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Version: 2.8

Telemetry & Sensors

Meshtastic nodes can collect and share sensor data across the mesh network. Telemetry allows nodes equipped with sensors to broadcast environmental, power, and device health information, visible on the node detail screen and logged over time.

Device Telemetry​

All Meshtastic nodes report basic device telemetry:

MetricDescriptionTypical Range
Battery LevelCharge percentage0–100%
VoltageBattery voltage3.0–4.2V (LiPo)
ChUtil% of local airtime in use0–100%
AirUtil% of the last hour this node spent transmitting0–100%
UptimeSeconds since last bootVaries

Environment Sensors​

Supported environmental sensors:

Temperature & Humidity​

SensorTemperatureHumidityPressureNotes
BME280✓✓✓Recommended all-in-one
BME680✓✓✓Adds gas resistance/IAQ
SHT31✓✓—High accuracy
MCP9808✓——Precision temperature
LPS22——✓Pressure only

Air Quality​

SensorMetricNotes
BME680Gas Resistance / IAQVolatile organic compounds
PMSA003IPM1.0, PM2.5, PM10See Air Quality Metrics
SEN55PM, Temp, HumidityMulti-sensor. Its NOxNOx (Nitrogen Oxides). A group of gases measured by some air quality sensors, which report them as an index rather than a concentration. and VOCVOC (Volatile Organic Compounds). A group of gases measured by some air quality sensors, which report them as an index rather than a concentration. indices are recorded and included in a CSV export, but are not shown as cards or charts
SEN6xPM, CO₂, Temp, HumidityIts status register is always exported; when it reports a fault (fan, RH&T, gas, CO₂, HCHO or PM), the fault names appear as a Sensor Status card and on each Air Quality log entry

Soil​

MetricUnitNotes
Soil Temp°C / °FReported alongside soil moisture by soil probes
Soil Moist%Volumetric water content

Both appear as info cards on the node detail screen, next to the other environment readings.

Soil probe and water-quality sonde chemistry (pH, conductivity, salinity, NPK, dissolved oxygen, ORP, turbidity, nitrate, ammonium, oxygen demand, solar irradiance) appears as a Soil & Water row of info cards on the node detail screen once a node reports any of it, and is included in the node database export. There is no chart or log screen for it yet.

Light & UV​

SensorMetric
OPT3001Ambient light (lux)
VEML7700Ambient light (lux)
LTR390UV index

Weather and Other Readings​

MetricUnitWhere it appears
Wind speedkm/h or mphCard and chart. Sensors report meters per second; the app converts to match your unit setting, and the chart uses the same unit as the card
Wind direction, gust, and lulldegrees, km/h or mphListed with each reading on the Environment Metrics screen; not charted
Rainfall, last hour and last 24 hoursmm or inListed with each reading on the Environment Metrics screen; not charted
Lightning, strikes in the last hour and storm distancecount, km or miCard and listed with each reading on the Environment Metrics screen; not charted. From an AS3935 detector. Storm distance is always in km or mi, since the detector resolves whole kilometres
RadiationµR/hCard and chart
Weightkg or lbCard only — load cells, such as a beehive scale
Distancemm or inCard only — water level, from a distance sensor
Dew point°C or °FCard only — computed from temperature and humidity
1-Wire temperature°C or °FCard and chart, up to eight DS18B20-style probes
ADCADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter). A circuit that turns a varying voltage into a digital value. Devices use one to read sensors and to measure battery voltage. voltageVCard and chart, up to eight raw analog channels

Power Metrics​

Nodes with INA-series power sensors can report:

MetricDescription
VoltagePer-channel voltage reading
CurrentPer-channel current draw, in mA

The node detail screen shows read-only cards for channels 1 to 3. Use the chart button on the Power Metrics row to open the chart screen, which lists a chip for every channel that reported data — up to eight — and charts the one you select. Rename a channel there, in the label field under the chips, to something like Solar or Battery. There is no separate wattage reading; the app charts voltage and current, and does not compute power from them.

Useful for monitoring solar charging or battery health on remote nodes.

Configuring Telemetry​

  1. Navigate to Settings → Module configuration → Telemetry.

  2. Each metric group has its own enable toggle and its own interval:

    • Device Metrics — battery, voltage, uptime, ChUtil, and AirUtil. Its enable toggle, Send Device Telemetry, appears only on firmware 2.7.12 and later; on older firmware you can change the interval but not turn the group off
    • Environment Metrics — temperature, humidity, pressure and the other sensor readings
    • Air Quality Metrics — particulate and CO₂ readings
    • Power Metrics — the per-channel voltage and current readings

    Environment and Power each have an extra toggle to show their readings on the radio's own screen, and Environment has one more to show its temperatures there in Fahrenheit.

Choosing an Interval​

These are nominal values, not hard schedules. On a congested mesh the firmware automatically backs off to longer intervals based on how many nodes are online, so you do not need to hand-tune them for mesh size. Lengthen them deliberately only to save battery.

Air Quality Metrics​

Nodes with particulate matter or CO₂ sensors report air quality data:

MetricUnitDescription
PM1.0µg/m³Ultrafine particulate matter
PM2.5µg/m³Fine particulate matter
PM10µg/m³Coarse particulate matter
CO₂ppmCarbon dioxide concentration

CO₂ sensors such as the SCD4x also report their own temperature and humidity, which appear alongside the readings above. From PM2.5 history the app additionally derives an EPA NowCast AQI value.

The CO₂ reading is color-coded by severity (Good → Stuffy → Poor → Unsafe → Evacuate). See Node Metrics — Air Quality for the exact ppm bands, colors, and AQI detail.

Air quality data can be viewed as info cards on the node detail screen, charted over time, and exported to CSV.

Viewing Telemetry​

  1. Navigate to Nodes and select a node.
  2. The Telemetry section lists a row for every metric type — Device, Environment, Air Quality, Power, and the rest — whether or not this node has reported it. A row fills in with readings, and grows a chart button, once that node has actually sent that kind of telemetry. An empty row means nothing has arrived yet, not that the sensor is missing.
  3. Use the chart button on a row to open that metric's history, where you can pick a time frame and export the readings as CSV.

Node detail screen with the telemetry chart action menu open

Troubleshooting​

  • No environment data showing? The remote node needs a physical sensor connected (e.g., BME280 on I2CI2CA two-wire bus used to attach peripherals such as sensors and displays to a device.). Device telemetry (battery, uptime) is always available, but environment metrics require hardware.
  • Stale readings? Check the reporting interval — very long intervals (7200s+) mean data updates infrequently. Also verify the remote node is still online.
  • Sensor conflict on I2CI2CA two-wire bus used to attach peripherals such as sensors and displays to a device. bus? Some sensors share I2CI2CA two-wire bus used to attach peripherals such as sensors and displays to a device. addresses. If you have multiple sensors on the same bus, check for address collisions in the radio's serial debug output.