Sal W6SAL - Updated on: 2026-02-01
So you put your repeater up in a tree. Or maybe you mounted it on your roof. And now—surprise, surprise—there’s a firmware update. Of course there is. Because that’s how technology works, folks. The moment you get something installed in the most inconvenient location possible, that’s when the developers decide to push an update.
You know what OTA stands for? Over The Air. You know what it should stand for? “Oh Thank God, I Don’t Have To Climb That Tree Again.” Because let me tell you something—I’m at an age where climbing trees is no longer “fun” or “adventurous.” It’s called “a trip to the emergency room waiting to happen.”
But here’s the beautiful thing: you don’t have to climb anything. You just need to be within reasonable WiFi range. And what’s “reasonable”? Well, that’s subjective, isn’t it? Reasonable to a RF engineer and reasonable to your phone are two completely different things. But we’ll get to that.
Go to https://flasher.meshcore.co.uk/ and select whether you’ve got a Room Server/Repeater or just a Repeater. They’re different. Because of course they are. Everything in ham radio has to have three different versions and five different names.
Download the non-merged .bin file. Not the merged one. The NON-merged one. I don’t know why there are two options. I don’t know what “merged” means in this context. But I know that if you download the wrong one, you’re gonna be standing in your yard for another twenty minutes wondering why nothing works. So get the non-merged file. Write it down if you have to.
Open the MeshCore companion app. Yes, there’s an app. Of course there’s an app. Everything’s got an app now. Your coffee maker has an app. Your refrigerator has an app. Your socks probably have an app.
Select your device. Log in with the admin password. And please, for the love of Hiram Percy Maxim, tell me you didn’t use “password” as your password. Or “admin.” Or “1234.” We’re better than that. We’re hams. We’ve got FCC licenses and everything.
Tap that little three-dot menu thing in the top right corner. You know the one. It’s on every app ever made. It’s like the universal symbol for “the stuff we couldn’t fit anywhere else.”
Choose “Remote Management.” This is where the magic happens. Or where you stare at a screen wondering if something froze. Could go either way.
Scroll down to the bottom. There’s a “Command Line” option. Tap it. You’re gonna feel like you’re in The Matrix for about eight seconds.
Type: start ota
That’s it. Two words. But those two words? They’re gonna save your knees, your back, and possibly your marriage because your spouse is done with you climbing on the roof.
Now here’s where it gets interesting. Your phone needs to connect to a WiFi network called MeshCore-OTA.
Leave your regular WiFi. I know, I know. It’s scary. Your phone’s gonna give you warnings like you’re about to connect to a North Korean honeypot. Ignore it. Just for a few minutes, connect to MeshCore-OTA. Your Instagram can wait. The world will survive without you for five minutes.
Open a web browser—any browser, doesn’t matter, they all work the same anyway—and type in: http://192.168.4.1/update
Or use whatever IP address the command line showed you. Either way works. We’re flexible here.
Upload that .bin file you downloaded. The non-merged one. Remember? Good.
Now wait. And I mean wait. This is gonna take a minute. Maybe two minutes. Maybe three. Resist the urge to close the browser, refresh the page, or throw your phone. Just. Wait.
You’ll see a progress bar. Progress bars are like those “Your call is important to us” messages—they exist to give you the illusion of progress while you slowly lose your mind.
But eventually, it’ll finish. The device will reboot. And here’s the thing: when it reboots, you’re gonna lose the WiFi connection. That’s normal. Don’t panic. The firmware’s installed. Your repeater isn’t bricked. You’re not gonna have to climb that tree after all.
Reconnect to your regular WiFi. Remember that one? Yeah, that’s your home network. Welcome back to civilization.
Open the MeshCore app again. Go back into Remote Management. Check the firmware version.
Did it update? Congratulations! You just performed a wireless firmware update without falling off a roof, getting stuck in a tree, or explaining to your neighbors why you’re up there yelling at a plastic box.
Can’t find the MeshCore-OTA network?
Restart the device. Run start ota again. Technology is like a toddler—sometimes you just gotta turn it off and turn it back on.
Lost connection during upload?
Stay connected to MeshCore-OTA the whole time. Don’t let your phone auto-switch back to your home WiFi. Phones are helpful like that—they’ll “help” you right into a failed firmware update.
Nothing’s working?
Make sure you downloaded the non-merged .bin file. I’m gonna keep saying that until everyone gets it right.
There’s an Android app in the works. You can track progress or complain—I mean, “file issues”—at https://github.com/Mraanderson/meshcore-ota/issues
And that’s it, folks. You’ve just updated your repeater without risking life, limb, or your dignity.
Now get out there and mesh some networks. Or whatever it is we do with these things.
73 and may your SWR always be low,
W6SAL
P.S. - If you actually climbed the tree anyway because “it’s easier,” you’re doing it wrong. But I respect the commitment.