Netherlands Network

MeshCore regions in the Netherlands

How Dutch MeshCore users configure regions and scopes to reduce network congestion and improve local communication

View the regions How does it work?

Why region configuration?

The MeshCore network in the Netherlands is growing rapidly. With more and more nodes and repeaters, network congestion occurs: messages are endlessly forwarded across the entire country, while they are often only locally relevant. Region configuration solves this by creating extra airtime.

With Regions (on repeaters) and Scopes (on messages) you can indicate the geographic reach your message should have. A message for your neighborhood doesn't need to go to Groningen if you're in Zeeland. Repeaters beyond the scope will not repeat the message further.

This configuration is based on the ISO 3166-2:NL standard for province codes (in lowercase). This creates a logical, recognizable structure that matches how people know their region.

Note: Firmware required

Regions and Scopes only work with MeshCore firmware 1.10.0 or newer. Check your firmware version before configuring regions. Note: In the Companion app you can NOT yet change the scope of a channel - this will come in a future version.

How does it work?

📡

Regions on repeaters

Repeater administrators configure which regions their repeater serves. Minimum: country + province. For example: a repeater in Drenthe gets nl and nl-dr.

📨

Scopes on messages

Users can choose a scope when sending: nationwide (nl), provincial (nl-nh), or local. Messages without scope are always forwarded.

🔀

Exact matching

A repeater only forwards messages if the scope exactly matches a configured region. nl does NOT match nl-nh - but with hierarchy you can configure this.

✳️

Wildcard *

Every repeater has a wildcard region * by default. Messages without scope are always forwarded, so the network remains backwards compatible.

Dutch region codes

Based on ISO 3166-2:NL province codes (lowercase)

Region code Province Example cities
nl All of Netherlands Nationwide messages
nl-dr Drenthe Assen, Emmen, Hoogeveen
nl-fl Flevoland Almere, Lelystad
nl-fr Friesland Leeuwarden, Sneek, Heerenveen
nl-ge Gelderland Arnhem, Nijmegen, Apeldoorn
nl-gr Groningen Groningen, Veendam
nl-li Limburg Maastricht, Venlo, Heerlen
nl-nb Noord-Brabant Eindhoven, Tilburg, Breda
nl-nh Noord-Holland Amsterdam, Haarlem, Alkmaar
nl-ov Overijssel Zwolle, Enschede, Deventer
nl-ut Utrecht Utrecht, Amersfoort, Zeist
nl-ze Zeeland Middelburg, Vlissingen, Goes
nl-zh Zuid-Holland Rotterdam, The Hague, Leiden

More specific: local regions

For areas around major cities or regions spanning multiple provinces you can work more specifically. This is optional and determined by the local community. Examples:

  • nl-rtm - Rotterdam area
  • nl-ams - Amsterdam area
  • nl-ehv - Eindhoven area

Local regions are in addition to the province codes. Agree within your community which codes you will use.

Repeater configuration

Via CLI (command line interface)

Regions are configured via the CLI, either via USB/serial connection or remote login via the App/Companion. The minimum configuration is country + province.

1

Connect to your repeater via CLI

2

Add the country: region put nl

3

Add your province with hierarchy: region put nl-dr nl

4

Activate flood for both: region allowf nl and region allowf nl-dr

5

Save with region save

Example configuration (Drenthe)

region put nl
region put nl-dr nl
region allowf nl
region allowf nl-dr
region save

Important

  • Check that you always get an OK reply to your command
  • Check with command region if everything is correct
  • The hierarchy (region put nl-dr nl) links nl-dr as child to nl
  • region save is needed to survive a reboot
  • Remote admin via the app can cause problems - physical access is sometimes needed

Technical specifications

Maximum length

29 bytes (UTF-8) per region name

Allowed characters

Only lowercase letters (a-z), numbers (0-9) and hyphen (-)

Maximum regions

32 regions per repeater (auto-discovery limited to 172 characters)

Uniqueness

Region names must be unique within the mesh network

Benefits of region configuration

🚀

Extra airtime

Messages are not needlessly repeated beyond their scope. This creates extra airtime for the network.

⚡

Faster delivery

Messages need fewer hops and arrive faster at the intended recipients.

🔋

Battery savings

Repeaters process fewer messages, which saves energy - especially important for solar repeaters.

📍

Local relevance

Only receive messages that are relevant to your area. No noise from the other side of the country.

🔧

Scalability

The network can grow without performance degrading. Each region functions independently.

🤝

Community driven

Local communities determine their own local configuration. The province codes form the basis.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to update my repeater for regions?

Yes, you need MeshCore firmware 1.10.0 or newer. Older firmware does not support regions. Flash your repeater with the latest version via flasher.meshcore.co.uk.

What happens if I don't choose a scope when sending?

Messages without scope are forwarded by all repeaters thanks to the wildcard *. The network continues to work as before, but you miss the benefits of regional filtering.

Can I set multiple regions on my repeater?

Yes, up to 32 regions per repeater. The minimum configuration is country + province: nl and your province code (e.g., nl-ut).

What does the hierarchy (region put nl-dr nl) do?

The hierarchy links a region as child to a parent. region put nl-dr nl means that nl-dr is a child of nl. This ensures that messages with scope nl are also forwarded by repeaters with nl-dr.

Can I already choose a scope in the Companion app?

Not yet. Changing the scope of a channel in the Companion app is not yet possible. This will come in a future version. You can already experiment with the CLI.

Who decides which local region codes we use?

The local community decides this together. The province codes are fixed (ISO 3166-2:NL), but local codes like nl-rtm are agreed upon together. Discuss this in the MeshCore Telegram group.

Want to discuss the region configuration?

The region configuration is a community effort. Have questions, suggestions, or want to help? Join the discussion:

MeshCore Telegram

Help the network grow

By configuring regions on your repeater you help keep the MeshCore network in the Netherlands scalable and efficient.

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