meshcore-usb-dashboard/QUICKSTART.md

Quick Start Guide

Get your Meshtastic MQTT Dashboard up and running in 5 minutes!

Step 1: Install Dependencies

npm install

Step 2: Configure Environment

cp .env.example .env

Edit the .env file and change the SESSION_SECRET to a random string:

SESSION_SECRET=your-random-secret-here-change-this

Leave other settings as default to connect to the public Meshtastic MQTT broker.

Step 3: Create a User Account

npm run create-user

Enter your desired username and password when prompted.

Example:

Enter username: admin
Enter password: ********
Confirm password: ********

User 'admin' created successfully!

Step 4: Start the Application

npm start

You should see:

Connected to MQTT broker
Subscribed to topic: msh/US/#
Server running on http://localhost:3000

Step 5: Access the Dashboard

Open your web browser and navigate to:

http://localhost:3000

Login with the username and password you created in Step 3.

What's Next?

• View Messages: Navigate to the Messages tab to see incoming mesh messages
• Check the Map: Click on the Map tab to see node locations
• Monitor Nodes: View all discovered nodes in the Nodes tab
• Send Messages: Use the message form to send text to the mesh network

Troubleshooting

Can't see any data?

• Wait a few minutes for MQTT messages to arrive
• Check that the MQTT status indicator in the header shows as connected (green dot)
• The public Meshtastic network may have variable activity depending on your region

Can't login?

• Make sure you created a user with npm run create-user
• Check that the SESSION_SECRET is set in your .env file
• Try clearing your browser cookies

Port 3000 already in use?

• Change the PORT in your .env file to another port (e.g., 3001)
• Restart the application

Default Configuration

The default configuration connects to:

• MQTT Broker: mqtt.meshtastic.org (public)
• Topic: msh/US/# (all US channels)
• Port: 3000
• Data Retention: 30 days

To change these, edit your .env file.

Production Deployment

For production use:

1. Change NODE_ENV=production in .env
2. Use a strong, random SESSION_SECRET
3. Set up HTTPS with a reverse proxy (nginx, Caddy, etc.)
4. Configure firewall rules
5. Set up automatic backups of the data/ directory

Enjoy your Meshtastic dashboard!