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Compiling MeshCore Firmware with Wi-Fi Enabled

Device: Heltec V3
OS: Red Hat 9.6

Note:
Wi-Fi support in MeshCore is experimental.
Your SSID and password are embedded at compile time, so do not share compiled binaries that contain your real credentials.

Install PlatformIO

  1. Change to your home directory:

    bash cd ~

  2. Download the PlatformIO installer:

    bash curl -fsSL -o get-platformio.py https://raw.githubusercontent.com/platformio/platformio-core-installer/master/get-platformio.py

  3. Run the installer:

    bash python3 get-platformio.py

  4. Add PlatformIO to your PATH (adjust the path if your username is different):

    bash export PATH=$PATH:/home/linuxuser/.platformio/penv/bin

Clone the MeshCore Repository

  1. Clone the MeshCore repo:

    bash git clone https://github.com/ripplebiz/MeshCore.git

  2. Change into the project directory:

    bash cd MeshCore/

Configure Wi-Fi Credentials

  1. Open the PlatformIO configuration for the Heltec V3 Wi-Fi build:

    bash vi variants/heltec_v3/platformio.ini

  2. Locate the env:Heltec_v3_companion_radio_wifi section and update it with your SSID and password:

[env:Heltec_v3_companion_radio_wifi]
extends = Heltec_lora32_v3
build_flags =
    ${Heltec_lora32_v3.build_flags}
    -D MAX_CONTACTS=100
    -D MAX_GROUP_CHANNELS=8
    -D DISPLAY_CLASS=SSD1306Display
    -D WIFI_DEBUG_LOGGING=1
    -D WIFI_SSID="<<SSID>>"
    -D WIFI_PWD="<<WIFI-PASS>>"
  1. Save and exit the editor.

Compile and Prepare Firmware

  1. Set the firmware version environment variable:

    bash set FIRMWARE_VERSION=1.7.3

    (Or use export FIRMWARE_VERSION=1.7.3 if you are using a pure Linux shell and not a mixed environment.)

  2. Build the Wi-Fi firmware target:

    bash ./build.sh build-firmware Heltec_v3_companion_radio_wifi

  3. Change into the build output directory:

    bash cd .pio/build/Heltec_v3_companion_radio_wifi/

  4. Rename the output binaries:

    bash mv firmware-merged.bin Heltec_v3_companion_radio_wifi_1.7.3-merged.bin mv firmware.bin Heltec_v3_companion_radio_wifi_1.7.3.bin

  5. Move the generated firmware files to a convenient location (example):

    bash mv Heltec_v3_companion_radio_wifi* /home/linuxuser/

Next Steps

  1. Flash one of the compiled firmware files onto your Heltec V3:

    • Heltec_v3_companion_radio_wifi_1.7.3.bin
    • or Heltec_v3_companion_radio_wifi_1.7.3-merged.bin

  2. Connect to the device over serial and monitor logs to confirm:

    • Wi-Fi is enabled
    • The device is attempting to associate with your SSID

  3. Remember that Wi-Fi support in MeshCore is experimental:

    • Expect instability
    • Features may be incomplete
    • Do not deploy this build as a critical node on the mesh