Skip to content

FreqMapper Help

A FreqMapper trip: a phone, a radio, and independently observed coverage across a valley.

FreqMapper is a community map for measured Meshtastic coverage. It is for the people who look at a trailhead, back road, neighborhood, or valley and wonder: would the mesh make it from here? A result becomes coverage evidence only after an independent MQTT Watcher reports the same mapping packet.

What FreqMapper does

With the FreqMapper app on iPhone or Android, a mapper connects a Meshtastic radio, starts a trip, and lets the phone record its own GPS position. The app sends low-rate, tagged tests on the shared wardriving channel. If an approved Watcher independently reports the same packet, FreqMapper can place a verified result on the map.

That keeps the map useful for real-world planning without pretending a radio can hear everywhere a node happens to report a position. We would rather leave a square blank than make a confident-looking guess.

Important

A blue Position Packet cell or dot only means a node recently reported its own location through the MQTT feed. It is interesting activity information, not verified coverage.

Start here

New regions are not open for self-service sign-up yet. For now, get an invite key from an existing region administrator, or ask the community about bringing FreqMapper to your area. The guided path is the same on iPhone and Android:

  1. Join a mapping region with an invite key from its administrator.
  2. Set up the app: install the right build, connect your radio, and allow location access.
  3. Take your first mapping trip after the radio and shared wardriving channel are ready.
  4. Learn to read the public map, including coverage colors, receipt details, Watchers, and map controls.

Looking for a region?

A public region directory and self-service regional sign-up are planned, but are not available yet. Until then, use the invite key supplied by your region administrator. If you would like to help establish a new area, read Start a region.

Other useful guides

The one rule that matters

A coverage cell is verified only when all three things line up:

  1. The mapper's phone supplied the location for a tagged mapping test.
  2. The packet has a matching identity and timestamp from that test.
  3. An approved feeder independently uploaded a receipt from the same region.

Several independent feeder receipts can increase confidence. The lines and receipt lists show who reported hearing the test; they do not prove the exact over-the-air route through a Meshtastic mesh.

A few useful expectations

  • The app's map shows your own current session's route, sent-test dots, and verified cells. It does not turn someone else's trip into your live route.
  • The public map is the shared regional snapshot. It refreshes with verified coverage from everyone.
  • Watchers can be useful even without a map position. They can verify a test; they simply cannot be shown with an eye icon on the map until the system has their own position.
  • A blue Position Packet layer is there for reference and can be hidden from the map settings gear. It is never coverage.

Last updated: 2026-08-26