Channels and Regions

Regions

Regions help restrict propagation of local data to the wider mesh where it is less useful. Use the smallest scope that makes sense so local traffic stays local where supported. Regions help keep airtime down, contributing to a better functioning mesh for all.

You can click on regions in the map below for suggestions on which regions to include on your repeater or companion. If you're close to a border you may choose to include multiple regions depending on geography or repeater links. You can also try the Eastmesh Region Tool.

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Note: this map is only intended as a guide and not as a prescriptive resource. It is kept up-to-date as best as possible but actual local configurations may differ.

Region Format

The region format uses lower-case components separated by hyphens.
Format: <country>-<state>-<iata>. Example: au-nsw-syd.

Part	Example	Meaning
Country	au	Australia.
State	nsw	New South Wales.
IATA	syd	The nearest practical airport or regional IATA-style code. Otherwise a community agreed 3rd tier name where IATA isnt practical.

A Sydney-specific message belongs in a Sydney channel scoped to au-nsw-syd; a state-wide message belongs in an NSW channel scoped to au-nsw; general first contact can stay in Public. See Channels below for how these scopes map to specific channels.

For communities that border multiple states (e.g. Albury/Wodonga) they may be using an area specific 2nd tier like au-hume.

For a deeper explanation of MeshCore regions, see Zindello Industries' article.
MeshCore Regions: what they are, how they work, and why they matter.

Repeaters

Configuring regions tells a repeater what it should repeat. Only the regions it has been configured to explicitly allow will be forwarded on, everything else is dropped by default. This is what creates the regional traffic boundaries mentioned above.

All NSW repeaters should generally allow au and au-nsw. Only add the IATA-level region that matches the repeater location. For example, Sydney repeaters should allow au-nsw-syd, Newcastle and Hunter repeaters should allow au-nsw-ntl, etc.

Take extra care when adding additional regions further to the standard three or operating near a border, particularly with repeaters that have wide coverage into neighbouring regions. Over-allowing can dissolve the boundaries that regions are meant to create.

You can configure regions on your repeater rather via the UI or directly through the CLI.

Example configuration:
Note: You can copy CLI commands for a region straight from a region's popup on the map above.

Region	Suggested use	CLI command	Who
au	Australia-wide scoped traffic.	region put au region allowf au	Everyone
au-nsw	NSW-wide scoped traffic.	region put au-nsw region allowf au-nsw	Everyone
au-nsw-syd	Sydney metro scoped traffic.	region put au-nsw-syd region allowf au-nsw-syd	Sydney
Save	Save the regions.	region save	Everyone

Companions

Companions should generally add the same regions as their local repeaters, following the example above. You can do this via the app UI, as there is generally not a CLI available for companions. If you have zero-hop repeaters nearby, you can use the "Discover Regions" function to find what regions other repeaters are configured to repeat.

Adding regions isn't required to receive traffic scoped to it, but it is required to send it.

Channels

MeshCore channels are used to separate different kinds of conversations on the mesh. Keep public traffic simple and predictable so new users can find help, test their node, and understand which channel is appropriate for their message.

Types

Type	How it works	Typical use
Public	The default shared channel available to MeshCore users.	General chat, first contact, and simple coordination.
Hashtag	A named channel with a key generated from the channel name.	Regional chat, topic channels, testing, and repeatable community channels.
Private	A channel using a private key shared only with trusted participants.	Small teams, event operations, or conversations that should not be readable by the broader mesh.

The Public channel and hashtag channels should be treated as public. They may be heard by repeaters, other users and observers (nodes that publish to the internet).
Private channels are only private if the key stays private. Do not reuse a private channel name or key for unrelated groups.

Generic Channels

Useful channels used mesh-wide.

Key	Suggested region scope	Purpose
Public	None (Unscoped)	General chat for all mesh users.
#test	au-nsw or IATA	Connection testing. Bots may auto-reply to test, ping, or path.
#emergency	None	Emergency communications only.
#alerts	None	Automatic situation alerts such as fires.

Regional Channels

Scoped to a particular region. These are also listed in each region's popup on the interactive map above.
Note: Check with the NSW Mesh community before creating a new long-lived regional or operational channel.

Key	Suggested region scope	Purpose
#nsw	au-nsw	State-wide coordination.
#midnorthcoast	TBC	Mid-North Coast conversation and coordination.
#newcastle	au-nsw-ntl	Newcastle & Hunter conversation and coordination.
#sydney	au-nsw-syd	Sydney metro conversation and coordination.
#centralcoast	au-nsw-syd	Central Coast conversation and coordination.
#macarthur	au-nsw-syd	Macarthur conversation and coordination.
#nepean	au-nsw-syd	Nepean conversation and coordination.
#bathurst	au-nsw-bhs	Bathurst & Central West conversation and coordination.
#illawarra	au-nsw-wol	Illawarra & Wollongong conversation and coordination.
#riverina	TBC	Wagga Wagga & Riverina conversation and coordination.
#farsouthcoast	TBC	Far South Coast conversation and coordination.