How to get client.meshtastic.org to work with the nRF52 over ethernet

[ckambiselis]

So, since the flash on the nRF52 is so small that the web client can't be installed on it, how can one get the certificate installed, since TLS can't be turned off on client.meshtastic.org? And not really interested in using the Android client, since this is going to be a base station node. Or is the only way to make it work, to self host the client?

[ianmcorvidae]

Hi; you won't be able to get the web client working with an nrf52 device over HTTP regardless of TLS certificates. It's more than just that it can't hold the web client in its flash, it doesn't deliver a web server at all. Android and CLI are able to connect to it by way of the TCP API (which is separate from the HTTP one). I made a proof-of-concept project that serves up an HTTP API and proxies it to an underlying TCP/Serial/BLE connection, which is at https://github.com/ianmcorvidae/meshtastic-http-proxy (but no promises it'll work right, no support guaranteed, etc.). If you were to use that, you'd run the proxy somewhere it can connect to your node and where you can serve it up with a TLS certificate and use it with client.meshtastic.org, or you would serve it up without one and self-host the web client to connect to it. Another option would be to connect with Web Bluetooth (or serial) from a chromium-based browser that supports it, but obviously that wouldn't use the Ethernet connection and might not be an option for you.

[ckambiselis]

Ok, maybe I have misunderstood how the Android app connects to it and I'm using the wrong words, but the app has an option to connect using an IP address, which is how I have been able to connect to it and change settings. How can I get this type of connection through Chrome on a PC, if it is some kind of "serial over TCP", going to the serial tab doesn't give an option to enter an IP.

[ianmcorvidae]

You can't, without running additional stuff or using a different connection method. The Android app and the web client are using two different methods: the TCP API and the HTTP API, respectively.

Here's the table of the different apps and the ways they're able to connect:

	BLE	Serial	TCP	HTTP
Android	✔️	✔️	✔️	❌
iOS	✔️	❌	❌	❌
CLI	✔️	✔️	✔️	❌
Web	✔️ *	✔️ *	❌	✔️

(* web can only do BLE/Serial on browsers supporting the Web Bluetooth and Web Serial APIs)

[edited to add the following for extra info for folks]

Here's the table of typical supported options for different kinds of nodes:

	BLE	Serial	TCP	HTTP
esp32 (e.g. Heltec v3, Lilygo T3S3, T-Deck, T-Beam)	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
nrf52 (e.g. RAK4631, Heltec T114)	✔️	✔️	✔️ *	❌
rp2040 (e.g. Raspberry Pi Pico/Pico W)	❌	✔️**	✔️ **	❌

(* nrf52 can do TCP only with an Ethernet module)
(** rp2040 can do TCP only on nodes supporting WiFi (e.g. the Pico W), and there is a special, advanced-user "slowclock" version that also disables USB serial)

[ckambiselis]

Hmmm, so I guess I have to test running the Android app on Bluestacks or something. Forgot to say, the node is a RAK4631 with the Ethernet PoE module.

[ckambiselis]

This seems to work, I was able to connect to it using its IP address.