Meshtastic configuration planner
Meshtastic: range vs. airtime
Meshtastic runs on one shared LoRa budget of airtime. Every setting below - radio mode, relaying, position interval - spends that budget on either reach or fresher positions, and the budget has a legal ceiling. This tool works out where your settings land.
These numbers are still being tuned against real field data, not just the model. If your settings, your ATAK CoT rate, or your own airUtilTx readings tell a different story, I want to hear it - open to any feedback or suggestions.
info@pls3d.storeRadio mode
Pick a row. Each step up reaches further and doubles the airtime.
Starting points
Sets radio and position config. Your node count stays put.
Everyone sharing the channel, including teammates out of sight.
Non-RBaken nodes keep the firmware defaults, so they broadcast every 300 s whatever you set above.
CLIENT relays, CLIENT_MUTE does not. The most expensive setting here.
A Client node cancels its own rebroadcast the moment it overhears another one, so a mesh where the relays hear each other emits a single copy. Raise it only if the team splits into pockets that are deaf to each other.
Each one pushes its own CoT stream on top of Meshtastic positions, and no position interval can reduce it.
Throttle on how often a moving node broadcasts. Default 300 s.
position_broadcast_secs. A hard ceiling: if it is shorter than the interval above, it wins.
How far you move before a new fix is worth sending. Default 100 m.
Above 10 s the GPS powers down between fixes, so each one is a cold start.
Walking is about 1.4 m/s.
Each glance lights the display for 60 s before it times out.
Position lag
Tight42 m
while moving
Every RBaken refreshes at the interval above, if all configured the same.
Positions still send, but telemetry and node names are held back.
10% aborts sends. 5% holds back telemetry.
25% defers Client broadcasts. Trackers get to 40%.
Airtime
559 ms
per packet
Updates
25 s
timer
Traffic
1,428
packets / hour
Estimated range
169 dB link budget
Open field
14 km
Forest
2.7 km
Urban
1.6 km
Nothing relays, so anyone past this is invisible and nobody can bridge them.
Operation time
3000 mAh · bench estimate
2.1 days
at 48 mA
GPS
22.0
100%
Idle
20.0
always
Screen
2.4
20%
TX
3.7
bursts
The three presets
Same radio, three different trade-offs
Universal
Your RBaken node (blue) joins a team already on standard Meshtastic gear. It talks directly with any device on the same radio mode and channel (purple), and shares the air politely with devices nearby on a different channel (white). It stays muted, so it never relays and never asks anyone else to change a setting.
Long Range
The whole team is on RBaken and spread out further than one radio can reach. Every node relays, so an update can hop from node to node until it reaches everyone. The cost is a slower update rate, since each hop repeats the message on the same shared air.
Fast Update
A tight RBaken team that stays close together. Every node talks straight to the others at the fastest safe rate, so the position on screen stays current. Nothing relays here - a node that drifts out of range just drops off the map until it's back.
The trade-offs
What each setting costs
What does Meshtastic's radio mode (modem preset) do?
Range vs. speedLonger range means slower updates. Each step up roughly doubles the airtime per message.
How many nodes can share one Meshtastic channel?
More trafficEach node adds its own updates. Relaying doesn't multiply this - only one copy goes out per hop, no matter how many nodes relay.
How does relaying affect Meshtastic's duty cycle?
Reach vs. safety netRelaying lets far-apart nodes hear each other, cheaply. Muted nodes skip this - anyone out of range just disappears.
What does Meshtastic's position broadcast interval do?
Freshness vs. airtimeHow often a moving node may send an update. Lower is fresher, but costs more airtime.
What does Meshtastic's position minimum distance do?
Freshness vs. airtimeHow far you must move before a new position is worth sending. Whichever throttle is slower - this or the interval - wins.
How does GPS update interval affect battery life?
Freshness floorNo update can be fresher than the GPS fix behind it. Keep it at 10 s or under, or the GPS cold-starts each time and drains the battery faster.
Why does movement speed matter for position lag?
Scales the lagNot a setting - just how far a stale position drifts. The same lag looks worse the faster you move.
Does TX power or antenna gain cost airtime?
Free rangeBoth add reach for free, no extra airtime. Keep them maxed - EU868 caps power at 27 dBm.
Assumes the whole team moving at once - real load is usually about half that. Check airUtilTx and channel usage on your own device rather than trusting this model.