---
title: Settings — Radio & User
parent: User Guide
nav_order: 7
last_updated: 2026-05-20
description: Configure your radio hardware, LoRa presets, user profile, position sharing, power management, and security.
aliases:
  - settings
  - radio-config
  - user-config
  - lora
---

# Settings — Radio & User

Configure your radio hardware and user identity parameters.

## User Settings

### User Profile

| Setting           | Beskrivelse                                                                           |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Long Name         | Your display name (up to 39 characters)                            |
| Short Name        | 4-character abbreviated name                                                          |
| Licensed Operator | Enable if you hold an amateur radio license (enables higher power) |

### Applying Changes

After modifying settings, tap **Save** to write the configuration to your radio. The device may reboot to apply changes.

## Radio Configuration

### Device Config

| Setting                                    | Beskrivelse                                                             | Default  |
| ------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------- |
| Role                                       | Node behavior (Client, Router, etc.) | Client   |
| Rebroadcast Mode                           | How the node retransmits messages                                       | All      |
| Node Info Broadcast (s) | Interval for broadcasting node info                                     | 10800    |
| Double-tap Button                          | Action for double-tap button press                                      | Disabled |

### LoRa Config

| Setting           | Beskrivelse                                                             | Default                                   |
| ----------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| Region            | Regulatory region for frequency bands                                   | Unset (must configure) |
| Modem Preset      | Speed/range tradeoff                                                    | LongFast                                  |
| Hop Limit         | Maximum retransmit hops                                                 | 3                                         |
| TX Power          | Transmission power (dBm); 0 = max allowed for region | 0 (region max)         |
| Frequency Offset  | Fine-tune frequency (MHz)                            | 0                                         |
| Channel Bandwidth | Bandwidth setting                                                       | Default for preset                        |

> ⚠️ **Important:** You **must** set your region before transmitting. Operating without the correct region may violate local radio regulations. See the [region configuration guide](https://meshtastic.org/docs/getting-started/initial-config) on meshtastic.org for details.

### Modem Presets

> 💡 **Tip:** The **SNR Limit** values are negative on purpose. LoRa can decode signals _below_ the noise floor, so a more-negative limit means the preset tolerates a weaker, noisier signal (more range). See [How the Signal Meter Works](signal-meter) for the full explanation.

| Preset             | Range                   | Speed                     | SNR Limit                | Best For                                                                                                 |
| ------------------ | ----------------------- | ------------------------- | ------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Short Turbo        | ~1 km   | 21.9 kbps | −5 dB                    | Dense urban with line-of-sight; data-heavy applications                                                  |
| Short Fast         | ~3 km   | 10.9 kbps | −7.5 dB  | Urban neighborhoods; buildings within a few blocks                                                       |
| Short Slow         | ~5 km   | 5.5 kbps  | −10 dB                   | Suburban short-range; moderate building density                                                          |
| Medium Fast        | ~5 km   | 5.5 kbps  | −10 dB                   | Suburban areas; moderate building density                                                                |
| Medium Slow        | ~8 km   | 1.1 kbps  | −12.5 dB | Suburban/rural; moderate range with slower speed                                                         |
| Long Turbo         | ~10 km  | 4.4 kbps  | −10 dB                   | Similar range to Long Fast but with 500 kHz bandwidth; faster throughput                                 |
| Long Fast          | ~10 km  | 1.1 kbps  | −12.5 dB | **General use (default)** — balanced range and speed                                  |
| Long Moderate      | ~20 km  | 0.34 kbps | −15 dB                   | Rural with some terrain; occasional use                                                                  |
| Lite Fast          | ~5 km   | 5.5 kbps  | −10 dB                   | EU 866 MHz SRD band (125 kHz BW); comparable to Medium Fast                           |
| Lite Slow          | ~10 km  | 1.1 kbps  | −12.5 dB | EU 866 MHz SRD band (125 kHz BW); comparable to Long Fast                             |
| Narrow Fast        | ~5 km   | 2.7 kbps  | −10 dB                   | EU 868 MHz band (62.5 kHz BW); avoids interference with other devices |
| Narrow Slow        | ~10 km  | 1.1 kbps  | −12.5 dB | EU 868 MHz band (62.5 kHz BW); comparable to Long Fast                |
| ~~Long Slow~~      | ~30 km  | 0.18 kbps | −17.5 dB | ⚠️ **Deprecated** — still selectable but may be removed in a future firmware release                     |
| ~~Very Long Slow~~ | ~40+ km | 0.09 kbps | −20 dB                   | ⚠️ **Deprecated** — still selectable but may be removed in a future firmware release                     |

#### Choosing a Modem Preset

The modem preset controls the fundamental tradeoff between **range** and **data rate**:

- **Slower presets** use more spreading, making signals decodable at weaker signal levels (lower SNR limit). This means longer range but fewer bytes per second.
- **Faster presets** pack more data per transmission but require a stronger signal to decode.

**Practical guidance:**

- **Urban mesh (many nodes, short distances):** Use **Long Fast** (default) or **Short Fast**. Higher speed means less airtime congestion when many nodes share the channel.
- **Rural/sparse mesh (few nodes, long distances):** Use **Long Moderate**. Range matters more than speed when nodes are far apart.
- **EU 866/868 MHz regulatory compliance:** Use **Lite Fast**, **Lite Slow**, **Narrow Fast**, or **Narrow Slow** — these are optimized for the EU SRD/868 MHz bands with narrower bandwidths.
- **Fixed infrastructure links:** Use **Short Turbo** or **Long Turbo** for dedicated point-to-point links with good antennas and line-of-sight.
- **Mixed environments:** Stick with **Long Fast** — it's the community default and ensures compatibility with others in your area.

> ⚠️ **Important:** All nodes on the same channel **must** use the same modem preset. Nodes with mismatched presets cannot communicate even if they share the same frequency and encryption key.

> 💡 **Tip:** The range estimates above assume flat terrain and modest antennas. Elevation advantage (hilltop, rooftop) dramatically increases effective range. A well-placed Router with Long Fast can often outperform a ground-level node with Long Slow.

### Display Config

| Setting             | Beskrivelse                                                                          |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Screen Timeout      | Time before display sleeps                                                           |
| Display Units       | Metric or Imperial                                                                   |
| OLED Type           | Auto, SSD1306, SH1106, SH1107                                                        |
| Compass Orientation | Rotation offset for compass display (0°, 90°, 180°, 270°)         |
| ~~Compass North~~   | ⚠️ **Deprecated** — replaced by Compass Orientation; still visible in older firmware |

### Position Config

| Setting                                   | Beskrivelse                        |
| ----------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- |
| GPS Enabled                               | Enable/disable GPS                 |
| GPS Update Interval                       | How often to acquire GPS fix       |
| Position Broadcast (s) | How often to share position        |
| Smart Position                            | Enable movement-based broadcasting |
| Fixed Position                            | Use a manually set position        |

### Power Config

| Setting                                 | Beskrivelse                             |
| --------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| Power Saving                            | Enable low-power sleep mode             |
| Shutdown After (s)   | Auto-shutdown idle timer                |
| ADC Multiplier                          | Battery voltage calibration factor      |
| Wait Bluetooth (s)   | Time to wait for BLE connection at boot |
| Mesh SDS Timeout (s) | Super-deep-sleep timeout                |

### Network Config

| Setting       | Beskrivelse                                          |
| ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| WiFi Enabled  | Enable WiFi radio (ESP32 devices) |
| WiFi SSID     | Network name to connect to                           |
| WiFi PSK      | Network password                                     |
| NTP Server    | Time synchronization server                          |
| Syslog Server | Remote logging server                                |

![IP address field](../../assets/screenshots/settings_ipv4_field.png)

### Bluetooth Config

| Setting           | Beskrivelse                                                               |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Bluetooth Enabled | Enable/disable BLE radio                                                  |
| Pairing Mode      | Fixed PIN, Random PIN, or No PIN                                          |
| Fixed PIN         | PIN code for pairing (default: 123456) |

### Security Config

| Setting                   | Beskrivelse                                                                |
| ------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Offentlig nøkkel          | Your node's public key (read-only)                      |
| Admin Key                 | Key for remote administration                                              |
| Privat nøkkel             | Your node's private key (handle securely)               |
| ~~Admin Channel Enabled~~ | ⚠️ Removed — now configured automatically when an admin key is set         |
| Debug Log                 | Output live debug logging over serial/bluetooth                            |
| Serial Enabled            | Enable serial console access (moved from Device Config) |
| Managed Mode              | Restrict non-admin channel changes                                         |

![Password field](../../assets/screenshots/settings_password_field.png)

Settings use standard preference controls — dropdowns, toggles, and sliders:

| Control  | Screenshot                                                  |
| -------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| Dropdown | ![Dropdown](../../assets/screenshots/settings_dropdown.png) |
| Toggle   | ![Toggle](../../assets/screenshots/settings_switch.png)     |
| Slider   | ![Slider](../../assets/screenshots/settings_slider.png)     |

## Related Topics

- [Settings — Modules & Admin](settings-module-admin) — optional feature modules and device administration
- [Signal Meter](signal-meter) — how modem presets affect signal quality thresholds
- [LoRa configuration](https://meshtastic.org/docs/configuration/radio/lora) — detailed LoRa settings reference on meshtastic.org
- [Initial configuration](https://meshtastic.org/docs/getting-started/initial-config) — region setup guide on meshtastic.org

---

