This site (which has a great search function) is the preferred place for up-to-date documentation. Many of our users and developers hang out on the [Meshtastic Discord](https://discord.gg/ktMAKGBnBs) server where you may connect with like-minded people.
Everyone contributes in a different way. Join the [Meshtastic Discord](https://discord.gg/ktMAKGBnBs) and introduce yourself. We're all very friendly. If you'd like to pitch in some code, check out the [Development](/docs/developers) menu on the left.
Minimum requirement is Android 5 (Lollipop 2014, first BLE support), however at least Android 6 (Marshmallow 2015) is recommended as Bluetooth is more stable. While Android 5/6 are officially supported by Meshtastic, it is _not_ recommended that you purchase devices with these versions due to their limited OS support and limited battery life due to age. Many newer models exist that are very affordable. A good resource to use when researching affordable devices is the [LineageOS Supported Devices List](https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/).
Try forgetting the Bluetooth connection from the Android Bluetooth Settings menu. Re-pair and try again. This is a security measure and there is no workaround for it. It prevents apps and other accessories from spoofing an existing accessory by un-pairing and "re-pairing" themselves without the users' knowledge.
Try forgetting the Bluetooth connection from the iOS/iPadOS/macOS System Settings. Re-pair and try again. This is a security measure and there is no workaround for it. It prevents apps and other accessories from spoofing an existing accessory by un-pairing and "re-pairing" themselves without the users' knowledge.
Yes, when the message is sent you will first see a `Waiting to be acknowledged...` status beneath the message. If the message is acknowledged by a node on the mesh this will update to `Acknowledged` in orange, which turns into grey when sending a direct message and the intended recipient acknowledged it. If no nodes have responded it will indicate `Max Retransmission Reached`. If there is an error, the status will update to the appropriate error. Additionally, you can long press on the message and select `Message Details` to view the date/time sent, if ack was received and the time ack was received or the error (if there was one).
Your Meshtastic client (Android, Apple, Web, or Python) will provide you a URL or QR code. You can email, text or print this URL or QR code and share it with people you want to join your Meshtastic Channel.
### How do I update the firmware to the latest version?
If the device is running Meshtastic firmware, you might be able to update over-the-air like via the Android app.
### My device has gone to sleep. Are received messages lost?
The LoRa radio on the node is still active and will wake up the CPU when the device is sleeping. If your phone is in range, the node will relay any messages your phone may have missed. If you're in range and your device is active, messages have not been lost.
### My device has gone to sleep and I can't send any messages.
Once the node wakes up from sleep, your phone will relay any delayed messages through your node and to the mesh network. Give it a few minutes and it'll do the right thing.
Europe has an hourly duty cycle limit of 10% in the frequency band that Meshtastic uses. It might be that you hit this limit if you are sending a lot. You can confirm this by checking whether you see duty cycle limit errors in the serial log, Mesh Log (Apple apps) or Debug Panel (Android).
To limit traffic, you can consider setting the device metrics and position update intervals higher. Alternatively, the device can be configured to override the duty cycle limit, but then you will violate the regulations.
There was a bug where Meshtastic Starter kits were sent out with the same MAC address. With a single MAC address the devices all report as being the same device. Without the battery connected, flash the starter kit device(s) to any firmware > 1.2.59 and then do a factory reset, disconnect and reconnect the board and run `meshtastic --info`.
- On amateur radio bands, encryption is illegal. [FCC Part 97.113.C](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-97/subpart-B/section-97.113)
- As a HAM operator, it is a requirement that you identify yourself by your call sign periodically when transmitting. Your call sign will be publicly transmitted at least once every 10 minutes at minimum. [FCC Part 97.119.A](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-97/subpart-B/section-97.119)
### Why does my operating system flag Meshtastic Flasher as having malware?
The flasher contains no malware and completely passed the Microsoft malware scanning. It appears that a lot of file download services are using the Windows Defender data, so if you're seeing alerts of a detected trojan please [update your Windows Defender definitions](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/wdsi/defenderupdates).
### What if I'm still having issues on Windows 10?
It's been reported that `App execution aliases` might conflict with one another and prevent python3 from being able to run properly. There is an example of a fix located [here](https://github.com/meshtastic/Meshtastic-gui-installer/issues/154).
Meshtastic uses LoRa peer to peer (p2p), which allows much more flexibility in how LoRa is utilized. Our messaging and position updates are far too "random" compared to LoRaWAN requirements.
### Will Meshtastic work with (insert LoRa service)
Meshtastic uses LoRa peer to peer (p2p), which has allowed us to customize how we use the protocol. Likely it will not work with the service you have in mind, but it may be possible to build a bridge between services using MQTT. That will require further development outside the scope of this project to implement.
### Can I locate a device via triangulation?
There is a [community project](https://github.com/a-f-G-U-C/Meshtastic-ZPS) that has worked out how to accomplish this.
