TAK Integration

The Meshtastic app supports Team Awareness Kit (TAK) integration, enabling interoperability with ATAK (Android Team Awareness Kit), iTAK, and other CoT (Cursor-on-Target) compatible systems over LoRa mesh radio — no cellular or internet required.

What is TAK?

TAK is a situational awareness platform widely used in tactical, emergency management, and outdoor recreation contexts. It displays the positions and status of team members on a shared map. Meshtastic bridges TAK users over LoRa, so teams stay connected without requiring cellular or internet coverage.

Supported Device Roles

TAK integration works with two device roles:

Icon	Role	Description
	TAK	Full TAK role — sends CoT position reports and can relay TAK data packets.
	TAK Tracker	Lightweight position-only TAK role. Lower power consumption, no packet relay.

Set the device role in Settings → Device.

Tip — Firmware version The full TAK V2 wire format (shapes, routes, markers, casevac, emergency) requires firmware 2.8.0 or later on the connected radio. Older firmware still supports PLI and GeoChat over the legacy V1 format — the app falls back automatically.

TAK Server Screen

Settings → TAK Server is the single destination for everything TAK-related. The screen is organized top-to-bottom so you can configure your identity, start the server, and pair an ATAK / iTAK client in one pass.

TAK Identity

The first section, TAK Identity, controls the firmware-level team and role identity the radio attaches to every position report:

Setting	Description
Team	The team color shown to TAK clients. Default is Cyan; all standard ATAK team colors are available.
Role	Your TAK role. Choices are Team Member (default), Team Lead, HQ, Sniper, Medic, Forward Observer, RTO, and K9.

TAK Identity section with Team and Role pickers

A Save TAK Identity button appears in the section only when there are unsaved changes. Saving dispatches an admin message to the connected node; you'll see the change reflected in TAK clients on the next position report.

Tip — Identity pickers disabled? The pickers stay disabled until the connected radio reports its TAK module config back to the app. This usually happens within a few seconds of connecting — give it a moment, or disconnect and reconnect if it doesn't appear.

Server Status, Enable, and Channel

Below the identity section:

A status indicator showing whether the in-app TAK Server is running and whether your primary channel is suitable for TAK use.
An Enable TAK Server toggle.
A channel picker for the LoRa channel the server bridges between TAK clients and the mesh.
Read-only mode (treat the app as a TAK observer that doesn't forward CoT to the mesh) and mesh-to-CoT relay toggles.

Tip — Primary channel requirements The TAK Server runs in read-only mode until your primary channel has a non-default name and a non-default 256-bit encryption key. Use the Fix Channel button on the warning banner to apply a recommended TAK preset (Short Fast, new AES key, name "TAK") in one tap.

Certificates

Import a P12 (PKCS#12) or PEM bundle for mTLS-protected ATAK / iTAK connections. The app stores the certificates encrypted in the keychain — they're not visible to other apps or to iTunes/Finder file sharing.

Data Package

Export a TAK data package zip that you can sideload into ATAK / iTAK. The client uses it to find and trust the app's local server without manually entering a host, port, or certificate.

Receiving Routes

When another node on the mesh sends a route CoT (b-m-r), the app automatically writes it as a KML data package to Documents/TAK Routes/ and posts an iOS notification so you don't miss it:

Field	Content
Title	Route Received
Subtitle	route callsign (or "Unknown Route")
Body	Saved to Files → Meshtastic → TAK Routes. Open in iTAK to import.

iTAK silently ignores route CoT received over its TCP streaming connection, so this fallback lets you import the route manually. Tap the notification, then in Files navigate to On My iPhone → Meshtastic → TAK Routes, share the .zip to iTAK, and choose Import Mission Package.

Tip — Where are my routes? The TAK Routes folder is created the first time a route arrives. If you don't see it, no routes have been received yet. The KML inside the zip is a standard KML 2.2 LineString — you can also open it in Google Earth or any KML viewer.

How It Works Under the Hood

You don't need to configure anything: the app automatically picks the best TAK wire format your radio supports. Firmware 2.8.0+ uses the new V2 format with zstd-dictionary compression for richer message types and shorter LoRa transmissions. Older firmware keeps using the legacy V1 format, which carries PLI and GeoChat between any two nodes plus a richer Apple-to-Apple fallback for shapes, markers, and routes.

Developers and curious users can read the full protocol detail in TAK Protocol.

Troubleshooting

TAK client won't connect

Make sure the in-app TAK Server is enabled in Settings → TAK Server.
Confirm your primary channel has a non-default name and encryption key — the server runs in read-only mode otherwise. Use Fix Channel in the warning banner if shown.
For mTLS clients, confirm a P12 / PEM bundle was imported under Certificates.

Routes don't show up in iTAK

iTAK ignores route CoT from TCP streaming on purpose. Open the saved zip from Files → Meshtastic → TAK Routes and import it as a Mission Package.
If the TAK Routes folder is missing, no route CoT has arrived yet.

Identity pickers are disabled

The radio must report its TAK module config back to the app before the pickers enable. Reconnect if it doesn't come through within a few seconds.
The connected node must have the TAK or TAK Tracker device role — Team / Role have no effect on other roles.

Requirements

Firmware 2.3 or later on your radio for basic TAK PLI / GeoChat; 2.8.0 or later for the full TAK V2 wire format.
An ATAK / iTAK / TAK-compatible client app on your phone or tablet.
Device configured with the TAK or TAK Tracker role.