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Set up the app

Think of this as a quick pre-flight check, not homework. FreqMapper is designed for low-rate, intentional coverage mapping—not continuous packet flooding. The best trips start with a radio that is already behaving normally on the local Meshtastic mesh.

What you will need

  • An iPhone or Android phone with precise location permission enabled.
  • A Meshtastic radio connected and synchronized with the phone.
  • A current enrollment code from the FreqMapper community or a regional administrator. See Join a mapping region.
  • A safe driving plan. If you can, have a passenger run the app.
  • A local FreqMapper region with active watchers. A trip can be recorded anywhere, but it needs independent receipts before coverage can be verified.

Set up your phone and radio

  1. On an iPhone or iPad running iOS 16 or newer, install Apple's free TestFlight app, then install FreqMapper through the invitation on the Getting started page.
  2. Open the Radio tab, allow Bluetooth access, select your Meshtastic radio, and wait for its identity and channels to synchronize.
  3. Enter the FreqMapper enrollment code when prompted while that radio is connected.
  4. After enrollment, FreqMapper automatically adds or reuses the shared wardriving channel in a free secondary slot. It never replaces a configured channel.
  5. When Remove FreqMapper channel on disconnect is enabled, a clean disconnect removes only the temporary channel FreqMapper created. A matching channel that was already on your radio is left alone.
  6. If the phone loses internet during a trip, keep the wardrive running. FreqMapper queues the records and retries after connectivity returns or when the app opens again.
  1. Join the closed-testing Google Group, accept the Google Play test, and install the current Android build by following Mobile apps and updates. Use the same Google account for the group and Google Play. Then allow Bluetooth and precise-location permissions.
  2. Open the Radio tab, connect to your Meshtastic radio, and wait for synchronization to finish.
  3. Enter the FreqMapper enrollment code when prompted while that radio is connected.
  4. After enrollment, FreqMapper automatically adds or reuses the shared wardriving channel. It uses an available secondary slot and does not overwrite one of your existing channels.
  5. When Remove FreqMapper channel on disconnect is enabled, a clean disconnect waits briefly for the radio to confirm removal of only the temporary channel FreqMapper created. If Bluetooth drops first, FreqMapper keeps a local cleanup reminder for the next connection rather than risking one of your channels.

Before leaving

  1. Open Settings → Profile & data, tap Sign in and link this app, and confirm the app says it is linked. Website sign-in alone does not link the app. This associates its enrolled radios and uploaded wardrives with your profile and enables radio recovery after a reinstall or phone change.
  2. Connect your radio in the app and wait for it to synchronize.
  3. Apply your FreqMapper enrollment code if this radio is not enrolled yet, then finish shared-channel setup if the app asks you to.
  4. Open the map and confirm the region you expect to travel through.
  5. Check the Watchers panel. Positioned Watchers appear with an eye icon; unpositioned Watchers may still be listening and can still verify coverage.
  6. Confirm the phone has a current GPS fix before you move.
  7. Expand WarDrive and review the available mission cards. Choose Active Patrol for paced TX + RX mapping or Silent Recon for RX-only mapping. A region may require Silent Recon and make Active Patrol unavailable.
  8. Review the region's packet-rate guidance before sending any mapping tests in Active Patrol.

To change profiles, open Settings → Profile & data and use Log out / unlink this app if it is available, or unlink the app on your profile website. This removes the app's profile association without deleting its radio enrollment or wardrives. Those records stop appearing in the old profile until the app is linked again. Link it before uninstalling if you want to recover its radios later; website sign-out is separate.

For a plain-language explanation of every choice under Driving & radio, Map & appearance, Profile & data, Advanced, and Help & about, see Mobile app settings.

During a running trip, Signal Burst requests one manual coverage test when the region allows transmissions. It can be used in either mission, shares the 15-second cooldown with Active Patrol's automatic tests, and restarts that automatic timer. FreqMapper allows no more than three tests in one 100 m area, with at least 10 m of movement between positions, before asking you to move to a new area. Regions that require Silent Recon disable Signal Burst.

Safe and fair mapping

  • Never operate the app while driving if it distracts you.
  • Use low-rate tests. More packets do not automatically make better coverage data.
  • Do not chase routers, private property, emergency activity, or restricted roads. A good map is never worth making someone uncomfortable or putting yourself in a bad spot.
  • Respect local channel customs. Mapping is a community measurement activity, not a stress test for the network.
  • Stop the trip when you are done; it keeps your personal trip history easier to review and delete.

What the app will record

For a mapping trip, the important location is the phone's location when the tagged packet was sent. FreqMapper does not use a feeder's location, the nearest airport, or a sender's ordinary Position Packet as the wardriver's location.

If things feel rushed, pause the trip and get settled first. There is no prize for squeezing in one more sample. See Privacy and data for what is shared and what stays private.

Last updated: 2026-09-24