Meshchat USB150

19 posts / 0 new

Fri, 04/17/2020 - 00:24

kg4rvn

Meshchat USB150

I may have missed this completely in some forum post or instructions... Sorry if that is the case.

I'm trying to get meshchat working from my USB150 through a tunnel back to my home network. I have it runninng on a few nodes and a RPi with no issues. When the USB150 is on the mesh RF it functions as expected. When accessing through a tunnel I can open the RPi instance, but if I try to use the instance on the USB150 it only sees itself, nothing on the mesh side of the tunnel.

Thanks for any help on this.

Jason KG4RVN

Fri, 04/17/2020 - 13:37

AE6XE

Are you by chance using NAT

Are you by chance using NAT mode on the LAN? There is one outstanding issue that might be impacting. Regardless, need the support download data, link at bottom of Admin page, to have more insight.

Joe AE6XE

Fri, 04/17/2020 - 14:48

(Reply to #2) #3

kg4rvn

I'm not sure how to answer

I'm not sure how to answer the NAT question, the network I'm connected to is my iPhone. I find that it will not connect at all to my network at work, though it will at home and to my cell phone hot spot without any trouble. Meshchat still can't see any other nodes though.
How should I send you the support data?

Fri, 04/17/2020 - 19:34

(Reply to #3) #4

AE6XE

sending support data download file

After clicking on the link at the bottom of the Administration page, the support data is saved to your computer. Then, upload that file as an attachment to this forum thread. I'll be able to see all the details on the mesh node of how it is configured, etc. No worries, all passwords are scrubbed and never included in the data file.

NAT mode is a selection in basic setup for the LAN of a mesh node. If you are not familiar with this setting, then certainly you still have the default, 5 LAN devices. You'd have to go out of the way to select this setting. This must not be a factor.

Joe AE6XE

Fri, 04/17/2020 - 16:07

K6CCC

Confirming that you are

Confirming that you are running MeshChat on the USB150 itself or is it on a RasPi connected to the USB150 (and if so, how)? I have to assume that it is running on the USB150 itself. If that is the case, as I recall there are a couple things that need to loaded or set on the mesh node in order to get synch to work. I have only run MeshChat on an external RasPi, so I don't remember the details of setting up MeshChat on the node itself (other than I read through it once a year ago).

Fri, 04/17/2020 - 16:16

(Reply to #5) #6

kg4rvn

I have meshchat running on a

I have meshchat running on a RPi on my mesh. I also have it loaded on the USB150 and was trying to run the USB150 instance also through a tunnel. I know I can just pull up the pi, but it would be nice to have it locally too.

Fri, 04/17/2020 - 16:56

(Reply to #6) #7

AA7AU

Synching MeshChat Zone over a tunnel?

If you have two instances of MeshChat (using two nodes) running with the same zone name, it will synch the database of messages between them anytime they are connected by RF (within a couple of minutes).

However, I have never been able to make that work with a tunnel in the middle. Is that what you're seeing?

- Don - AA7AU

Fri, 04/17/2020 - 17:00

(Reply to #7) #8

kg4rvn

That is exactly what I'm

That is exactly what I'm seeing!

Fri, 04/17/2020 - 17:04

(Reply to #8) #9

K6CCC

Carefully go over the docs on

Carefully go over the docs on setup on a node and make sure you got the configs set up right and it SHOULD work. I do know the general recommendation is to run MeshChat on a Pi rather than on a node because memory is far more limited on a node.

Fri, 04/17/2020 - 17:13

(Reply to #9) #10

kg4rvn

Everything works fine on RF.

Everything works fine on RF. Does not sync over tunnel. I'm not the only one with this experience so it seems.

Fri, 04/17/2020 - 17:14

(Reply to #10) #11

AA7AU

Welcome to my world!

Welcome to my world!

- Don - AA7AU

btw: I have always run all my several MeshChat instances (many with shared zones) on the nodes themselves. But that discussion is for another place and time.

Fri, 04/17/2020 - 17:51

(Reply to #11) #12

kg4rvn

I was working on a hybrid

I was working on a hybrid approach.

Running the main instance on the pi, but having it available on the remote or deployable nodes in case the pi ceases to function. Especially since I have a node on solar at the moment that has a very low likelyhood of failure. Where as if the kid pushes the power switch on my pi, well it's toast until I notice and get it turned back on...

~Jason KG4RVN

Fri, 04/17/2020 - 18:05

(Reply to #12) #13

k1ky

Remember to associate the RPi with a node API

I'm not aware of any issues running MESHChat over a tunnel, and I can't think of any reason that it wouldn't work if the tunnels are set up and operating correctly. I remember long ago experiencing some "one-way" message traffic due to some obscure configuration issue. The recommendation for RPi based MESHChat is sound so you have a source of permanent storage for files somewhere on the system that are saved on the RPi node. Remember that nodes operating with the MESHChat program will lose their databases and file storage upon power cycle. You will need an associated node running the meshchat-api (not the full program .ipk) associated with your RPi in order to to operate a RPi MESHChat on the system. All nodes operating within the same ZONE name should synchronize with each other and can be seen in the STATUS tab. I believe v1.02 is the latest version.

Fri, 04/17/2020 - 18:23

(Reply to #13) #14

kg4rvn

Yes, I have the RPi working

Yes, I have the RPi working just fine. But when connected to a tunnel the USB150 instance of meshchat doesn't exist on the mesh. All the other nodes can see each other and the database syncs. But the USB150 over the tunnel is an island unto itself.

Fri, 04/17/2020 - 18:35

#15

K6CCC

Hmmm, I wonder if the

Hmmm, I wonder if the MeshChat over tunnels issue only applies to MeshChat running on the node itself. I know from my personal experience that MeshChat on a RasPi works just fine over tunnels.

Fri, 04/17/2020 - 18:46

(Reply to #15) #16

kg4rvn

So just to clarify, you had a

So just to clarify, you had a RPi on the end of a tunnel and it could talk back to the rest of the mesh on a tunnel?
Pi on a node ====tunnel======MESH---------MESH---------MESH

Fri, 04/17/2020 - 19:13

#17

K6CCC

Yes.

Yes, RasPi running MeshChat connected to Mikrotik hAC lite via wired LAN. hAP only has tunnel connections to the rest of the SoCal AREDN network. Syncs just fine. Yes, you need to run the MeshChat.api on the node, and configure it properly.

Fri, 04/17/2020 - 19:31

(Reply to #17) #18

kg4rvn

It's so odd that a node by

It's so odd that a node by itself wont sync then if I RPi in the same configuration will.

Fri, 04/17/2020 - 22:37

(Reply to #18) #19

AJ6GZ

Also

Also running 2 pi's with MeshChat 1.01 (still on Jesse) and MeshChat API-only 1.02 on the local nodes at both ends. Both are connected via a tunnel and they sync ok, and to others' instances as well. Ian

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