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Glossary

A quick reference for common terms used across the MeshCore community.

Advert
A MeshCore announcement packet that helps nearby nodes learn about a device and route.
Bandwidth
A LoRa radio setting. MeshCore Canada baseline raw settings use 62.5 kHz.
Broker
An MQTT server. MeshCore.ca uses mqtt1.meshcore.ca and mqtt2.meshcore.ca for redundant observer publishing.
Coding Rate (CR)
A LoRa error-correction setting. MeshCore Canada baseline raw settings use CR5.
Companion
A portable MeshCore device used with a phone, tablet, desktop app, web app, or serial client to send and receive messages.
CoreScope
The MeshCore.ca live tools for checking observers, packet flow, and map data.
IATA Code
A real 3-letter airport code used by MeshCore.ca observers to tag their region, such as YOW, YYZ, or YVR.
ISM Band
Industrial, Scientific, and Medical radio spectrum used by many low-power devices. You are responsible for legal operation in your location.
JWT
JSON Web Token. MeshCore.ca MQTT paths use token authentication instead of a static username/password.
LoRa
Long Range radio modulation used by MeshCore devices.
Mesh Network
A network where devices can relay traffic for each other instead of depending on one central access point.
MQTT
A lightweight publish/subscribe messaging protocol used by MeshCore.ca observers to publish packet telemetry.
Node
Any MeshCore device on the network.
Observer
A MeshCore radio or host service that publishes mesh packet telemetry to MQTT for live tools.
Path Hash Mode
The MeshCore setting that controls advert path identifier size. MeshCore Canada recommends 3-byte, which is set path.hash.mode 2 in the CLI.
Preset
A named group of radio settings. MeshCore Canada generally uses USA/Canada (Recommended).
Repeater
A fixed device that relays packets to extend mesh coverage.
Room Server
A MeshCore node that hosts group chat rooms. It may also repeat or observe traffic depending on its configuration.
SNR
Signal-to-noise ratio, a measure of received signal quality.
Spreading Factor (SF)
A LoRa setting that affects range, airtime, and data rate. MeshCore Canada baseline raw settings use SF7.
WebSockets
A transport used by the MeshCore.ca MQTT brokers on port 443, which is often easier to pass through normal internet connections.