter updates in real time as you type.

Tap the hop-histogram icon in the node list's app bar to open a bar chart of how many nodes sit at each hop distance (0 = direct, 1 = one relay away, and so on). Filter the chart to a last heard window — All time, 1 hour, 8 hours, or 24 hours — to see how the mesh looks right now versus over a longer period. It's a quick way to gauge how busy and spread out your local mesh is.

Tapping a node opens the detail view with comprehensive information. See Node Metrics for full details on metrics and telemetry.

The Details card carries the node's short name, role, IDs, last heard time, hops away, uptime, and its SNR and RSSI:

!Node detail section

Inline status indicators show key metrics at a glance: