Channels and Regions

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.

Channel 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.

Public and hashtag channels should be treated as public. They may be heard by repeaters, observers, and other users, and they may appear in internet-connected tools if observers are present.

Private channels are only private if the key stays private. Do not reuse a private channel name or key for unrelated groups.

Regions

Region help restrict propagation of channels across the wider MeshCore mesh. Use the smallest scope that makes sense so local traffic stays local where supported.

You can easily check which region using the Eastmesh Region Tool.

It is bad practice to scope the Public channel to a region as this can lead to one-sided conversations.

Use lower-case components separated by hyphens.

Format:

<country>-<state>-<iata>

Example:

au-nsw-syd

In this format:

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

Examples:

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
au-nsw-gos	Central Coast scoped traffic.	region put au-nsw-gos region allowf au-nsw-gos	Gosford
au-nsw-ntl	Newcastle and Hunter scoped traffic.	region put au-nsw-ntl region allowf au-nsw-ntl	Newcastle
au-nsw-wol	Illawarra and Wollongong scoped traffic.	region put au-nsw-wol region allowf au-nsw-wol	Wollongong
Save	Save the regions.	region save	Everyone

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.

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, Central Coast repeaters should allow au-nsw-gos, Newcastle and Hunter repeaters should allow au-nsw-ntl, and Illawarra repeaters should allow au-nsw-wol.

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.

Current Channels

Key	Suggested region scope	Purpose
Public	None	General chat for all mesh users.
#test	All users	Connection testing. Bots may auto-reply to test, ping, or path where available.
#emergency	All users	Emergency communications only.
#sydney	au-nsw-syd	Sydney metro conversation and coordination.
#nsw	au-nsw	State-wide coordination.
#macarthur	au-nsw-syd	Macarthur conversation and coordination.
#nepean	au-nsw-syd	Nepean conversation and coordination.
#centralcoast	au-nsw-gos	Central Coast conversation and coordination.
#illawarra	au-nsw-wol	Illawarra and Wollongong conversation and coordination.
#newcastle	au-nsw-ntl	Newcastle and Hunter conversation and coordination.

Check with the NSW Mesh community before creating a new long-lived regional or operational channel.