Meshtastic – Diagnostics & Status
This page explains the information available in the AFT Meshtastic panel and what to do when something is not working correctly.
To open the panel, go to Navigation Menu → Meshtastic.
The panel refreshes automatically every 5 seconds while it is open. You do not need to reload anything manually.
Status fields
Device name
The name of the Meshtastic device currently connected to your phone via Bluetooth. If this field is empty, AFT has no device to work with.
Device state
Whether the Meshtastic radio hardware is connected to your phone via Bluetooth and responding.
Connected— radio is paired and communicatingNot connected— radio is off, out of Bluetooth range, or Bluetooth is disabled on your phone
Meshtastic application
Whether the Meshtastic app is installed on your phone and its background service is responding.
Connected— app is installed and runningNot connected— app is not installed, not running, or IPC communication has failed
These are two independent checks. It is possible to have Meshtastic application: Connected but Device state: Not connected — for example when the radio is turned off but the app is still running. Both must show Connected before you proceed with Configure Channel.
If the Meshtastic app is not installed at all, the panel will display an Install Meshtastic button instead.
Region / Preset / Hop Limit
The current radio configuration active on your device. After running Configure Channel, these values should match what the session administrator set. If they differ, press Configure Channel again.
Channels
Whether the AFT session channel is correctly installed on your device.
| Value | Color | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
— | — | No connection to Meshtastic app or device |
Not configured | 🔴 red | App and device connected, but AFT channel not found — run Configure Channel |
Configured | 🟢 green | AFT channel installed correctly with the right encryption key |
Visible nodes
The number of Meshtastic devices currently detected in the mesh network. A value of 0 after configuration may indicate no other devices are in radio range, or that channels are misconfigured.
Battery
Battery level of the connected Meshtastic device as reported by the device firmware. Monitor this during long events — a depleted device means no mesh connectivity.
TX Duty
The percentage of airtime your device has used for transmissions over the last hour. In the EU (EU_868 region), the legal duty cycle limit is 1%. When this value approaches that limit, the firmware begins throttling transmissions.
| Range | Color | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 0% – 0.5% | 🟢 green | Normal |
| 0.5% – 0.8% | 🟡 yellow | Elevated — approaching limit |
| Above 0.8% | 🔴 red | Critical — firmware may be throttling transmissions |
Note: the red threshold is set at 0.8% rather than 1% as an intentional early warning. By the time TX Duty reaches 0.8%, the firmware is already close to blocking outgoing packets.
If you are outside the EU, your regional limit may differ. Refer to the Meshtastic radio settings documentation for your region.
ChUtil (Channel Utilization)
The percentage of total radio airtime currently in use across all devices in the mesh — including transmissions from other nodes, not just yours.
| Range | Color | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 0% – 25% | 🟢 green | Normal |
| 25% – 50% | 🟡 yellow | Elevated — network is busy |
| Above 50% | 🔴 red | High — packet loss and delays likely |
High ChUtil usually means too many devices are transmitting too frequently, or someone in the network is using misconfigured settings with an excessively high hop limit.
Last data update
Time elapsed since AFT last received any data through the mesh — an incoming packet, an outgoing packet acknowledgement, or a node change event.
| Range | Color | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Under 10 minutes | 🟢 green | Normal |
| 10–30 minutes | 🟡 yellow | No recent contact — check device and connectivity |
| Over 30 minutes | 🔴 red | Connection likely lost |
Send test message
The Send test message button in the Actions section sends a ping on the AFT session channel and waits for a delivery confirmation from the mesh network.
You do not need to check the Meshtastic app — the result appears directly in the panel below the button:
| Result | Color | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
Waiting for acknowledgement from mesh network… | 🟡 yellow | Test in progress — timeout is 60 seconds |
Delivered — mesh network is working | 🟢 green | Packet reached another node and ACK was received |
No response after 60s — are there other nodes in range? | 🔴 red | No other devices heard the message |
Error: [reason] | 🔴 red | Transmission failed before reaching the network |
A successful test requires at least one other Meshtastic device in radio range. A timeout does not necessarily mean your device is broken — it may simply mean you are the only device in range at that moment.
Common problems
Channels show „Not configured” after Configure Channel
The device did not complete its restart correctly, or the configuration process was interrupted.
Action: Wait 30 seconds and check again. If the field still shows Not configured, press Configure Channel again. If the problem persists, power cycle the Meshtastic device manually and re-open the panel.
Device state shows „Not connected”
Bluetooth connection between your phone and the Meshtastic device has been lost.
Action: Check that the device is powered on and within range of your phone (up to ~10 meters). Open the Meshtastic app and verify the device is paired. If the device is paired but still not connecting, try toggling Bluetooth off and on.
TX Duty is red
Your device is approaching or has reached the regional duty cycle limit. The firmware may already be delaying or blocking transmissions.
Action: This usually resolves itself over time as the rolling one-hour window resets. If it stays red, check whether the Hop Limit is set too high in your session configuration — excessive relaying increases airtime consumption.
ChUtil is red
The shared radio channel is heavily congested. Packet loss and delays are likely for everyone in the network.
Action: This is a network-wide issue, not a problem with your device alone. The most common cause is one or more devices operating with a misconfigured hop limit. The session administrator should review the session Hop Limit setting. Players can check whether any device in the Meshtastic app node list appears to be transmitting abnormally frequently.
Visible nodes is 0 after configuration
No other Meshtastic devices are detected in radio range.
Action: Verify that other players have completed Configure Channel. If you are testing before the event, this is expected — you may simply be out of range of other devices. Use Send test message once other players are nearby to confirm the network is working.
Last data update is red during the game
No mesh traffic has been received or sent for over 30 minutes.
Action: Check Device state and Meshtastic application — if either shows Not connected, resolve the connection issue first. If both show Connected, you may be in an area with no other mesh nodes in range.
Warning: Meshtastic not configured for this session
If the session administrator has not set up Meshtastic parameters for the session, a yellow warning appears at the top of the panel. In this case, Configure Channel is not available.
Contact your session administrator and ask them to complete the Meshtastic setup in the session settings before proceeding. This is covered in the Admin & Event Setup guide.
Mesh Event Log
The Mesh Event Log is a built-in diagnostic tool that lets you see exactly what your device is doing on the mesh network in real time. It’s useful for troubleshooting connectivity issues, verifying that your position is being broadcast, and confirming that you’re receiving updates from other players.
How to open it
Open the Meshtastic tool from the navigation menu, then tap the menu icon in the top-right corner and select Mesh Logs.
What you’ll find
The log is organized into conversation groups — each outgoing or incoming packet gets its own expandable row. Tap any row to see the full details.
Outgoing packets (marked with an upward arrow) show the sequence of events from the moment your device attempts to send:
- Sent — your position data was handed to the radio
- Queued — the radio accepted the packet and is waiting for a free slot
- Sending — the packet was transmitted over the air, waiting for acknowledgement
- Delivered ✓ — another node confirmed receipt
- Failed — the packet could not be delivered (out of range, no route, or duty cycle limit)
Incoming packets (marked with a downward arrow) show the data received from another player: army ID, position, unit type, and whether the update was saved to the local database or skipped because your army doesn’t have visibility on theirs.
System events – such as the Meshtastic service connecting or disconnecting — appear as standalone entries without a group.
Tips
The log holds up to 100 entries. Use the Refresh button to load the latest events without closing the dialog. Use Clear to reset it when you want a clean view for a new test. If a row is marked in orange, it’s a warning worth looking into — if it’s red, something failed.