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pyMC_Core Documentation

Welcome to the documentation for pyMC_Core, the python library for Meshcore communication.

pyMC_Core is a Python-based reimplementation of MeshCore — a lightweight, portable C++ library for multi-hop packet routing using LoRa radios. Designed for Raspberry Pi and similar hardware, pyMC_Core communicates with LoRa modules over SPI.

pyMC_Core is under active development. It's compatible with the original MeshCore protocol and provides similar functionality in Python.

What is MeshCore?

MeshCore enables long-range, decentralised communication using multi-hop packet routing. Devices (nodes) forward packets through neighbouring nodes to reach distant ones — no central infrastructure required.

It occupies a middle ground between:

Project Focus
Meshtastic Casual LoRa messaging
Reticulum Full encrypted networking stack

Use cases:

  • Off-grid and emergency communication
  • Tactical or field mesh deployments
  • IoT mesh networks

Overview

pyMC_Core provides the fundamental building blocks for mesh network communication, including:

  • Packet Building: Create and parse mesh network packets
  • Protocol Handling: Manage encryption, routing, and protocol logic
  • Node Management: Handle mesh node operations and communication
  • Hardware Integration: Support for various radio hardware

Installation

Requirements

  • Python 3.9 or higher
  • pip package manager

Basic Installation

Install pyMC_Core from PyPI:

pip install pymc_core

Note: For most practical applications, you'll want to install with hardware support for radio communication: 

pip install pymc_core[radio,hardware]
The base package provides protocol and packet handling capabilities, but hardware integration is required for mesh communication.

Installation from Source

Important: On modern Python installations (Ubuntu 22.04+, Debian 12+), you may encounter externally-managed-environment errors when installing packages system-wide. Create a virtual environment first:

# Create virtual environment
python3 -m venv pymc_env

# Activate virtual environment
# On Linux/Mac:
source pymc_env/bin/activate
# On Windows:
pymc_env\Scripts\activate

Clone the repository and install in development mode:

git clone https://github.com/rightup/pymc_core.git
cd pymc_core
pip install -e .

Optional Dependencies

Install with specific features:

# For radio hardware support
pip install pymc_core[radio]

# For GPIO and SPI hardware control
pip install pymc_core[hardware]

# For WebSocket radio support
pip install pymc_core[websocket]

# For development and testing
pip install pymc_core[dev]

# Install all optional dependencies
pip install pymc_core[all]

Hardware Setup

For hardware integration, you may need additional system dependencies:

# On Raspberry Pi/Debian-based systems
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install python3-dev python3-pip

Quick Start

from pymc_core import MeshNode, LocalIdentity

# Create a mesh node
identity = LocalIdentity()
node = MeshNode(radio=radio_device, local_identity=identity)

# Start the node
await node.start()

Getting Help

Acknowledgements

  • Thanks to MeshCore for the original C++ implementation.
  • Appreciation to @scott_33238, @liamcottle, @recrof, and @cheaporeps on Discord for their ongoing help and patience with my questions.
  • Waveshare LoRaRF library, modified to use modern gpiozero library (DigitalInputDevice and DigitalOutputDevice) for all GPIO operations, replacing legacy RPi.GPIO methods for compatibility across all recent Raspberry Pi models (Zero, 3, 4, 5)
  • Contributors and third-party libraries (see pyproject.toml)