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Frequently asked questions

The short, no-spin version.

Is FreqMapper the same thing as MeshMapper?

No. FreqMapper is a Meshtastic-first project inspired by useful community coverage mapping ideas. It uses Meshtastic packet identities, phone GPS for wardriving, and independent MQTT watcher receipts as evidence.

Does a Position Packet prove coverage?

It can create Position Packet coverage when an approved Watcher receives the packet over RF. The Watcher then uploads that receipt to FreqMapper through MQTT. FreqMapper places the evidence at the sender-reported position and colors the cell from the Watcher receipt quality. It remains separate from a controlled mapping test and does not add mapper points. A packet that Meshtastic marks as received from an MQTT proxy rather than over LoRa does not qualify. For relayed packets, RSSI/SNR describes the final hop into the Watcher rather than a direct path from the reported position.

Does a Watcher have to be a router?

No. A Watcher is a Meshtastic MQTT gateway that uploads packet receipts. Its Meshtastic device role may be ROUTER, CLIENT, or another appropriate role. FreqMapper does not infer the device role from the fact that the node reported hearing a packet.

If several watchers hear one packet, does that show its route?

No. It shows several independent observations. Meshtastic may have routed the packet through nodes that are not visible in the receipt data, so FreqMapper does not draw an assumed RF path.

What happens if my phone loses internet while mapping?

The active wardrive keeps using Bluetooth and radio. Android and iPhone securely queue GPS points and transmitted-test records, then upload them automatically when usable internet returns. Watcher receipts that reached FreqMapper during the outage are matched after the delayed phone record arrives. First-time registration, enrollment, and shared-channel preparation need internet. After one online Active Patrol start, a short-lived approval can permit another offline Active Patrol start while the same radio, region, boundary, and channel are still valid; otherwise an offline start remains Silent Recon. Check Settings → Profile & data → Offline sessions if records do not upload after connectivity returns.

Why are some map areas uncolored?

Uncolored grid is unmeasured. It is not automatically bad coverage and it is not a prediction model.

Does old coverage fade or turn red just because nobody retested it?

No. A verified cell keeps its last-known color indefinitely. Only credible newer tests can challenge it: the second miss across separate wardrives makes it amber, the third makes it red, and a new verified receipt restores it immediately.

What are the purple Received here markers and cells?

They show where driving radios heard sampled Meshtastic traffic during active wardrives. The position belongs to the driving phone/radio, not the packet sender. Purple uses the driving radio's RSSI/SNR and may show comparisons with up to three approved Watchers, but it never creates verified TX coverage. Mobile apps retain individual private markers; the public map shows privacy-filtered aggregate RX cells, and the leaderboard awards a separate point per mapper and distinct 300 m receive area. See Received here and passive RX.

What is the difference between Active Patrol and Silent Recon?

Active Patrol sends paced, tagged coverage tests and also maps eligible traffic received by the driving radio. Silent Recon maps only eligible received traffic and sends no coverage-test packets. Silent Recon does not remove or rewrite the radio's configured wardriving channel; it simply ignores that channel while transmission is disabled. A region administrator may require Silent Recon, in which case Active Patrol is unavailable. Received activity from either mission remains separate from verified TX coverage. It contributes only to the distinct-area RX leaderboard score.

Does FreqMapper upload received message text?

No. The private RX sample can record packet identity/type, reception time, phone location accuracy, radio signal, and limited hop metadata so the sample can be deduplicated and compared with Watchers. It does not upload the message body, sender position payload, channel keys, raw packet bytes, or Bluetooth address. None of those private identifiers or exact event details are included in the public aggregate cell.

Is coverage understandable without the standard green-to-red colors?

Yes. The web map and both mobile apps provide saved Standard, Accessible, and Monochrome color-vision choices. Coverage also uses distinct outlines and patterns for weak, degraded, not-heard, and pending states. On iPhone, the Standard setting automatically honors the system's Differentiate Without Color preference.

Can I use the map without the mobile app?

Yes. The public map, regions, legend, Watcher list, and statistics are available in a browser. The Android or iPhone app is needed only to contribute phone-GPS mapping trips.

A browser session and a mobile installation are separate. In the app, open Settings → Profile & data and choose Sign in and link this app, or create a short code under the website profile's Linked apps & radios section and enter it in the app. The app must say it is linked before its radios and wardrives appear in the profile.

What is the difference between unlinking and deleting?

Unlinking one app removes it from the website profile view; its enrollment and uploaded wardrives remain on FreqMapper and reappear if it is relinked. Erase local trip history removes phone-only summaries and waiting uploads but not coverage already uploaded. Account deletion permanently removes the account, sign-in methods, linked devices, and personal data. Contributed coverage remains anonymously on the community map.

Where are all of the app settings explained?

See Mobile app settings for Quick settings, Driving & radio, Map & appearance, Profile & data, Advanced, Offline Mode, updates, and feedback. See Website profile and account settings for linked apps, trip history, leaderboard privacy, sign-in methods, and deletion.

How do I get access to the mapping app?

Ask the FreqMapper community or your regional team for a current enrollment code. Connect and synchronize your radio first, then enter the code when the app prompts for it. Treat the code as private and do not post it in public help requests.

Does an invite key give somebody control of my radio?

No. It only enrolls the connected radio with FreqMapper so the app can prepare its managed wardriving channel and start mapping sessions. It does not expose your private radio information, ordinary messages, or channel keys to other users.

Can I map while driving?

Only if it is safe. Use a passenger where possible, prepare the app before moving, and never interact with the phone in a way that distracts from driving. The map can wait.

Can anyone create a region?

Anyone can propose one, but activation is reviewed. The area needs local stewardship, a clean boundary, and independently verifiable feeder evidence.

What is the difference between a regional admin and moderator?

A regional admin can change that region's settings. A moderator can review the same information but cannot edit it. Region Group roles are inherited across member groups and regions. Regional access comes from an exact verified-email assignment; ordinary profile sign-in does not grant it.

Why is an MQTT gateway detected but not an approved Region Watcher?

Detection means FreqMapper heard the gateway through a configured broker. Approval means it is allowed to verify mapping evidence for that specific region, normally after its own position resolves inside the boundary or an administrator explicitly approves it. The Regional Administration Watcher directory keeps these states separate.

Why are Watcher and broker secrets not in this guide?

Passwords, private channel keys, and other operational access should not be copied into a public guide. The local mesh team must create, secure, operate, and maintain its feeder node, gateway, broker path, and internet connection. FreqMapper does not provide that infrastructure.

After the team has a working feeder and permission to share its read-only MQTT traffic, a regional administrator or FreqMapper moderator can privately confirm the mapping-channel settings, supported MQTT requirements, regional approval, and whether usable receipts are reaching FreqMapper. Start with the local mesh team, then use its private support channel or the Freq51 Discord when the existing source is ready to connect.

Last updated: 2026-09-24