Troubleshooting

Before anything else, verify:

• Antenna is firmly connected — never power on a LoRa device without an antenna attached, it can damage the radio module
• If using a pigtail cable, check both ends are fully seated
• Battery connector is fully inserted and not loose
• USB cable is a data cable, not a charge-only cable
• Device powers on and shows activity (LED, display, etc.)

• Make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your phone
• Power cycle the device (turn off and back on)
• Android: Go to phone Settings → Bluetooth, forget the device if previously paired, then reconnect
• iOS: Go to Settings → Bluetooth, forget the device, then reconnect
• The default Bluetooth pairing code is 123456 if prompted
• Make sure you flashed Companion firmware, not Repeater firmware — Repeater firmware has no Bluetooth

• This is a known issue with certain Heltec V3 batches
• Update to the latest firmware via the MeshCore web flasher
• Try a different USB cable or port
• Some users report improvement when running on USB power only without the battery connected

• MeshCore uses periodic adverts for discovery — it can take 2-5 minutes for nodes to appear. This is normal, so give it a few minutes before assuming anything is wrong.
• Send a Flood Advert from the app to announce yourself to the mesh
• Confirm your radio preset is set to USA/Canada (Recommended) — 910.525 MHz, SF7, BW62.5
• Make sure you are using the MeshCore app, not the Meshtastic app — they are different protocols and will never see each other
• Check antenna connection — a missing or loose antenna will severely limit range

Still nothing after all that? → RX/TX Diagnostics, or the full walkthrough in scenario 1.

This is a TX problem, and the fact that you can receive tells you a lot: your antenna is attached and your radio settings are correct. The usual causes are TX power, duty cycle, or a damaged antenna or pigtail.

→ TX bad, RX ok walks through it in order.

• A checkmark on a message means it was acknowledged by the destination. No checkmark means no ACK came back.
• Look at repeats heard when you send. If repeaters are listed, your message got out and the problem is further along the path.
• Try sending to a channel instead of a direct message.

If messages to one contact used to work and now do not, the stored route to them is probably stale — clear the path and let it rediscover. → scenario 4 and How Routing Actually Works.

• Hold the reset button for 10 seconds while connecting via USB, then reflash firmware via the web flasher
• For T1000-E: use the nRF Connect app to perform a DFU factory reset, then reflash

• Use Google Chrome or a Chromium-based browser — the flasher requires the Web Serial API
• Try a different USB cable (many included cables are charge-only)
• Try holding the BOOT button on the device while plugging in
• On Linux, you may need to add your user to the dialout group: sudo usermod -a -G dialout $USER

Before anything else, verify:

• Antenna is firmly connected and rated for 915 MHz — a 2.4 GHz WiFi antenna will not work
• Pigtail cable connections are fully seated at both the board and antenna ends
• If using a weatherproof enclosure, check the cable gland is not pinching or damaging the pigtail
• Power supply is stable — solar nodes should be checked for battery charge level and solar panel connection
• Battery connector is fully inserted
• Device is powered on and running (check LED or connect via app)

• Repeaters are configured via a companion device (your phone + client node) over LoRa — not Bluetooth
• Make sure your client node is in range of the repeater
• Send a Discover Nearby Nodes from the Tools menu to find the repeater
• If the repeater has an admin password set, you will need it to access admin functions

• Check antenna and pigtail connections — this is the most common cause by a wide margin
• Connect to the repeater and send a manual Flood Advert from the repeater tools menu
• Verify the radio preset matches the rest of the network — USA/Canada (Recommended) for the Inland Northwest
• Try a Reboot from repeater tools

If the repeater is up and responding but still not carrying traffic, it is time for the CLI. → scenario 5 works down the full checklist (stats-packets, get repeat, stats-radio, neighbors, get dutycycle).

• Inspect all physical connections first: antenna, pigtail, power
• Check for recent config changes and reapply known-good defaults if unsure
• Check battery voltage via Telemetry — a low battery on a solar node causes erratic behaviour that looks like an RF fault

A repeater that is online and answering commands but hearing nothing is usually deaf, not broken, and that has a specific and cheap fix. → Diagnosing Deafness.

This is nearly always physical:

• Antenna height is the single biggest factor. Even a few extra feet of elevation makes a significant difference.
• Verify the antenna is rated for 915 MHz and is the correct connector type
• Keep pigtail cables as short as practical — length means loss
• Check TX power in repeater settings — should be the maximum your board supports, typically 22 dBm

To find which link is weak rather than guessing, use Trace Path and read the per-hop SNR, or check coverage with Tools → Antenna Coverage and Line of Sight. See also scenario 6.

• Check Telemetry → Battery voltage — should be above 3.6V under load
• Verify solar panel connection and inspect for damage or shading
• Confirm the charge controller or TP4056 module is functioning
• In winter months, Spokane averages only 2-3 peak sun hours — see the hardware guide solar calculator for sizing recommendations

• Connect to the repeater and run Sync Clock from the repeater tools menu
• If the clock keeps drifting, reboot the repeater after syncing
• Accurate time matters for adverts and routing. Wrong clocks are also why contacts show a "last seen" of days ago → scenario 2