Mesh-Plug connects your Meshtastic network to WordPress using MQTT; a lightweight, event-driven messaging protocol designed for low-power and intermittent devices. Once connected, your site can receive, visualize, and optionally archive mesh telemetry, messages, and node metadata in near real time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You do not need to be an IoT engineer to use Mesh-Plug; however, a basic understanding of networking and WordPress administration will make setup smoother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This guide reflects the current Mesh-Plug architecture<\/strong>, including auto-configured brokers, WebSocket support, NodeDB handling, and optional archival features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once these pieces are in place, your mesh can bridge from radio to web without custom code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n MQTT uses a publish\/subscribe model:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mesh-Plug handles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your WordPress site effectively becomes a live dashboard for your mesh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the default and preferred setup for most users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mesh-Plug can automatically resolve and connect to an MQTT broker using your site\u2019s domain, typically via WebSockets and a reverse proxy or tunnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Typical configuration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Mesh-Plug will attempt to connect using:<\/p>\n\n\n\n No code edits are required. Once enabled, Mesh-Plug subscribes and begins listening immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This mode is ideal for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Use this option if you are running a dedicated broker, require authentication, or manage multiple feeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verify your broker is working:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the message appears, the broker is running correctly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Replace the address and credentials as needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You should see structured JSON packets from active nodes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Navigate to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n WordPress \u2192 Settings \u2192 Mesh-Plug<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Configure the following fields:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Save settings and reload the dashboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once messages are flowing, Mesh-Plug begins populating node and telemetry data automatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mesh-Plug exposes data via shortcodes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shortcodes can be placed in pages, posts, widgets, or custom templates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once your baseline setup is working, Mesh-Plug supports:<\/p>\n\n\n\n These features can be layered in gradually without reworking your base configuration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These features can be layered in gradually without reworking your base configuration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mesh-Plug is designed to scale from a single demo node to full mesh monitoring systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start with auto mode<\/strong> for speed and reliability; move to manual broker control<\/strong> when you need advanced routing, authentication, or data retention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Within minutes, your WordPress site can become a live interface for off-grid networks; powered by MQTT, driven by Meshtastic, and fully web-accessible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Overview Mesh-Plug connects your Meshtastic network to WordPress using MQTT; a lightweight, event-driven messaging protocol designed for low-power and intermittent devices. Once connected, your site can receive, visualize, and optionally archive mesh telemetry, messages, and node metadata in near real time. You do not need to be an IoT engineer to use Mesh-Plug; however, a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mesh-plug"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaelwinchester.com\/mesh-plug\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaelwinchester.com\/mesh-plug\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaelwinchester.com\/mesh-plug\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaelwinchester.com\/mesh-plug\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaelwinchester.com\/mesh-plug\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/michaelwinchester.com\/mesh-plug\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":109,"href":"https:\/\/michaelwinchester.com\/mesh-plug\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57\/revisions\/109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaelwinchester.com\/mesh-plug\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaelwinchester.com\/mesh-plug\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaelwinchester.com\/mesh-plug\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\n\n\nSkills and Tools You Should Be Comfortable With<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Recommended knowledge<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Helpful but optional<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nSoftware and Hardware Requirements<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Required<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Optional but useful<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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pip install meshtastic<\/code>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWhat MQTT Does in Mesh-Plug<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nStep 1: Choose Your MQTT Connection Mode<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Option A: Auto (Recommended)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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MQTT<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\nauto<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\nmsh\/#<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n\n
ws:\/\/yourdomain.com:9001<\/code> for HTTP; or<\/li>\n\n\n\nwss:\/\/yourdomain.com\/mqtt<\/code> for HTTPS environments<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nOption B: Manual \/ Advanced Configuration<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Broker setup example (Mosquitto)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
# Terminal 1\nmosquitto_sub -h 127.0.0.1 -t \"test\/topic\" -v\n\n# Terminal 2\nmosquitto_pub -h 127.0.0.1 -t \"test\/topic\" -m \"Hello MQTT\"\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nConfigure your Meshtastic node<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
meshtastic --port \/dev\/cu.usbmodemXXXX \\\n --set mqtt.enabled true \\\n --set mqtt.address 192.168.0.110 \\\n --set mqtt.username mqttuser \\\n --set mqtt.password 'YourPasswordHere' \\\n --set mqtt.json_enabled true \\\n --set mqtt.tls_enabled false\n\nmeshtastic --reboot\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nVerify live data<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
mosquitto_sub -h 127.0.0.1 \\\n -u mqttuser \\\n -P 'YourPasswordHere' \\\n -t 'msh\/#' -v\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nStep 2: Connect Mesh-Plug to the Broker<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Setting<\/th> Auto Mode<\/th> Advanced Mode<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Mode<\/td> MQTT<\/td> MQTT<\/td><\/tr> Broker URL<\/td> auto<\/code><\/td>wss:\/\/broker.example.com:9001\/mqtt<\/code><\/td><\/tr>Client ID<\/td> Auto<\/td> Custom<\/td><\/tr> Topic<\/td> msh\/#<\/code><\/td>Custom<\/td><\/tr> Username \/ Password<\/td> Optional<\/td> Required if broker enforces auth<\/td><\/tr> TLS<\/td> Auto<\/td> Enable for wss:\/\/<\/code><\/td><\/tr>NodeDB<\/td> Optional<\/td> Optional<\/td><\/tr> Archive<\/td> Optional<\/td> Optional<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nStep 3: Displaying MQTT Data on Your Site<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Basic example<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
[mesh_plug_display topic=\"msh\/#\"]\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nCommon display formats<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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format=\"log\"<\/code>; live message stream<\/li>\n\n\n\nformat=\"map\"<\/code>; node locations if GPS data exists<\/li>\n\n\n\nformat=\"nodes\"<\/code>; NodeDB summary<\/li>\n\n\n\nformat=\"chart\"<\/code>; telemetry graphs (archive required)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nStep 4: Troubleshooting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Issue<\/th> What to Check<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> No data visible<\/td> Confirm broker connection in Mesh-Plug logs<\/td><\/tr> Connection errors<\/td> Verify broker URL, port, and protocol<\/td><\/tr> Auth failures<\/td> Test credentials with MQTT Explorer<\/td><\/tr> Topic mismatch<\/td> Ensure node and plugin use same prefix<\/td><\/tr> Nodes missing<\/td> Wait for first transmission; NodeDB builds dynamically<\/td><\/tr> Disconnects<\/td> Increase keepalive or review broker limits<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nStep 5: Going Further<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nFinal Notes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n