Map Grid, Ping Types & Popups

MeshMapper visualizes mesh coverage using a grid system, color-coded markers, and detailed popups. This guide explains how to interpret the map data.

The Grid System

The map is divided into small grid squares. The default grid size is 300m x 300m in Simplified mode and 100m x 100m in Detailed mode, but this can be changed via the Grid Size option in the Settings panel (sizes range from 50m up to 2km).

Since a single grid square may contain multiple pings from different times or users, MeshMapper uses a Priority System to determine which color to display. The map will always show the "best" result available for that location.

Priority	Color	Meaning
1 (Highest)	Green	BIDIR (Bidirectional) - Confirmed two-way coverage.
2	Cyan	DISC (Discovery) - Discovery packet sent and reply heard.
3	Orange	TX (Transmit) - Message sent, but no repeat was heard.
4	Purple	RX (Receive) - Heard traffic while in RX mode.
5	Grey	DEAD - Repeater heard the ping, but it did not make it into the wider mesh
6 (Lowest)	Red	DROP - Failed ping. No repeats heard, did not make it into the wider mesh.

Example: If a grid square contains 10 failed pings (Red) and 1 successful ping (Green), the square will appear Green to indicate that coverage is possible at that location.

Ping Types Defined

Here is a detailed breakdown of the different coverage statuses:

• BIDIRECTIONAL (BIDIR) - Green

  • You sent a message, it was received by a repeater, and your radio heard the repeater send it back.
  • This confirms a solid two-way link.

• DISCOVERY (DISC) - Cyan

  • Your radio sent a specialized "Discovery" packet, and a node responded.

• TRANSMIT (TX) - Orange

  • Your message was successfully sent into the mesh (it reached a repeater), but your radio did not hear the confirmation repeat.
  • This often happens when you have a high-power transmitter but a lower-gain antenna for receiving, or if the repeater is far away.

• RECEIVE (RX) - Purple

  • Your radio heard packets from the mesh (e.g., other users, telemetry), but you did not transmit.
  • Useful for mapping where the mesh can be heard, even if you cannot reach it.

• DEAD - Grey

  • A repeater heard your signal, but the message didn't go anywhere (it wasn't repeated to the rest of the mesh).
  • This usually indicates a "Zombie" repeater, a misconfigured repeater that is receiving but not routing, or the repeater does not have a reliable connection into the wider mesh.

• DROP - Red

  • You sent a message, but no repeaters heard it, and no route was established.
  • Indicates a dead zone or lack of coverage.

Popups & Data

Clicking on a grid square opens a popup with detailed information.

1. Summary View

If a grid square contains multiple pings, the popup opens in Summary View first. - Counts: Shows the total number of pings for each type (BIDIR, TX, etc.) in that square. - Averages: Displays the Average SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) and Average Noise Floor. - Max Range: Shows the furthest distance achieved from a repeater in this square.

2. Detail View

You can cycle through individual pings using the < and > buttons at the bottom of the popup, arranged by the newest data first.

• Identity: Who sent the ping (if not hidden via region settings).
• Time: Date and time of the ping.
• Telemetry:
  • Power: Transmit power used (e.g., 0.6W).
  • Ext. Ant: Indicates if an external antenna was used.
• Path:
  • Heard Repeats: A list of all repeaters your radio heard re-broadcasting your message, sorted by signal strength (SNR).
  • Via: The first repeaters responsible for transmitting your coverage data to MeshMapper.

3. Visual Lines

When a popup is open, MeshMapper draws lines on the map to visualize the connection:

• Solid Colored Line: Represents the signal your radio Heard from a repeater. The color indicates signal strength (Green = Good, Orange = Okay, Red = Weak).
• Blue Dashed Line: Represents the one-way Via path.
• Red Dashed Line: Indicates a connection to a Duplicate/Excluded repeater.

4. Sharing

Every popup includes a Link Icon (chain link) in the top-right corner. Clicking this copies a direct URL to that specific grid square or ping to your clipboard, allowing you to share exact locations with others.

Repeater Icons

The icons representing repeaters on the map change colour based on their status:

• Pink: Active. The repeater is active and online.
• Orange: New. The repeater was discovered by MeshMapper within the last 14 days.
• Grey: Stale. The repeater has not sent an advert within the predetermined timeframe (set by the regional administrators).
• Red: Excluded. The repeater is flagged as a duplicate or has been manually flagged as excluded.

Repeater Popups

Clicking on a repeater icon opens a popup with details:

• Status Indicators:
  • Online (Green): The repeater has been heard from recently.
  • New (Orange): First seen within the last 14 days.
  • Stale (Grey): Has not been heard from in a specific timeframe set by the region administrator (e.g., 24 hours).
  • Excluded (Red): Flagged as a duplicate or problematic node.
• Details:
  • ID: The repeaters identifier.
  • Last Heard: The exact time the repeater was last seen by the mesh.
  • Max Range: The furthest distance a user has successfully connected to this repeater from.
• Neighbours: A list of other repeaters this node has directly communicated with recently.
• Copy Link: A link icon in the top right allows you to copy a direct URL to this repeater.

Private Repeaters

If a repeater's name ends with the "no entry" emoji (🚫), it is treated as a Private Repeater:

• Map: The repeater's Name, Location, and ID are completely removed from the map.
• Pings: Coverage data is still kept and displayed on the grid, but the repeater's identity in the popup is masked as (hidden).
• Leaderboards: The repeater's name is replaced with "(private repeater)", though its statistics are still calculated and ranked.