Quick Start Guide

Get your first painlessMesh network running in just a few minutes! This guide will walk you through creating a simple mesh network with two ESP8266 or ESP32 devices.

What You'll Need

• 2 or more ESP8266 or ESP32 development boards
• Arduino IDE or PlatformIO
• USB cables for programming

Step 1: Install painlessMesh

Arduino IDE

1. Open Arduino IDE
2. Go to Sketch → Include Library → Manage Libraries
3. Search for "painlessMesh"
4. Install the latest version by "Coopdis"

PlatformIO

Add to your platformio.ini:

lib_deps = 
    painlessMesh

Step 2: Basic Mesh Example

Copy this code to your Arduino IDE or create a new PlatformIO project:

#include "painlessMesh.h"

#define   MESH_PREFIX     "MyMeshNetwork"
#define   MESH_PASSWORD   "somethingSneaky"
#define   MESH_PORT       5555

Scheduler userScheduler; // to control your personal task
painlessMesh  mesh;

// User stub
void sendMessage(); // Prototype so PlatformIO doesn't complain

Task taskSendMessage(TASK_SECOND * 1, TASK_FOREVER, &sendMessage);

void sendMessage() {
  String msg = "Hello from node ";
  msg += mesh.getNodeId();
  mesh.sendBroadcast(msg);
  taskSendMessage.setInterval(random(TASK_SECOND * 1, TASK_SECOND * 5));
}

// Needed for painless library
void receivedCallback(uint32_t from, String &msg) {
  Serial.printf("startHere: Received from %u msg=%s\n", from, msg.c_str());
}

void newConnectionCallback(uint32_t nodeId) {
    Serial.printf("--> startHere: New Connection, nodeId = %u\n", nodeId);
}

void changedConnectionCallback() {
  Serial.printf("Changed connections\n");
}

void nodeTimeAdjustedCallback(int32_t offset) {
    Serial.printf("Adjusted time %u. Offset = %d\n", mesh.getNodeTime(),offset);
}

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);

  // Set debug messages before init()
  mesh.setDebugMsgTypes(ERROR | STARTUP);

  // Initialize mesh
  mesh.init(MESH_PREFIX, MESH_PASSWORD, &userScheduler, MESH_PORT);
  mesh.onReceive(&receivedCallback);
  mesh.onNewConnection(&newConnectionCallback);
  mesh.onChangedConnections(&changedConnectionCallback);
  mesh.onNodeTimeAdjusted(&nodeTimeAdjustedCallback);

  // Add task to scheduler
  userScheduler.addTask(taskSendMessage);
  taskSendMessage.enable();
}

void loop() {
  // it will run the user scheduler as well
  mesh.update();
}

Step 3: Upload and Test

1. Upload the code to your first ESP8266/ESP32 device
2. Open Serial Monitor (115200 baud) to see debug messages
3. Upload the same code to your second device
4. Watch them automatically discover each other and start exchanging messages!

What You Should See

In the Serial Monitor, you'll see output like:

startHere: New Connection, nodeId = 123456789
startHere: Received from 123456789 msg=Hello from node 123456789
Changed connections
Adjusted time 1234567. Offset = 12

Key Concepts

• Mesh Network: All nodes automatically discover and connect to each other
• Broadcasting: Messages sent to all nodes in the network
• Node ID: Each device gets a unique identifier
• Time Sync: All nodes automatically synchronize their clocks
• Self-Healing: If nodes disconnect, the mesh automatically reorganizes

Next Steps

Now that you have a basic mesh working:

1. Add more nodes - Upload the same code to additional devices
2. Try different message types - See Custom Packages Tutorial
3. Add sensors - Check out the Sensor Networks Tutorial
4. Explore Alteriom features - Learn about Alteriom Extensions

Troubleshooting

Nodes not connecting?

• Make sure MESH_PREFIX and MESH_PASSWORD are identical on all devices
• Check that devices are within WiFi range
• Verify MESH_PORT is the same on all devices

Serial output not showing?

• Check baud rate is set to 115200
• Ensure USB cable supports data transfer
• Try pressing the reset button after upload

For more help, see our Troubleshooting Guide.

Configuration Options

You can customize your mesh network by changing these parameters:

// Network credentials
#define MESH_PREFIX     "YourNetworkName"    // Network name (SSID)
#define MESH_PASSWORD   "YourPassword"       // Network password
#define MESH_PORT       5555                 // TCP port for mesh communication

// Debug levels - combine with | operator
mesh.setDebugMsgTypes(ERROR | STARTUP | CONNECTION);

// Available debug types:
// ERROR, STARTUP, CONNECTION, SYNC, COMMUNICATION, GENERAL, MSG_TYPES, REMOTE

Ready to dive deeper? Check out our Installation Guide for more advanced setup options!