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RAK WisBlock as Meshtastic Gateway - Setup, Configuration, and Home Assistant
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RAK WisBlock as Meshtastic Gateway - Setup, Configuration, and Home Assistant

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RAK WisBlock as Meshtastic Gateway - Setup, Configuration, and Home Assistant

Introduction

Meshtastic has fascinated me for a while now - a free, encrypted LoRa mesh network that works completely without the internet and still transmits messages over long distances. I already had mobile nodes, but what was missing was a permanently installed gateway that hangs in the network 24/7, relays messages, and sends its data to Home Assistant.

In this article, I describe how I implemented this with the RAK WisBlock, the RAK13800 Ethernet module, and the RAK19018 PoE module. Spoiler: it wasn’t always straightforward - but that’s exactly what makes it interesting.

The goal: A gateway powered via network cable, receiving and relaying Meshtastic messages on an encrypted channel - all cleanly integrated into Home Assistant.

The Hardware

Before we get started, a quick introduction to the components:

  • RAK4630 - the actual core chip (nRF52840 + SX1262 LoRa transceiver). In the documentation it often appears as RAK4631 - they’re the same thing. RAK4630 is the bare chip, RAK4631 is the finished WisBlock module. For us, no difference.
  • RAK13800 - the Ethernet module that connects the WisBlock to the network.
  • RAK19018 - the PoE module that stacks directly on the RAK13800 and draws power from the network cable (IEEE 802.3af, up to 9W).
  • RAK19007 - the WisBlock Base Board, where everything comes together.

A note about the screws: The package often doesn’t include any. You’ll need M1.2×3 mm for the modules and M2.5×4 mm to fix the base board in the housing. RAK sells a matching screw set in their store.

RAK Components

Hardware Assembly

The assembly is pleasantly simple:

  1. Insert RAK4630 Core into the core slot of the base board and secure with M1.2×3 screws
  2. Insert RAK13800 Ethernet module into the IO slot and screw it down
  3. Stack RAK19018 PoE module directly on top of the RAK13800 - the two connect via header pins
  4. Connect LoRa antenna - never operate without an antenna!

RAK Finished

As soon as a PoE-capable cable is plugged in, the device starts automatically - no separate power supply needed.

RAK Connected

The Right Firmware

Here comes the first important decision point: The standard Meshtastic firmware for the RAK4631 does not support JSON over MQTT. But for Home Assistant we need exactly that - so there’s a separate gateway firmware.

Download Firmware

On github.com/meshtastic/firmware/releases, open the latest release, expand Assets, and download the ZIP:

firmware-nrf52840-x.x.xx.xxxxxxx.zip

Extract the ZIP and look for this file inside:

firmware-rak4631_eth_gw-x.x.xx.xxxxxxx.uf2

Note: All Meshtastic releases are labeled “Beta” - that’s their normal stable release channel, no worries.

Flash Firmware

  1. Connect RAK4630 to your PC via USB-C
  2. Press the reset button twice quickly - the device appears as a USB drive named RAK4631
  3. Copy the .uf2 file to this drive
  4. Device restarts automatically

To verify: best check the firmware version via the Meshtastic app over BLE - it’s displayed directly in the device details. The INFO_UF2.TXT on the drive only shows the bootloader version, not the firmware.

Network Setup

Connect the device via Meshtastic app over BLE and configure under Radio Configuration → Network:

  • WiFi: off
  • Ethernet: on
  • Mode: IPv4 / DHCP

After reboot, check the IP address in your router. There’s no web interface for the RAK4631 - but you can ping it, and that’s all we need.

Set Up Encrypted Channel

Instead of the public default channel, we create our own channel with its own key:

In the app under Channels → create new channel:

  • Name: e.g. HomeMesh
  • PSK: let it generate randomly
  • Uplink: on
  • Downlink: on

Delete the old default channel afterwards.

Attention: Save the PSK carefully! All devices that should communicate in the network need the same key.

The channel URL for later import on other devices can be obtained via CLI:

pip install pyqrcode pypng
meshtastic --host [IP-of-RAK] --qr

This displays the URL and a QR code directly in the terminal - practical for scanning with other devices.

MQTT Configuration - the Bumpy Part

This is where the biggest surprise hit: The Meshtastic app and CLI seemed to save MQTT settings - but after a reboot they were gone. This is a known bug with the eth_gw firmware when configuring over TCP.

The solution: apply configuration as a YAML file.

First, we need the Meshtastic CLI. Best in its own Python environment:

python -m venv meshtastic-env
source meshtastic-env/bin/activate  # Windows: meshtastic-env\Scripts\activate
pip install meshtastic pyqrcode pypng

Then export the current configuration:

meshtastic --host [IP-of-RAK] --export-config config.yaml

In the config.yaml, adjust the mqtt: section:

  mqtt:
    address: 192.168.x.x  # IP of your Home Assistant
    enabled: true
    encryptionEnabled: false
    jsonEnabled: true
    tlsEnabled: false
    mapReportSettings:
      publishIntervalSecs: 3600
    password: YourPassword
    root: msh/EU_868
    username: meshtastic

To ensure a permanent connection with the MQTT server, this needs to be adjusted in the config:

  lora:
    ignoreMqtt: false  # Important: otherwise the gateway ignores MQTT packets

And in the power: section, disable light sleep - otherwise the device goes to sleep after 5 minutes and the MQTT connection breaks:

  power:
    lsSecs: 0  # Disable light sleep

Then apply it again:

meshtastic --host [IP-of-RAK] --configure config.yaml

Also important - disable ignoreMqtt so the gateway also relays its own packets:

meshtastic --host [IP-of-RAK] --set lora.ignore_mqtt false

I’m working on a separate article about the Meshtastic Python CLI.

Home Assistant Preparation

Mosquitto Broker

In Home Assistant: Settings → Add-ons → Mosquitto Broker install and start.

Under Configuration, create a login for the gateway:

  • Username: meshtastic
  • Password: secure password
  • “Require Client Certificate”: off

Save and restart Mosquitto.

MQTT Integration

Settings → Devices & Services → MQTT add with the broker credentials.

Integrate Handheld Device

For another Meshtastic device to communicate with the gateway, both must:

  1. Have the same channel with the same PSK → scan the QR code from the terminal
  2. Have the same modem preset → definitely check this!

The second one was the hidden pitfall for me: I initially had MediumFast on the gateway and LongFast on the handheld - they simply couldn’t hear each other even though everything else was correct.

For a home gateway, I recommend LongFast - that’s the Meshtastic standard, offers better range in the city, and is compatible with other nodes in the area you might happen to hear. So set both devices to LongFast.

Tip: Always check first whether the devices see each other in the node list before debugging MQTT!

The Final Test

To verify everything works, in Home Assistant go to Settings → Devices & Services → MQTT → Configure → Listen to a topic and subscribe to:

msh/#

Then send a message from the handheld. The result should look something like this:

{
    "payload": {
        "text": "Hello"
    },
    "type": "text",
    "sender": "!68860978",
    "channel": 0,
    "hops_away": 0
}

If that arrives - everything’s perfect! 🎉

Meshtastic Entities in Home Assistant

Listening once is nice - but tracking permanently is better. With a few lines in configuration.yaml, Meshtastic messages become real Home Assistant entities that you can use in automations, dashboards, and history.

Create Sensors

Add the following to your configuration.yaml:

mqtt:
  sensor:
    - name: "Meshtastic last message"
      unique_id: meshtastic_last_message
      state_topic: "msh/EU_868/2/json/HomeMesh/#"
      value_template: "{{ value_json.payload.text }}"

    - name: "Meshtastic last sender"
      unique_id: meshtastic_last_sender
      state_topic: "msh/EU_868/2/json/HomeMesh/#"
      value_template: "{{ value_json.sender }}"

    - name: "Meshtastic timestamp"
      unique_id: meshtastic_last_timestamp
      state_topic: "msh/EU_868/2/json/HomeMesh/#"
      value_template: "{{ value_json.timestamp | timestamp_local }}"

    - name: "Meshtastic debug raw"
      unique_id: meshtastic_debug_raw
      state_topic: "msh/#"
      value_template: "{{ value }}"

After a HA restart, the entities appear under Settings → Devices & Services → Entities.

Debug Options

There are two practical ways to check what the gateway is currently sending:

1. Live listen in HA - under Settings → Devices & Services → MQTT → Configure → Listen to a topic, enter the topic msh/# and click Start listening. Every incoming message is displayed immediately as formatted JSON.

2. Debug sensor - the sensor.meshtastic_debug_raw subscribes to msh/# and stores the raw last message unfiltered. This is especially useful to see what’s actually coming in - not just text messages but also telemetry, position data, and node info that don’t have payload.text.

Tip: For a nice formatted debug dashboard, I recommend Claude Code with the Home Assistant MCP - this lets you create a complete Meshtastic dashboard directly via prompt without manual YAML writing.

Home Assistant Debug Dashboard

Conclusion

The setup is significantly more powerful than it appears at first glance. A permanently running gateway that receives all Meshtastic packets in the LoRa range and forwards them structured to Home Assistant - all encrypted over your own channel.

The biggest stumbling blocks were:

  • Wrong firmware - definitely use the eth_gw variant, not the standard RAK4631 firmware
  • MQTT config bug - apply via YAML file instead of individual CLI commands
  • Modem preset mismatch - all devices in the network must have the same preset, otherwise they simply can’t hear each other. For a stationary gateway, I recommend LongFast - better range and compatible with other nodes in the area
  • Light sleep - set power.ls_secs to 0, otherwise the gateway goes to sleep after 5 minutes and the MQTT connection breaks

The next article is about the actual sensor node - the device that captures measurement data and feeds it into the mesh. And eventually the map is coming too. 🗺️

This article is part of a series on Meshtastic and Home Assistant.