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Common Problems

Solutions to the most frequent problems in the mesh network.

Connectivity Problems​

Tracker Won't Connect to Mesh​

Symptoms:

  • Doesn't appear in node list
  • Can't send or receive messages

Solutions:

  1. Verify powered on

    • LED should be active
    • Restart if necessary

  2. Verify region

    Settings → Radio → Region = US

  3. Verify channel

    Settings → Channels → Channel 0
    Name = Test
    PSK = Ml/5IOJQyplnvlzWmnvMrg==

  4. Restart tracker

    • Power off completely
    • Wait 10 seconds
    • Power on

Gateway Not Receiving Messages​

Symptoms:

  • Trackers send but gateway sees nothing
  • No MQTT traffic

Solutions:

  1. Verify Meshtastic service

    sudo systemctl status meshtastic

  2. Verify LoRa module

    lsusb
    ls /dev/ttyUSB* /dev/ttyACM*

  3. Restart service

    sudo systemctl restart meshtastic

  4. View logs

    journalctl -u meshtastic -f

No Response from Claude​

Symptoms:

  • Message sent with @claude
  • No response after 30+ seconds

Solutions:

  1. Verify @claude in message

    • Must include exactly @claude
    • Not @Claude or @ claude

  2. Verify internet connection

    # On reComputer
    ping 8.8.8.8
    ping api.anthropic.com

  3. Verify Node-RED

  4. View Node-RED logs

    journalctl -u nodered -f

  5. Verify Claude API key

    • May be expired or out of credits

Network Problems​

Symptoms:

  • No responses from Claude
  • Can't access internet

Solutions:

  1. Verify Starlink

    • Check Starlink router
    • Verify cable not damaged
    • Check antenna position

  2. Verify route

    ip route
    ping 192.168.68.1

  3. Restart network

    sudo systemctl restart networking
note

Mesh messages continue working without internet. Only Claude requires connection.

Internal WiFi Not Working​

Symptoms:

  • Network MPR114993468244600004-2.4G not appearing
  • Can't connect

Solutions:

  1. Verify hostapd

    sudo systemctl status hostapd

  2. Restart WiFi services

    sudo systemctl restart hostapd dnsmasq

  3. View logs

    journalctl -u hostapd -n 50

  4. Verify WiFi interface

    iw dev wlan0 info

MQTT Problems​

Node-RED Not Receiving Messages​

Symptoms:

  • Messages reach gateway
  • Node-RED doesn't process them

Solutions:

  1. Verify MQTT connection

    • In Node-RED, MQTT node should say "connected"

  2. Verify topic

    • Correct topic: meshtastic/2/json/LongFast/!69d01ebc

  3. Test manually

    mosquitto_sub -h 192.168.68.127 -t "meshtastic/#" -v

  4. Restart Node-RED

    sudo systemctl restart nodered

Hardware Problems​

Battery Draining Fast​

Symptoms:

  • Tracker lasts less than 1 day

Solutions:

  1. Change role to CLIENT_MUTE

    • Significantly reduces consumption

  2. Reduce GPS

    • Increase interval or disable

  3. Check battery

    • May need replacement if old

LoRa Module Not Detected​

Symptoms:

  • Gateway doesn't see USB module
  • Error "no device found"

Solutions:

  1. Verify physical connection

    • Reconnect USB cable
    • Try another USB port

  2. View USB devices

    lsusb
    dmesg | tail -20

  3. Verify permissions

    sudo chmod 666 /dev/ttyUSB0

  4. Restart

    sudo reboot

Configuration Problems​

PSK Doesn't Match​

Symptoms:

  • Tracker powered on but not in mesh
  • Other nodes don't see it

Solutions:

The PSK must be exactly:

Ml/5IOJQyplnvlzWmnvMrg==
  1. Verify no extra spaces
  2. Verify uppercase/lowercase
  3. Better: use QR code from already configured device

Incorrect Region​

Symptoms:

  • Tracker doesn't communicate with others
  • Frequencies don't match

Solutions:

All devices must be on:

Region: US (915 MHz)

If you changed region:

  1. Device restarts
  2. Wait for restart to complete
  3. Verify it stayed on US