Repeater Setup Guide
Set up and tune a repeater node for the WNY mesh network
Getting Your Repeater Running
Follow these steps to set up and configure a MeshCore repeater node for WNY.
Choose your hardware
Any LoRa-capable device supported by MeshCore works as a repeater — the same hardware used as a companion radio can be repurposed. For battery or solar-powered deployments, nRF52-based boards are strongly recommended due to their significantly lower power consumption compared to ESP32. Top choices for WNY repeaters are the RAK4631 and the Seeed XIAO nRF52840 & Wio-SX1262 Kit (both nRF52840-based). ESP32-based boards work fine on mains power but consume more energy. You do not need dedicated repeater hardware.
A quality external antenna is strongly recommended over the stock stub antenna — a 3–6 dBi omni on a short mast makes a significant difference in range.
Flash the Repeater firmware
Connect your device via USB and open the MeshCore Web Flasher (requires Chrome or Edge). Select your board, choose the Simple Repeater firmware role, and flash. The web flasher handles everything — no command-line tools needed.
Power — solar is strongly preferred
A solar-charged LiPo setup is the gold standard for WNY repeaters. It enables autonomous, unattended operation on rooftops, towers, and hilltops — exactly where repeaters have the most impact. A small panel (5–10W) with a 2000–5000 mAh battery handles year-round operation through Buffalo winters when properly oriented.
Choose your location
Elevation and line-of-sight are everything for LoRa repeaters. Rooftops, hilltops, water towers, and upper floors of tall buildings dramatically outperform ground-level installs. Even a 20–30 ft height advantage over surrounding terrain can double your effective range. Check the network map for coverage gaps — those are the most valuable placement spots.
Advert Intervals in Early Network
With relatively few repeaters online in WNY as of early 2026, the recommended advert intervals are 120 minutes for local (zero-hop) and 6 hours for network-wide flood. This keeps the airwaves clean while still maintaining good network awareness. As the network grows, these values may be adjusted.
Clock Sync Required After Every Reboot
MeshCore repeaters default to an old date on every power cycle. You must sync the clock after each reboot by connecting with the companion app or web config tool. This is a known firmware behavior — sometimes the device needs to be rebooted two or three times before the clock sticks. Without a correct clock, timestamps on relayed messages will be wrong.
Mounting Your Repeater
Elevation is the single biggest factor in repeater performance. The right mount depends on your location, roof type, and access. Here are the most common options used in WNY.
J-Mount / Eave Mount
Most popularA J-shaped bracket that bolts to your fascia board, eave, or exterior siding and holds a 1.25–1.5" pipe stub. The go-to choice for most WNY residential installs — quick to find at any hardware store, no roof penetration, and positions the antenna at or above roofline height. Can be extended with additional mast sections for extra elevation.
- +No roof penetration
- +Inexpensive ($15–35)
- +Available at any hardware store
- +Extendable with mast sections
- −Limited to fascia height unless mast is added
- −May need two people to install safely on a roof
Chimney Mount
Best elevation on many homesSteel straps wrap around the chimney (typically two strap sets — upper and lower) and support a pipe section extending above the chimney cap. Chimneys are often the highest fixed point on a residential structure, giving excellent line-of-sight in all directions. No drilling into roofing material.
- +Excellent height advantage over roofline
- +No roof penetrations
- +Removable and reusable
- +Strong when properly strapped to masonry
- −Requires an accessible brick or masonry chimney
- −Chimney must be in good structural condition
Non-Penetrating Roof Mount (NPRM)
Best for flat/commercial rooftopsA heavy steel base plate that sits on the roof surface and is weighted with concrete blocks or sandbags — no holes in the roof. Critical for leased commercial space where roof penetrations aren't permitted. Supports taller masts when combined with guy wires. Common on apartment buildings, warehouses, and office rooftops.
- +Zero roof penetrations (required for many leased rooftops)
- +Supports tall masts when guy-wired
- +Repositionable
- +Good option for commercial / apartment installs
- −Heavy — concrete blocks must be carried to the roof
- −Requires flat or very low-pitch roof
- −More labor-intensive than a J-mount
Tripod / Portable Mount
Good for testingA freestanding three-legged steel stand, typically supporting 4–10 ft of mast. Heights above 4 ft benefit from guy wires. A practical way to evaluate locations before committing to a permanent mount, or to deploy on rooftops where drilling isn't allowed.
- +No installation required
- +Fully portable and reusable
- +Ideal for testing before a permanent install
- +Works on patios, decks, and flat rooftop areas
- −Wind susceptibility without guy wires
- −Lower profile unless mast + guy wires are used
- −Less suited to long-term unattended deployment
Wall / Fascia Bracket
A simple L-bracket or standoff bolted directly to an exterior wall or gable peak. Quick to install and permanent. Best elevation is achieved by mounting near the peak of a gable — even at wall height, a good antenna provides useful coverage in denser neighborhoods.
- +Simple, fast installation
- +Very inexpensive ($10–25)
- +Good maintenance access
- +Permanent and low-profile
- −Generally lower than roofline unless at gable peak
- −Requires drilling into exterior wall
Attic / Indoor Mount
Last resortMounting the device or antenna inside the attic with signal passing through roofing materials. Weather-protected and easy to access, but roofing materials cause significant RF attenuation — often 10–20 dB or more depending on construction. Viable only when exterior mounting is genuinely not possible.
- +Fully protected from weather
- +Easy maintenance access
- +No exterior work — suitable for apartments or HOA restrictions
- −10–20+ dB signal loss through roofing — major range reduction
- −Not recommended for primary WNY network repeaters
- −Metal roofing or radiant barriers can block signal entirely
General Mounting Tips
- •Use stainless steel hardware. WNY winters are hard on zinc-plated hardware. Use stainless lag bolts and U-bolts for anything expected to stay up more than one season.
- •Orient solar panels south. For WNY latitudes, a south-facing panel tilted at 40–45° maximizes year-round energy collection through Buffalo winters.
- •Test before committing. Use a tripod or temporary mount to confirm coverage before drilling into fascia or chimney.
- •Keep feedlines short. Every foot of coax adds loss. Mount the device as close to the antenna as possible, or use a weather-resistant enclosure at the mast head.
Common Settings (All WNY Repeaters)
Apply these settings regardless of your repeater's profile.
set advert.interval 240 set flood.advert.interval 24 set agc.reset.interval 500 set guest.password
| Setting | Value | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| advert.interval | 240 | Local advert every 4 hours (neighbors only) |
| flood.advert.interval | 24 | Network-wide advert every 24 hours |
| agc.reset.interval | 500 | Reset radio AGC every ~8 min to prevent deafness from RF interference |
| guest.password | (blank) | Lets community members query repeater status |
Understanding the Settings
Technical reference for repeater radio settings.
txdelay / direct.txdelay
- •Controls how long a repeater waits before retransmitting a received packet.
- •Formula:
unit = estimated_airtime x txdelay, thendelay = random(0..5) x unit - •Higher values create a wider random window, meaning more deference to other nodes that may retransmit first.
- •
direct.txdelayis the same mechanism but for routed point-to-point messages (usually set lower because direct messages benefit from faster delivery).
rxdelay — SNR-Based Path Selection
- •Only affects flood packets — direct (point-to-point) packets are always processed immediately. Delays processing of floods based on signal quality (SNR).
- •Strong signal = processed immediately. Weak signal = delayed and likely dropped as a duplicate.
- •Effect: the mesh naturally prefers the strongest, cleanest paths without any manual routing configuration.
- •All WNY repeaters use
rxdelay 3.
agc.reset.interval — Radio Deafness Prevention
- •Periodically resets the LoRa radio's Automatic Gain Control (AGC) to prevent "deafness" caused by strong out-of-band RF interference.
- •Without this, the SX1262 AGC can lock up, clamping the noise floor at -120 dBm and making the repeater unable to hear weaker signals until rebooted.
- •AGC is also reset automatically after every transmission — this setting only matters during long idle/receive periods.
- •Especially important for hilltop repeaters near broadcast towers or cell sites. WNY repeaters use
agc.reset.interval 500(~8 minutes). - •Values are stored in 4-second increments (e.g., 60 is rounded to 60). Range: 4–1020 seconds. Set to 0 to disable.
Quick Reference
| Setting | Default | Range | Controls | Rule of Thumb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| txdelay | 0.5 | 0-3.0 | Wait before retransmitting floods | Higher = defer to other nodes |
| direct.txdelay | 0.2 | 0-3.0 | Wait before retransmitting direct packets | Usually lower than txdelay |
| rxdelay | 0 | 0-20.0 | SNR-based flood processing priority (direct packets unaffected) | Higher = prefer strongest signal |
| agc.reset.interval | 0 | 0-1020 | Periodic AGC reset to prevent radio deafness (seconds) | Non-zero = auto-recover from RF interference |