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[DOC] Companion - Overview

Overview

Companion RadiosCompanions are boardsnodes flashed with either BLE or USB companion firmware, and are used to access the mesh as a user. All messages between users are ultimately sent and received via Companion node. At minimum, you will require at least one radio running the companion firmware to get started with using MeshCore.

For more information, see [DOC] Overview in the Getting Started section.

Initial Setup

Before you begin, you will need:

    A supported device to run the companion firmware - If you don't have one yet the [DOC] Choosing a Node page has some good options to choose from A mobile device or computer with one of the MeshCore apps instlaled (see the Apps heading below) A computer with Internet access to flash the firmware

    Once you have your device, follow the below steps to get started.

      Select an app from the Apps list below, and install it on the device you will use to connect to the companion node. To keep things simple, this guide will use the official mobile (iOS/Android) app, however the official web app is identical. Use the web flasher to flash the Bluetooth or USB companion firmware - Guide: [HTG] Flashing Firmware

      Bluetooth companions require a PIN to pair your node. For nodes with a display, this will be displayed when the node boots. For nodes without a display, the default PIN is 123456 which can be changed from the app

      Launch the MeshCore app and select the Connect button
      Screen Shot 2026-01-26 at 1.05.27 am.png

      Once your device is discovered, tap on it to connect

      app_connect.png

      The app will sync with your node and retrieve any known contacts, channels and messages (Note: on a new node, this will initially be blank)

      app_sync.png


      Once the sync completes, tap the settings cog in the top-right to open the node's settings. Then, scroll down to the Radio Settings heading and click Choose Preset (Note: if your local mesh uses custom radio settings, you will need to manually enter those and skip this)

      app_settings.png


      From the presets list, select your region to apply the correct radio settings

      app_radiopreset.png


      After selecting the preset, tap on the tick in the top-right corner to save the settings. You should receive a confirmation that this was successful.


      app_applyconfirm.png


      Finally, scroll down to the Extra Tools section and tap Reboot to apply the radio configuration.

      app_extratools.png


      Once the node boots back up it is now configured and ready to start sending and receiving messages. If your device doesn't have a screen and is using the default PIN, we strongly advise returning to the settings menu, going to Bluetooth Settings and changing the PIN to something else.

      Apps

      The companion firmware allows the user to connect to the board eithernode via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) or USB,USB and use either a mobile app, web app, or CLI-based tool to interact with the mesh.

      Official

      Below are considered "Official" apps created by members of the MeshCore developer team.

      Name Type Platform Developer Link Description MeshCore Native iOS/macOS Liam Cottle App Store Official App MeshCore Native Android Liam Cottle Play Store Official App MeshCore Native Android/macOS/Windows/Linux Liam Cottle Direct Alternate source for official apps direct from the developer (browse to latest version folder in the link) MeshCore Web Browser (Chromium) Liam Cottle Link Browser-based app for non-mobile devices. MeshCore.JS Library Node.JS Liam Cottle Link Aimed at developers to interface with MeshCore companions meshcore_py Library Python fdlamotte Link Aimed at developers to interface with MeshCore companions meshcore-cli CLI Python fdlamotte Link CLI interface for MeshCore companions


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