Relaying: rebroadcast other Nodes' packets #36

New Issue

2026-10-05T20:07:22Z

twisla commented

2026-10-05 20:07:22 +00:00

What

Relaying (CONTEXT.md): rebroadcast a packet heard from another Node so it travels further, as a Meshtastic Client does.

What's known

Meshtastic floods: a Node relays a packet it hasn't seen, with the hop limit lowered by one, unless it's 0. Duplicates are recognised by sender and packet ID (#24).
To keep neighbours from all relaying at once, each waits a delay that depends on how well it heard the packet: the Node that heard it worst, so is probably furthest, goes first. Hearing someone else relay it cancels ours.
Newer firmware adds next-hop routing for Direct Messages (the header's next hop and relay node bytes, which M3 already reads).
Relaying spends the Duty Cycle Budget (#32) and battery, for other people's traffic.
This Cardputer hears about 15 dB worse than it should (#20): a poor relay until that's understood.

Questions

Relay from the first release, or a setting that's off until our own traffic is proven?
Follow Meshtastic's delays exactly, or approximately?
Next-hop routing: now, or flooding only?
A role setting (Client, Client Mute) as Meshtastic has?

## What Relaying (CONTEXT.md): rebroadcast a packet heard from another Node so it travels further, as a Meshtastic Client does. ## What's known - Meshtastic floods: a Node relays a packet it hasn't seen, with the hop limit lowered by one, unless it's 0. Duplicates are recognised by sender and packet ID (#24). - To keep neighbours from all relaying at once, each waits a delay that depends on how well it heard the packet: the Node that heard it worst, so is probably furthest, goes first. Hearing someone else relay it cancels ours. - Newer firmware adds next-hop routing for Direct Messages (the header's next hop and relay node bytes, which M3 already reads). - Relaying spends the Duty Cycle Budget (#32) and battery, for other people's traffic. - This Cardputer hears about 15 dB worse than it should (#20): a poor relay until that's understood. ## Questions 1. Relay from the first release, or a setting that's off until our own traffic is proven? 2. Follow Meshtastic's delays exactly, or approximately? 3. Next-hop routing: now, or flooding only? 4. A role setting (Client, Client Mute) as Meshtastic has? ## Related CONTEXT.md (Relaying), `lib/meshtastic/src/meshtastic_header.h` (hop limit, next hop, relay node), #31, #32, #30, #20.

twisla added this to the M5 Mesh transmit milestone 2026-10-05 20:07:22 +00:00

twisla added the

labels 2026-10-05 20:07:22 +00:00

twisla added a new dependency 2026-10-05 20:07:22 +00:00

#31 Radio Service: a transmit path, behind the Region