The mesh does not always pick the same path. Each time a node sends a traceroute, the message can hop through different relays depending on which ones are on, nearby, and free at that moment.

If the same traceroute has been done more than once, MeshRelay shows each attempt on the graph together, so you can see all the paths the network used.

It is a rough estimate, not an exact measurement. MeshRelay adds up the distance between each pair of nodes on the route, in a straight line on the map.

If some nodes along the route do not share their location, those parts are skipped, so the real distance can be a bit longer than the number shown.

Network Insights are estimated from publicly observed Meshtastic activity. MeshRelay groups recent activity by region, node, channel, and time window.

Visibility depends on recent MQTT activity, gateway observations, and network conditions. The numbers are approximate and focused on network behavior, not user profiling.

This table tries to surface the key routing nodes in the mesh: the nodes that act as the backbone by carrying packets for other people. A node's configured role (router, router-late, client) is shown for context but is not a filter. A client node that consistently bridges two clusters is still a backbone node, and a router that nobody routes through is not.

Numbers come from decoded traceroutes within the time window. Traceroutes are the only public signal that names the intermediate hops, so treat the values as a strong sample rather than a full traffic report.

Backbone Score is a composite ranking that combines the columns below: forwarding volume, route diversity, betweenness, and how many days the node was active. Higher means more critical to the mesh.

Forwarded is how many traceroute paths used this node as an intermediate hop. The node's own packets do not count, only traffic for others.

Diversity is the number of distinct source-to-destination pairs whose path went through the node. It separates a node that appears on one busy route from a node that appears across many different routes.

Betweenness is a graph-centrality measure: how often the node sits on the shortest path between other nodes in the observed mesh graph. High betweenness means that removing the node would split the mesh or force traffic onto longer routes.

Days Active is the number of distinct UTC days in the window during which the node forwarded traffic for others. Backbone nodes tend to show up consistently, not only on one busy day.

Role is what the node reports itself as in its configuration.

Regions are geographic grouping areas. They make it easier to browse local maps, node lists, and regional Network Insights.

If a node shares a public location, MeshRelay uses that location. If not, the node may be grouped from MQTT gateway observations when there is enough public activity to place it roughly.

No. Geographic regions and radio coverage are different things. Radio paths depend on terrain, antennas, height, channel settings, and active gateways.

Your node needs to be connected to MQTT and have recent public activity. To appear on the map, it also needs to share a public location.

MQTT also makes the node available for live network analysis and statistics on meshrelay.cc.

MeshRelay reads from its own broker at mqtt.meshrelay.cc:1619 and selected public Meshtastic MQTT sources, including the official Meshtastic broker.

Use mqtt.meshrelay.cc as the MQTT server address and 1619 as the port. Do not use the default MQTT port.

TLS is not supported. Make sure TLS is disabled in your MQTT settings.

MQTT payload encryption can be enabled. JSON output can also be enabled; both settings are optional.

Login: public. Password: meshrelay.cc.

Use topic msh/PL, unless your local setup uses a different topic.

In LoRa settings, enable OK to MQTT. This lets other nodes forward observations of your node to MQTT and maps.

On your public channel, enable uplink. Downlink is usually not recommended because it adds device load and routes traffic through the Internet.

The node may not be connected to MQTT, may not have recent public activity, or may not be sharing a public location.

Nodes without public location may still appear in lists or activity views, but they may not appear on the map.

MeshRelay only shows activity it receives from the MQTT sources it reads. Check that the node is sending public activity, using compatible MQTT settings, and has been active recently.

MeshRelay is based on a recent activity window. A node can disappear if its MQTT connection is intermittent, if it has no recent public activity, or if it does not share a public location.

No. The MeshRelay MQTT broker does not support TLS. Connect to mqtt.meshrelay.cc on port 1619 with TLS disabled.

No. Only public channel activity is shown. Private conversations stay encrypted, and private or encrypted message contents are not displayed.

Disable MQTT reporting and avoid public channels if you do not want activity to appear in public views. You can also contact MeshRelay for a removal request.

MeshRelay does not use tracking cookies, third-party web analytics, or ad analytics. It may use limited first-party traffic measurement to understand site reliability and usage.

MeshRelay also processes publicly observed Meshtastic network activity to generate insights, summaries, and visualizations.

MeshRelay does not track people across the web or build personal profiles.

MeshRelay does not create personal accounts, profiles, or tracking records. It focuses on public network activity observed from Meshtastic MQTT.

Public messages are shown as observed and kept only for a limited time. Illegal or harmful content can be reported through the contact email.

Up to 7 days, then it is automatically removed.

MeshRelay is a simple platform for visualizing public Meshtastic MQTT activity in Poland.

No. MeshRelay is non-commercial and fully funded and maintained privately, at personal cost. There are no ads or sponsored placements.

No. MeshRelay is a private project, and its source code is not publicly available.