Skip to content

Change a Repeater ID for a Legacy 1-Byte Region

Only for legacy 1-byte regions

Canada uses 3-byte path hashes by default. Continue only if your local region operator has confirmed this repeater must stay in 1-byte mode and approved the new ID.

What this will change

Changing the private key changes the node identity. It can break existing administration, contact, and tracking relationships. The old key is the only identity rollback path.

Prerequisites and backup

  1. Confirm with the local region operator that the repeater must remain in 1-byte mode and that a new ID is required.
  2. Connect to the repeater and record its current public key with get public.key.
  3. Over a trusted serial connection, back up the current private key with get prv.key and store it as a secret in a secure location.
  4. Confirm the proposed 2–6 character ID is unused in the local region's coordination record.

Never post or transmit either private key through an issue, screenshot, public chat, or log. The saved old private key is the rollback path.

Generate and apply the key

  1. Open the MeshCore Key Generator.
  2. Enter the locally approved, unused 2–6 character ID and select Generate Key.
  3. Confirm the generated private key is a 64-character hexadecimal value.
  4. Copy it directly to the trusted repeater console without saving it in an ordinary note or chat.

  5. Run, replacing the placeholder with the generated value:

    set prv.key <PRIVATE-KEY>

  6. Reboot the repeater.

Verify and restore

After reboot, run get public.key and confirm its prefix matches the locally approved ID. Recheck admin access, radio settings, region configuration, adverts, and local routing before returning the repeater to service.

If verification fails, restore the backed-up old private key with set prv.key <OLD-PRIVATE-KEY>, reboot, and confirm the original public key and access are restored.

Recovery

If admin access, the public-key prefix, adverts, region configuration, or routing is wrong, keep the repeater on the bench. Restore the backed-up old private key over the trusted serial connection, reboot, and confirm the complete former state before returning it to service.

Record the change

Record the locally approved ID, operator approval, old/new public-key prefixes, verification, and rollback location without recording either private key in the public maintenance record.

Verification limits

This procedure has not been tested against current firmware. Have the local region operator review it before use.