FAQ – Meshtastic in Airsoft Force Tracking
Does Meshtastic replace GSM networks?
No. In Airsoft Force Tracking, Meshtastic is designed as a complement to GSM communication, not a replacement for it.
If the game area has stable cellular coverage, using Meshtastic usually provides little benefit. GSM offers much higher bandwidth and enables the full feature set of the application.
The mesh network is intended primarily for situations where telecommunication infrastructure is unavailable or unreliable.
It is also important to note that GSM connectivity is required to start a game session. Creating a session, joining it, and loading game data all require internet access. For this reason, the game should begin in a location where all players have network connectivity.
Once the session has started, players can move into areas without GSM coverage and rely on mesh communication.
How often is player position updated through the mesh network?
In the current alpha version of Airsoft Force Tracking, player positions are transmitted roughly every five minutes.
This limitation comes from the nature of LoRa networks, which provide long range at the cost of bandwidth. Sending too many transmissions would quickly saturate the shared radio channel and degrade the network for all participants.
Future versions of AFT are planned to introduce an adaptive transmission algorithm that adjusts update frequency based on:
- the number of devices in the network
- network traffic
- mesh network metrics.
What range can I expect from Meshtastic?
Range depends heavily on terrain and obstacles.
In typical pine forests, the range between devices is usually around 1.5–2 kilometers.
In open terrain, much longer distances are possible. With favorable conditions and appropriate radio power settings, links of around 12 kilometers are not unusual.
Mesh networks also extend range through relaying: devices can forward messages for each other, allowing information to travel much farther than the range of a single radio link.
How many Meshtastic devices can operate in one network?
The number of devices depends on network traffic and radio configuration.
In the current alpha version, Airsoft Force Tracking transmits position updates roughly every five minutes, which allows around 30 devices to operate within the same mesh network without saturating the radio channel.
It is important to understand how mesh networks propagate transmissions.
When one device sends a message, nearby devices repeat it so that the information can travel further across the network. For example:
- if a network contains 10 devices,
- a single transmission may be repeated by the other 9 devices.
This means that one message can result in up to 10 radio transmissions across the network.
Now consider what happens if every device sends its own message:
- 10 devices each transmit one packet
- each packet may be repeated by the other devices
- the network may end up performing dozens of radio transmissions in a short period of time
This multiplication of traffic quickly increases channel airtime usage, which can lead to packet collisions and degraded network performance.
For this reason Airsoft Force Tracking deliberately limits:
- how often devices transmit
- how much data is sent through the mesh
This helps keep the network usable even when many devices participate in the same mesh.
Can I send text messages through Meshtastic in AFT?
Not currently.
In alpha meshtastic implementation in Airsoft Force Tracking, the mesh network is used only to synchronize:
- player positions
- newly created map markers (POI)
Restricting the data types helps keep network traffic small and ensures stable operation even with multiple devices participating in the mesh.
Can enemy players see my position through Meshtastic?
No.
Each army in an AFT session uses its own encryption key, which means players from opposing factions cannot read each other’s transmissions.
Even if an enemy Meshtastic device is within radio range, it cannot decrypt or interpret the transmitted data.
Do I need a Meshtastic device for every player?
Not necessarily.
In many teams, communication responsibilities are handled by a dedicated RTO (Radio Telephone Operator). This player stays near the team leader and manages the team’s communication equipment, such as radios or Meshtastic devices.
In practice this means that one Meshtastic device can often serve an entire squad, especially if the team moves together during gameplay.
Do I need special hardware?
Yes.
To use Meshtastic with Airsoft Force Tracking you need a compatible Meshtastic device (a small radio unit based on LoRa hardware).
Airsoft Force Tracking has been tested with several devices, including:
The smartphone acts as the user interface, while the actual radio communication takes place through the external Meshtastic device.
What happens if my Meshtastic device stops working during the game?
If the Meshtastic device turns off or loses its Bluetooth connection with the phone, Airsoft Force Tracking automatically falls back to GSM communication.
If the player is outside GSM coverage and the mesh device stops working, synchronization with the rest of the game will not be possible until connectivity is restored.
To help monitor connectivity, Airsoft Force Tracking displays status indicators in the top-right corner of the interface. These LEDs show the current state of:
- GPS
- GSM transmission
- Mesh connectivity
If a problem occurs in the mesh network, the mesh indicator will turn red.
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This can indicate several possible issues, such as:
- the Meshtastic device battery is depleted
- the Bluetooth connection has failed
- mesh channels are misconfigured
- the device has stopped transmitting.
Tapping the indicator opens the Meshtastic panel, where detailed network metrics and diagnostic information are displayed.
Can I use my own Meshtastic configuration?
Not during an AFT session.
To ensure compatibility between all participants, Meshtastic devices are automatically configured according to the parameters defined by the session administrator.
Pressing Configure Channel will:
- apply the radio configuration defined for the session
- install the required mesh channels
- remove previously configured channels from the device
This approach may appear invasive, but it solves a common practical problem.
Meshtastic configuration involves many parameters (such as radio presets, frequency settings, and hop limits). Many users struggle to configure these correctly. In practice this often leads to players spending time troubleshooting their phones instead of participating in the game, or configuring parameters that negatively affect the entire mesh network.
Automatic configuration ensures that all devices operate within the same correctly configured mesh network.
While resetting channels is admittedly intrusive, it is currently considered the most reliable approach for the alpha version of AFT.