hub MODE-X MESH

Setting Up a Node Without a Screen

Most Mode-X Mesh boards have a small OLED screen that shows a 6-digit code when you pair. Some boards have no screen at all (or a screen too small to read a code from), such as headless builds of the Heltec Wireless Stick. This guide is for those nodes.

How it works

Pairing normally proves you are physically holding the node by asking you to type the code from its screen into the app. A node with no screen cannot show a code, so the firmware allows a one-time open claim instead, with strict conditions:

  • the node must be fresh: newly flashed or factory reset, never paired with a phone, and not yet through first-time setup;
  • the claim only works over Bluetooth, so you must be within a few metres of the node;
  • the moment the node is claimed, the open window closes for good. From then on it behaves exactly like any other paired node.

This is the same idea used by other mesh firmware for screenless hardware: a brand-new device on your desk is yours to claim; a device that is already set up is locked to its owner.

Step by step

  1. Flash the node with Mode-X Mesh firmware, or factory reset it from the app (Settings, then Factory reset) if it was set up before. A factory reset from the flasher page with "erase first" ticked also counts.
  2. Power the node and wait about ten seconds for Bluetooth to start.
  3. Open the Mode-X Mesh app on your phone and go to Connect. The node appears in the nearby list with a name like MXM-XXXX.
  4. Tap the node, then tap "My node has no screen" instead of typing a code.
  5. The app claims the node, becomes its owner, and takes you straight into first-time setup: name, region, channels and location choices.

That is the whole process. The node is now paired to your phone and the open claim window is permanently closed.

If the option is refused

The app will say the claim was refused if the node is not in a fresh state. That means it has been paired before or has completed setup. Fix it by factory resetting:

  • from the app, if you are the owner: Settings, then Factory reset; or
  • from any phone: Connect to the node and use Pair reset, which clears ownership without touching mesh identity or channels; or
  • by reflashing with "erase first" from the web flasher.

Then repeat the steps above.

Enrolling the node with the server

Once paired, enrolment onto the internet backbone is identical to any other node: in the app open Internet, choose Enrol with server, and enter the enrolment code your network operator gave you. Nothing about server enrolment needs a screen on the node.

Security notes

The open claim is only possible while the node is fresh and unowned, and only over a direct Bluetooth connection. If you are giving a screenless node to someone else, factory reset it first so it is claimable, and hand it over in person. Never leave a freshly flashed, unclaimed node powered on in a public place for long periods.