MeshCore regions in the united kingdom
How British mesh operators configure geographic scopes to optimise network efficiency and reduce congestion across the nation
Why region configuration?
As the LocalMesh network expands across Britain, managing message propagation becomes increasingly important. Without geographic boundaries, a message intended for neighbours in Cornwall might traverse repeaters all the way to Inverness, consuming precious airtime unnecessarily. Region configuration addresses this by creating intelligent boundaries.
Through Regions (configured on repeaters) and Scopes (applied to messages), operators can define the geographic reach appropriate for their communications. A village hall meeting announcement need not propagate beyond the county, whilst emergency broadcasts might warrant national distribution.
This system EMPloys ISO 3166-2:GB standard codes for consistent identification of regions across the United Kingdom, creating a logical structure that aligns with how people naturally think about British geography.
Note: firmware required
Region and Scope functionality requires MeshCore firmware version 1.10.0 or newer. Verify your firmware version before attempting region configuration. Note: The Companion app does not yet support changing message scope, though this capability is planned for a future release.
How does it work?
Regions on repeaters
Repeater administrators configure which geographic areas their infrastructure serves. Minimum requirement: country plus region. Example: a repeater in Devon would receive gb and gb-dev.
Scopes on messages
When sending, users can specify geographic scope: nationwide (gb), regional (gb-sco), or local. Messages without explicit scope propagate everywhere.
Exact matching
Repeaters only forward messages when the scope precisely matches a configured region. gb does NOT automatically match gb-eng, though hierarchy can be configured to enable this behaviour.
Wildcard *
Every repeater includes a default wildcard region *. Messages lacking explicit scope always propagate, maintaining backward compatibility with older firmware.
British region codes
Based on ISO 3166-2:GB standard codes (lowercase)
| Region Code | Region | Example Areas |
|---|---|---|
| gb | United Kingdom | Nationwide messages |
| gb-eng | England | London, Birmingham, Manchester |
| gb-sco | Scotland | Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen |
| gb-wls | Wales | Cardiff, Swansea, Newport |
| gb-nir | Northern Ireland | Belfast, Derry, Lisburn |
| gb-lon | Greater London | Westminster, Camden, Greenwich |
| gb-nwk | North West | Manchester, Liverpool, Preston |
| gb-yor | Yorkshire | Leeds, Sheffield, York |
| gb-mid | Midlands | Birmingham, Nottingham, Leicester |
| gb-sth | South East | Brighton, Oxford, Southampton |
| gb-swt | South West | Bristol, Plymouth, Exeter |
| gb-est | East of England | Cambridge, Norwich, Ipswich |
| gb-nth | North East | Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham |
More specific: local regions
For metropolitan areas or cross-boundary communities, more granular codes can be established. This remains optional and is determined by local community consensus. Examples:
-
gb-man- Greater Manchester area -
gb-brs- Bristol and surroundings -
gb-edi- Edinburgh area
Local region codes supplement the standard regional hierarchy. Coordinate with your local mesh community to establish consistent conventions.
Repeater configuration
Via CLI (Command Line Interface)
Regions are configured through the CLI, accessible via USB serial connection or remote administration through the app or companion device. The minimum configuration comprises country plus region.
Establish CLI connection to your repeater
Add the country: region put gb
Add your region with hierarchy: region put gb-eng gb
Enable flood propagation: region allowf gb and region allowf gb-eng
Persist configuration with region save
Example configuration (north west England)
region put gb
region put gb-nwk gb
region allowf gb
region allowf gb-nwk
region saveImportant
-
Verify each command receives an
OKacknowledgement -
Confirm configuration using the
regioncommand -
The hierarchy syntax (
region put gb-nwk gb) establishes gb-nwk as a child of gb -
region saveis essential for configuration to survive power cycles - Remote administration via app may encounter reliability issues; physical access sometimes proves necessary
Technical specifications
Maximum length
29 bytes (UTF-8) per region identifier
Permitted characters
Lowercase letters (a-z), numerals (0-9), and hyphen (-) only
Maximum regions
32 regions per repeater (auto-discovery limited to 172 characters)
Uniqueness
Region identifiers must remain unique within the mesh network
Benefits of region configuration
Increased airtime
Messages avoid unnecessary propagation beyond their intended scope, freeing channel capacity for other communications.
Faster delivery
Messages require fewer hops when constrained to relevant geographic areas, reducing end-to-end latency.
Battery conservation
Repeaters handle fewer messages, reducing energy consumption, which proves particularly valuable for solar-powered installations.
Local relevance
Receive only messages pertinent to your geographic area, eliminating noise from distant regions.
Scalability
Network growth becomes sustainable as each region functions semi-independently without degrading overall performance.
Community driven
Local communities determine their own configuration conventions whilst the national structure provides consistency.
Frequently asked questions
Must I update my repeater for region support?
Yes, MeshCore firmware 1.10.0 or newer is required. Earlier versions lack region functionality. Flash the latest firmware via flasher.MeshCore.co.uk.
What happens when sending without specifying a scope?
Messages lacking scope propagate through all repeaters via the wildcard * region. The network operates as before, though you forfeit the efficiency benefits of regional filtering.
Can multiple regions be configured on a single repeater?
Indeed, up to 32 regions per repeater. The minimum configuration remains country plus primary region: gb and your regional code (e.g., gb-sco).
How does the hierarchy (region put gb-nwk GB) function?
Hierarchy establishes parent-child relationships. region put gb-nwk gb designates gb-nwk as a child of gb. Consequently, messages scoped to gb also propagate through repeaters configured for gb-nwk.
Can scope be selected within the companion App currently?
Not presently. Message scope selection in the Companion app awaits a future release. You can experiment with scope using the CLI meanwhile.
Who determines which local region codes to adopt?
The local community decides collectively. The national and constituent country codes follow ISO standards, whilst local identifiers like gb-man are agreed upon within regional groups. Coordinate via the LocalMesh forum or Telegram channels.
Want to discuss region configuration?
Region configuration develops through community collaboration. Questions, suggestions, or willing to assist? Join the conversation:
MeshCore TelegramHelp the network grow
Configuring regions on your repeater contributes to maintaining a scalable, efficient MeshCore network across the United Kingdom.