Meshtastic MQTT Server
Greater Boston Mesh runs a Meshtastic MQTT broker for map/telemetry uplink, and it feeds our Meshtastic Malla Map.
Use this broker:
- Hostname:
mqttmt01.bostonme.sh - Port:
1883 - Protocol: MQTT (
tcp://, no TLS on this listener) - Authentication: Username/password required
- Uplink targets:
Configure your node to talk to mqttmt01.bostonme.sh and the broker handles uplink to those map backends.
Radio-level security (channels/encryption) is still handled by Meshtastic.
Broker Behavior
The broker at mqttmt01.bostonme.sh is configured to:
- Accept connections from Meshtastic nodes with valid credentials.
- Uplink packets under the
msh/US/MAroot topic to: - Not provide MQTT-to-RF downlink into the local mesh.
This keeps traffic local on RF while still providing public visualization.
Recommended Node Settings
On your Meshtastic node (app/web/CLI), use the following values.
MQTT
Under MQTT:
- MQTT > Enabled:
ON - MQTT > Encryption Enabled:
ON
This is Meshtastic packet encryption (separate from TLS transport). - MQTT > Map Report:
OFF
Uplink is handled by the broker. - MQTT > Root Topic:
msh/US/MA
Required for Massachusetts uplink routing. - MQTT > Address:
mqttmt01.bostonme.sh - MQTT > Username:
meshdev - MQTT > Password:
large4cats - MQTT > TLS Enabled:
OFF
This listener is plain MQTT on1883.
Channel (Primary)
Under Channels → Primary Channel:
- Positions Enabled:
ON - Approximate Location: set to your preferred privacy level
- MQTT Uplink:
ON - MQTT Downlink:
OFF
Keep off to avoid internet-to-RF traffic injection.
Modules
Under Settings → Modules:
- Neighbor Info:
ON
LoRa
Under LoRa:
- Ok to MQTT:
ON
Result
With these settings:
- Your node publishes to
mqttmt01.bostonme.sh - Packets are uplinked to Meshtastic map services
- RF traffic remains local while map visibility is preserved
Troubleshooting
If your node is not appearing on the map:
- Verify MQTT is enabled with:
- Address:
mqttmt01.bostonme.sh - Root topic:
msh/US/MA - Username/password set
- Address:
- Confirm
MQTT Uplinkis ON andMQTT Downlinkis OFF on the primary channel. - Check approximate-location settings if map position looks too blurred.
- Reboot the node after changing MQTT settings.
If the problem persists, reach out to the Boston Mesh maintainers with your node’s ID and approximate location so we can check the MQTT broker logs and map uplink status.