Lately, I have been obsessed with Meshtastic; a decentralized communication network that uses LoRa and Bluetooth to communicate between your cell phone and your Node or “radio”. It can send messages, share GPS coordinates, and transmit sensor data, without internet access. Pretty cool. I was struck by the amount of use-cases for an off-grid communication network, from emergency and disaster uses to outdoor sports and camping; almost limitless.
So far I have been able to connect with other users miles away for simple chats, using a Heltec v4 radio and my phone. According to my Mesh Map, I have hit as far north as Thousand Oaks, and as far south as Tijuana, MX. Pretty cool. My next step is building a solar powered node for my rooftop using a RAKwireless WisBlock, but onto the plugin.
So what does this have to do with websites and WordPress plugins?
As a developer that works a lot with WordPress, I was hoping someone else had developed a plugin for Meshtastic, no dice.
Porting your Mesh data to your website could be super useful. At first I was thinking about desert races where cell data is limited to non-existent, perfect environment for Meshtastic. Setup a solar node, add a radio to each drivers car, and you ready to go. Reporting that data back to a website for your online community could be useful. So I fired up the coding bot and got busy.
What Mesh-Plug does
“Mesh-Plug makes Meshtastic data visible and shareable without sacrificing the independence that makes it special. While Meshtastic’s app and firmware handle communication between nodes, Mesh-Plug takes that information and brings it into a format that the rest of the world can see – through the world’s most popular website platform.”
Once installed, Mesh-Plug lets you display:
- Live sensor readings: temperature, humidity, battery voltage, or any other values transmitted by your nodes.
- GPS locations: show active nodes on an interactive map, complete with device names and movement trails.
- Text messages or alerts: publish local network messages to a private or public feed.
- Historical charts: visualize how data changes over time, perfect for environmental logging or performance monitoring.
Everything updates automatically through MQTT, the lightweight messaging protocol used by Meshtastic for real-time data. You control which topics to subscribe to, what information to display, and how often it refreshes.
So instead of checking a mobile app to see what’s happening in your mesh network, you and your users can now watch it update live on your website. This is perfect for team dashboards, environmental projects, or neighborhood networks.
Future features will include more short codes, design & layout options, and more. Learn more about Mesh-Plug development at the dedicated website.
Coming Soon to the WordPress Plugin Repository
Contact Michael | WordPress Developer Profile | Other Plugins by POTAR
Outside of work, I spend my time field recording, playing with sound, and building experimental musical instruments.
Michael Winchester is a website developer and search engine consultant in Southern California.
Michael Winchester Design | (562)283-5688
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