Meshtastic Guide - Meshtastic LoRa Configuration

The LoRa config options include: Region, Use Preset, Modem Preset, Max Hops, Transmit Power, Bandwidth, Spread Factor, Coding Rate, Frequency Offset, Transmit Enabled, Frequency Slot, Ignore Incoming Array, Ignore MQTT, Override Duty Cycle Limit, SX126x RX Boosted Gain, Override Frequency, and PA Fan Disabled. This configuration uses an admin message sending a Config.LoRa protobuf.

Note: To communicate effectively, devices in a mesh must share identical Region and Modem Preset settings or have identical custom Modem settings.

LoRa Config Values

Note: Ensure you set your device's lora.region setting to comply with legal limits in your area.

Region: Sets the region for your node, with the default being unset. If not set, the node will display a message and cannot transmit packets.

Region Code	Description	Frequency Range (MHz)	Duty Cycle (%)	Power Limit (dBm)
UNSET	Unset	N/A	N/A	N/A
US	United States	902.0 - 928.0	100	30
EU_433	European Union 433MHz	433.0 - 434.0	10	12
EU_868	European Union 868MHz	869.4 - 869.65	10	27
CN	China	470.0 - 510.0	100	19
JP	Japan	920.8 - 927.8	100	16
ANZ	Australia & New Zealand	915.0 - 928.0	100	30
KR	Korea	920.0 - 923.0	100
TW	Taiwan	920.0 - 925.0	100	27
RU	Russia	868.7 - 869.2	100	20
IN	India	865.0 - 867.0	100	30
NZ_865	New Zealand 865MHz	864.0 - 868.0	100	36
TH	Thailand	920.0 - 925.0	100	16
UA_433	Ukraine 433MHz	433.0 - 434.7	10	10
UA_868	Ukraine 868MHz	868.0 - 868.6	1	14
MY_433	Malaysia 433MHz	433.0 - 435.0	100	20
MY_919	Malaysia 919MHz	919.0 - 924.0	100	27
SG_923	Singapore 923MHz	917.0 - 925.0	100	20
LORA_24	2.4 GHz band worldwide	2400.0 - 2483.5	100	10

Note: For EU_433 and EU_868, transmissions are limited to a 10% duty cycle. This is calculated every minute over a rolling one-hour window. Once the threshold is reached, the device will pause sending until it resets.

Use Preset: If enabled, the Modem Preset settings are applied. If not, you’ll need to manually set Bandwidth, Spread Factor, and Coding Rate.
Modem Preset: By default, this is unset (LONG_FAST). Presets are predefined combinations of Bandwidth, Spread Factor, and Coding Rate that balance speed and range. Options include: SHORT_TURBO (fastest, widest bandwidth, shortest range; not legal everywhere due to 500 kHz bandwidth), SHORT_FAST, SHORT_SLOW, MEDIUM_FAST, MEDIUM_SLOW, LONG_FAST (default), LONG_MODERATE, LONG_SLOW, and VERY_LONG_SLOW (slowest, longest range, highest airtime; not recommended for everyday use).

Max Hops: Maximum hops cannot exceed 7, with a default of 3, which is suitable for most applications.

Transmit Power: Set to zero to use the default max legal continuous power, preventing hardware damage. In most cases, zero is recommended. Units are in dBm.

Bandwidth: Certain bandwidth values are translated by the firmware into appropriate floating-point values:

Special Value	Interpreted As
31	31.25 kHz
62	62.5 kHz
200	203.125 kHz
400	406.25 kHz
800	812.5 kHz
1600	1625.0 kHz

NOTE: Values < 62.5 kHz may require TCXO on some hardware.

Spread Factor: A number from 7 to 12 representing the number of chirps per symbol as (1 << \text{spread_factor}).
Coding Rate: This is the denominator of the coding rate; for example, for 4/5, the value is 5.
Frequency Offset: Intended for advanced users with specialized equipment; most should avoid using it. This parameter adds a frequency offset to the center frequency to correct for calibration errors.
Transmit Enabled: This option allows enabling or disabling transmission (TX) from the LoRa radio; useful for antenna swaps and tests. Defaults to true.
Frequency Slot: Controls the hardware frequency used for transmission, represented by a slot between 1 and NUM_SLOTS (maximum based on region and modem preset). Setting it to 0/UNSET reverts to the older method for frequency determination.
Ignore Incoming Array: For testing, you can prevent a node from listening to specific nodes (simulating out-of-range). Packets from nodenums in this array will be dropped.
Ignore MQTT: Setting this option to true allows the device to ignore any LoRa messages that were sent via MQTT. This only applies when your device and the MQTT node have at least firmware version 2.2.19.
OK to MQTT: Acceptable values are true or false (default is false). Setting to true means you approve your packets being sent to MQTT brokers. If false, nodes are requested not to forward packets. This works only with channels using the defaultpsk and eventpsk keys; it is ignored in channels with custom keys.

Tip: This is not a cryptographic measure but a polite request enforced in the official firmware.

Override Duty Cycle Limit: Set to true to ignore the hourly duty cycle limit in Europe, which could result in regulatory violations. By default, this is false, meaning the device will halt data transmission upon reaching the limit.
SX126x RX Boosted Gain: This option allows SX126x chips to use slightly more power to enhance RX sensitivity.
Override Frequency: For advanced users and licensed HAM radio operators. When enabled, the device ignores channel calculations and uses the specified frequency (frequency offset still applies). Ensure compliance with local laws and enable HAM mode while disabling encryption.
PA Fan Disabled: If set to true, this disables the built-in PA FAN using the pin defined in RF95_FAN_EN.

LoRa Configuration Client Availability

Android

LoRa Config options are accessible on Android.

Open the Meshtastic App.
Navigate to: Vertical Ellipsis (three dots in the top right) > Radio Configuration > LoRa.

Apple

All LoRa config options are available on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS under Settings > Radio Configuration > LoRa.

CLI

LoRa config commands are accessible in the Python CLI. Example commands are provided below:

Setting	Acceptable Values	Default
lora.modem_preset	LONG_FAST, LONG_SLOW, VERY_LONG_SLOW, MEDIUM_SLOW, MEDIUM_FAST, SHORT_SLOW, SHORT_FAST, SHORT_TURBO	LONG_FAST
lora.use_preset	false, true	FALSE
lora.region	UNSET, US, EU_433, EU_868, CN, JP, ANZ, KR, TW, RU ,IN, NZ_865, TH, LORA_24, UA_433, UA_868, MY_433, MY_919, SG_923	UNSET
lora.bandwidth	31, 62, 125, 250, 500	250
lora.spread_factor	7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12	12
lora.coding_rate	5, 6, 7, 8	8
lora.frequency_offset	0 to 1000000	0
lora.hop_limit	1,2,3,4,5,6,7	3
lora.tx_power	0 to 30	0
lora.tx_enabled	false, true	TRUE
lora.channel_num	0, 1 to NUM_CHANNELS	0
lora.ignore_mqtt	false, true	FALSE
lora.config_ok_to_mqtt	true, false	FALSE
lora.override_duty_cycle	false, true	FALSE
lora.sx126x_rx_boosted_gain	false, true	FALSE
lora.override_frequency	Any supported frequency the LoRA radio is capable of. Please respect local rules and regulations	0

Set Modem Preset

meshtastic --set lora.modem_preset LONG_FAST
meshtastic --set lora.modem_preset MEDIUM_FAST

Set Region

meshtastic --set lora.region US
meshtastic --set lora.region EU_433

Set Hop Limit

meshtastic --set lora.hop_limit 2

Override Duty Cycle

meshtastic --set lora.override_duty_cycle true
meshtastic --set lora.override_duty_cycle false

NOTE: Since the device will reboot after each command is sent via the CLI, it is recommended to chain commands together as one when setting multiple values in a config section. For example:

meshtastic --set lora.region US --set lora.modem_preset LONG_FAST