meshtastic
[Bug]: Inconsistent communication with indoor node in client mode
Category
Other
Hardware
Heltec V3, DIY
Is this bug report about any UI component firmware like InkHUD or Meshtatic UI (MUI)?
- [ ] Meshtastic UI aka MUI colorTFT
- [ ] InkHUD ePaper
- [ ] OLED slide UI on any display
Firmware Version
2.6.4 / 2.6.10
Description
I'm highlighting an issue encountered in a common setup scenario.
Scenario:
A fixed node is placed on the rooftop and configured in client mode (firmware version 2.6.10).
An indoor node communicates only with the rooftop node and is also configured as client or client_mute (firmware version 2.6.4).
Problem:
In this setup, traceroutes to the external mesh appear to reach their destination and even get retransmitted back.
However, the indoor node only receives the responses sporadically—roughly 1 out of 10 times.
When the rooftop node is switched to ROUTER mode for testing, everything works as expected.
Communication also works reliably when using a direct UDP link between the two nodes.
Analysis:
The issue appears to be with the final hop from the rooftop node to the indoor.
This setup is often necessary, especially when the rooftop node is not accessible via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or serial connection.
Unfortunately, this problem severely limits the usability of such a configuration.
Relevant log output
Please see my comment here: https://github.com/meshtastic/firmware/issues/6953#issuecomment-2952215969.
