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MeshCore Packet Analyzer – Overview

The MeshCore Packet Analyzer provides real-time visibility into MeshCore network activity — allowing anyone to inspect, decode (only public unencrypted messages), and understand how packets move across the Ottawa mesh.

Live Analyzer (Ottawa Region)

View the live packet feed here:

MeshCore Packet Analyzer – Ottawa (YOW)

What You'll See on the Page

Packet Table

An auto-refreshing packet table where each row represents a single on-air packet captured by an observer in the YOW region.

Common Columns

  • Time (UTC) – when the packet was heard
  • Type – Advert, Message, AnonRequest, AnonReply, etc.
  • Channel / Hash – public channel or hash value (e.g., ch0)
  • Observer – which station heard the packet
  • RSSI / SNR – signal strength and quality reported by the observer
  • Path / PathLen – hop count and hop bytes (each byte = first byte of a repeater’s public key)
  • From / Node – sender public key and name (if present)
  • Flags / Coords – app flags and coordinates if included in the payload

Row Actions / Detail View

  • Decoded view – expands:
    • Header bitfield
    • Path bytes
    • Payload fields (timestamp, flags, coords, signature, etc.)
  • Raw hex – shows the original packet bytes for verification or offline parsing

Filtering & Utilities

  • Region preset to YOW
  • Filter text, sort columns, or adjust page size
  • Toggle auto-refresh to pause the stream for deeper inspection

How the Analyzer Works

Participating gateways (called observers) run meshcore-packet-capture, which listens for LoRa traffic and forwards decoded packet data to the analyzer backend.
Packets are grouped by region (e.g., YOW for Ottawa) and displayed in near real time.

You can use the analyzer to:

  • Filter or search packet history
  • Inspect decoded fields and raw hex
  • Compare routes across multiple hops
  • Monitor stability, coverage, and mesh propagation patterns