Flash a companion and connect the app

Ten minutes. Chrome or Edge, a data USB cable, and a board you don't mind wiping.

1. Flash

1. Open meshcore.io/flasher in Chrome or Edge.
2. Pick your board. Then pick the firmware type - this is the role from the previous step. For the radio you'll pair to your phone, choose Companion (BLE). For one that lives on a desk plugged into a computer, Companion (USB).
3. Flash. ESP32 boards flash over the serial port; nRF52 boards (RAK, T-Echo) may show up as a USB drive for a .uf2 file instead, same as Meshtastic.

2. Get the app

• Android: "MeshCore" on Google Play (by Liam Cottle).
• iOS: "MeshCore" on the App Store.
• Browser: app.meshcore.nz - works over USB serial or Web Bluetooth in Chrome.

Open the app, scan for the companion over Bluetooth (or connect the cable), and pair. The first pairing may ask for a PIN shown on the board's screen; boards without a screen use a default the app tells you about.

3. Set the radio

Under Settings → Radio choose the USA / Canada preset. At the time of writing that is:

Frequency, bandwidth and spreading factor must match every other node you want to hear. Coding rate is read from each packet and can differ. If your state's MeshCore group has agreed on something else, use theirs - presets are conventions, not law.

4. Name yourself

Set a name that means something to a stranger reading a contact list: a first name and a place, or a callsign. It's what shows up when your advert lands on someone else's screen.

Nothing to hear yet? That's normal on a fresh companion. The next step is how you find people.