hub MODE-X MESH settings

Location & Privacy

Mode-X Mesh is private by default. You choose what you share, and the sensible defaults share as little as possible.

Your location is yours

Each node has a location setting with three choices:

  • Off - your node never shares a position. It still works fully; it simply stays on the General channel and any channels you add by hand.
  • Approximate - your node shares a rounded, area-level position (roughly your neighbourhood, not your doorstep). This is enough to put you on the right town and region channels.
  • Precise - your node shares its exact position. Useful for tracking, safety roles, or letting friends find you on a day out.

You set this when you first pair the node and can change it any time in the app.

The public map is opt-in

Appearing on the public map is a separate, deliberate choice. By default your node is not shown publicly, even if it shares a location on the mesh. You turn on public map listing yourself, in the app, and you can turn it off again whenever you like.

This means there are two independent switches:

  1. Does my node share a location on the mesh? (Off / Approximate / Precise)
  2. Should my node appear on the public website map? (Off by default)

Both have to be on for your node to show up with a location on the public site. Turn either off and the public map simply counts your node without placing it.

What the servers can and can't see

  • Private messages are encrypted on your device. Servers and relays store and forward only scrambled data - the content is never readable by anyone but the recipient.
  • Communal messages are open by design; that's the point of a public channel. Recent communal messages appear on the website.
  • Location is only ever stored or displayed according to the two switches above.
  • Telemetry - battery, signal, sensor readings - helps show network health and contains no personal content.

In short

If you do nothing, you get a fully working, private node: encrypted DMs, no location sharing, and no public map listing. Everything beyond that is a choice you make on purpose.