MeshDesk

Touchscreen mesh communicator firmware, with a device-independent project name and a roadmap for multiple hardware platforms. The current implementation targets the Seeed Wio Tracker L2 (ESP32-S3), supports selectable MeshCore and Meshtastic backends, and runs JavaScript applications from an SD card through PocketJS.

Status: development preview. Core messaging and storage have been tested on hardware. HTTPS certificate validation and the offline map provider policy remain release blockers; see Release readiness.

Features

• A 320 × 240 touch interface with a launcher, Chats, Contacts, Radio, Settings, Files, GPS, Maps, and SD applications.
• MeshCore public messages, direct messages, contacts, and advertisements.
• A Meshtastic client backend with public channel text, NodeInfo, PKI direct messages, acknowledgments, and Client / Client Mute roles. This is a limited implementation; see Communication backends.
• Protocol, region, and radio presets selectable in Radio and through JavaScript. The selected configuration survives reboot.
• Contacts, chat history, and received protocol data persisted under /appdata/chats. Chats loads history in batches of up to 50 messages.
• PocketJS SDK v3, powered by QuickJS, with UI, storage, audio, device, and communication APIs. See the application guide.
• Web Files management and a USB serial SD application installer.
• WiFi and GPS time synchronization, shown by green and blue clock text.
• SD map tile rendering, manual or IP-derived coordinates, a remembered map center, and full-screen viewing.

Hardware support

Device	Status
Seeed Wio Tracker L2	Current implementation; tested on hardware
M5Stack Tab5	Planned port; not implemented or validated

Additional devices will require board support and hardware validation.

Hardware and tools

• Seeed Wio Tracker L2 with an ESP32-S3 and a 320 × 240 touchscreen.
• An SD card for applications, application data, and map tiles.
• A USB data connection for flashing and serial installation.
• Python 3, PlatformIO Core, and Node.js 22 or later for application tests.

The board configuration and initialization are based on the Wio Tracker L2 DVT hardware reference. Preserve the reference notices in licenses/hardware-reference.

Build and flash

Install the host tools:

python3 -m pip install platformio pyserial

Build the firmware:

pio run -e wio_tracker_l2

Dependencies are pinned in platformio.ini. MeshCore, MeshtasticLite, QuickJS, and ed25519 source snapshots are included in lib/; a neighboring checkout is not required. PlatformIO downloads the toolchain and remaining dependencies on the first build.

Flash through the device's built-in USB JTAG interface:

pio run -e wio_tracker_l2 -t upload

Alternatively, use the serial bootloader, replacing the port with your device:

pio run -e wio_tracker_l2 -t upload --upload-protocol esptool --upload-port PORT

Install SD applications

After flashing the firmware, install an application over USB:

python3 scripts/install_sd_app.py apps/chats --port PORT
python3 scripts/install_sd_app.py apps/i2c-scanner --port PORT

Each application has its own directory under /apps. Persistent data lives separately under /appdata/<app-id> and survives application updates. Reboot after adding a new application so the launcher discovers it. See Chat storage for retention and recovery behavior.

Enable and configure Web Files under Settings → Storage → Web Files, or open it from Control Center. Control Center also provides Reboot.

Radio configuration

Select Off, MeshCore, or Meshtastic in Radio. The backends do not run simultaneously.

Backend	Default configuration
MeshCore	EU/UK Narrow: 869.618 MHz, 62.5 kHz bandwidth, SF8, CR8
Meshtastic	US / LongFast, automatic channel frequency (906.875 MHz with the default channel)

Select settings appropriate for your region and match the other devices before transmitting. Radio exposes region and modem presets; the JavaScript API also supports a frequency override within the selected Meshtastic region.

Validation

python3 scripts/validate_apps.py
node --test tests/*.test.js
c++ -std=c++17 -I tests/native_stubs -I include src/CommunicationService.cpp tests/communication_service.test.cpp -o /tmp/communication-test
/tmp/communication-test

The CI workflow also builds the firmware and runs native chat storage, read-state, and Meshtastic protocol tests. Host tests use simulated hardware; they do not replace radio, touchscreen, or SD testing on a physical device. See Meshtastic testing and I²C verification for hardware checks.

Architecture

Component	Responsibility
main	Initialization and service scheduling
Hardware	Display, touch, power, GPS, audio, and board peripherals
CommunicationService	Communication backend selection and lifecycle
MeshService / MeshtasticService	Protocol-specific communication
ChatStore	Persistent contacts and message history
SystemClock	Timekeeping independent of the radio backend
PocketJsRuntime	JavaScript application sandbox and Pocket APIs
AppUI	Launcher, native pages, navigation, and application lifecycle
ConnectivityService	WiFi, Web Files, SD operations, and map downloads

Further modularization is described in the architecture review.

Known limitations

• PocketJS HTTPS requests currently skip certificate verification. DeepSeek uses this path for authenticated requests; its API key transport is not ready for a security-reviewed release. Proxy map TLS requests also need verification.
• Offline downloads currently target tile.openstreetmap.org. The offline use policy has not been cleared. A provider that explicitly permits the intended downloads, configuration, and attribution must be established before release.
• Meshtastic support is a client subset. Intermediate traceroute enrichment and full next-hop routing are not implemented.
• SD application data is plaintext. Do not publish SD backups, messages, credentials, private keys, or device configuration.
• Emoji use monochrome fallback glyphs; compound flags, skin tones, and ZWJ sequences are not composed.

License and source provenance

MeshDesk is distributed under GPL-3.0-only. See LICENSE and Third-party notices. Third-party code and fonts retain their respective licenses. Hardware reference provenance and retained notices are included in the repository.

This public source baseline contains one initial commit. Earlier private history, device backups, and generated firmware binaries are excluded. Current asset provenance is recorded in Asset provenance.