Test Serial Driver Installation
Test Serial Driver Installation
You can verify that you have a proper data cable (rather than a charge-only type cable) and that the appropriate drivers for your system are installed by performing the following test:
- Linux
- macOS
- Windows
Linux
-
Connect your Meshtastic device to your USBUSB (Universal Serial Bus). The wired connection used to power a device, flash firmware onto it, and communicate with it over serial. port
-
Open a Terminal and enter the following command:
lsusb -
You should see something like:
ID xxxx:xxxx Silicon Labs CP210x UART Bridge# orID xxxx:xxxx QinHeng Electronics USB Single Serial# orID xxxx:xxxx Adafruit WisCore RAK4631 Board
macOS
- Navigate to
Apple Menu > About This Mac > More Info > System Report... > Hardware > USB. - You should see similar to one of the following entries:
CP210X USB to UART Bridge ControllerCH9102 USB to UART Bridge ControllerWisCore RAK4631 BoardUSB Single Serial
Windows
- Navigate to
Device Manager > Ports (COM & LPT) - You should see similar to one of the following entries:
Silicon Labs CP210X USB to UART Bridge (COM5)Silicon Labs CH9102 USB to UART Bridge (COM5)USB-Enhanced-SERIAL CH9102 (COM5)USB Serial Device (COM5)
If you are unable to see your device:
- Make sure that your cable is not only for charging but also for data transfer.
- It's possible that you need to reinstall the USB serial driver.
Flash Firmware
After completing the previous steps, you can now flash the Meshtastic firmware onto your device. To proceed, select the appropriate device type for your device.
Flash ESP32ESP32A chipset of microcontroller made/designed by Espressif, used by a number of devices. Higher power usage than nRF52, but often cheaper and supports Wi-Fi if desired. Firmware
Flash nRF52nRF52A microcontroller chipset made by Nordic, used by several devices such as the RAK Meshtastic Starter Kit and the Lilygo T-Echo. Lower power usage than ESP32./