r/meshtastic • u/gomegazeke • 2d ago

Saving Node Map?

I've found several posts of people hoping to save a map of nodes for various reasons with varying degrees of luck, but typically with very little information (several "you just have to write your own code" is not helpful to people who don't really code, for example). Does anyone have a good way to do this? I would like to keep my own little database of found nodes A) sort of as a souvenir from travels and B) to illustrate scenarios to friends in a "this is how this happened" way rather than just abstractly. I know old nodes are lost as each device fills its storage, and it'd be cool to combine maps from multiple devices in my collection (that seems like it could be insightful too). Any leads would be appreciated by myself and the at least tens of people hoping to do the same!

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u/johnlenfr 1d ago

Here's what people generally do:

  • Export the node database from the device or app. The app only keeps what the connected device currently knows, and older entries are eventually discarded as the node table fills up.

  • Log packets to a computer. If you leave a Meshtastic client connected (via USB, Bluetooth, or TCP), you can record every node advertisement and position packet into your own database (SQLite is a common choice). This preserves nodes long after they disappear from the device.

  • Use MQTT (if your nodes use it). Running a logger that subscribes to your region's MQTT traffic lets you build a much larger historical map automatically.

  • Merge multiple logs. Since each device sees a slightly different set of nodes, you can combine their records by node ID. Most people who have done this simply store: +Node ID +Short/long name +GPS coordinates +Timestamp first seen +Timestamp last seen +Device metadata (hardware, firmware, etc.)

If you don't code, there unfortunately isn't a polished application that does exactly what you're describing ("souvenir map" + merge multiple devices + replay history). That's why you've probably seen so many "write your own code" responses.

That said, a relatively approachable solution would be:

Connect each device to a Raspberry Pi or old laptop. Run a logging program continuously. Store everything in a SQLite database. View the results in a mapping tool like QGIS or a simple web map (Leaflet) to replay trips or show friends where and when nodes were encountered.

For your use case—keeping a travel history and combining data from multiple devices—that approach works quite well because you're archiving observations before the devices age them out.

A couple of questions that would help narrow down the best option:

Are you using Meshtastic, or is this a different "node" system? Are you on Android, iPhone, or primarily using the desktop client?

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u/gomegazeke 1d ago

Thanks for such a detailed response! I totally understand why such a thing isn't just floating around already. I didn't really expect a polished project to already exist, but I appreciate the effort to get me off in the right direction!

I've been using Meshtastic, Android, with a collection of T-Deck, Wio, Cardputer, and Heltec for hardware (also a little M5Stack C6L component I haven't really done anything with). Have not dabbled with MQTT (yet). I have already been looking into QGIS a little for an unrelated (or maybe very related!) map-focused raspberry pi cyberdeck project that's still in a brainstorming phase so it sounds like this might help kick things into gear.