What do the channel icons mean?
Did you hear that meshtastic is encrypted but then you opened the app and the channel showed an orange unlocked icon? What does it mean? Are your messages safe?
I know there is a lot to learn and it can seem daunting at first. But let’s cover the channel security meanings and the associated icons.
There are 4 states of security that your channels can fall under:
- Secure
- Insecure Channel, Not Precise Location
- Insecure Channel, Precise Location
- Warning: Insecure, Precise Location & MQTT Uplink
Secure Channel
A green lock means the channel is securely encrypted with 128 or 256 bit AES encryption key. This is good! You can run private channels or direct messages in this mode. You can also share your precise location with this channel.
Secure channels all share the same encryption key. If this key, or the QR code for the channel, is shared outside your group then uninvited guests could join the channel. Be sure to keep your channel keys private and share them with people you can trust.
Insecure Channel, Not Precise location
A yellow open lock means the channel is not securely encrypted, is not used for precise location, and uses either no key or a 1 byte known encryption key. You will notice that the default public channel for our area, called LongFast, has this insecure lock. Some nodes broadcast their approximate location and other nodes prefer to stay private or broadcast their location on different private channels.
The default encryption key for Ravalli mesh LongFast is “AQ==”. That is a common setup around the country and especially in the area with more space or rural configurations.
Insecure Channel, Precise Location
Indicated with a red open lock, the channel is not securely encrypted, used for precise location data, and uses either no key or 1 byte known key. This could be perfectly acceptable to you! But this icon is warning you about the risks of your setup.
Warning: Insecure, Precise Location, and MQTT Uplink
This warning icon is an escalation from the previous icon because the same data is being uplinked to the internet via MQTT.