Stolo Settings¶
This page explains every control in Stolo’s Settings, in the order you meet them on the screen.
On a phone, Settings is a grouped list that you tap into section by section. On a desktop the same sections sit in a side-panel. Either way, your profile card sits at the top, and the bottom of the screen carries a Read the docs link back to this page alongside your version information.
Some connection and network changes only take effect after a restart. When one does, Stolo shows a restart required banner with the button to do it. On a phone, fully close and reopen the app instead.
Your profile¶
The card at the top of Settings shows your avatar, your name and your Stolo ID. Tap it to edit:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Display name | The name other people see for you on the mesh. Set during first-run setup; change it here at any time. |
| Avatar color | Picks your avatar color, so you are easy to pick out in a list or on the map. |
| Save changes | Saves your name and color, and re-announces them so your contacts see the new details. |
| Install vendor certificate | Installs a certificate that marks this device as vendor-verified to your contacts. Optional, and issued by Stolo for one specific device. |
Connection¶
Connections¶
Add a radio, WiFi or internet path — or switch one off. The row shows how many connections are currently active.
This is where you add a way of reaching the mesh, and switch existing ones on and off:
- Local WiFi — finds people on the same network automatically. Give it a name; there is nothing else to set.
- Radio — an RNode LoRa radio over USB or Bluetooth. Tap Scan to find it.
- Internet — a link to a node over the internet, so distant teams can reach each other whenever any internet path exists.
There is no delete action here. Switching a connection off parks it under AVAILABLE, and it keeps its settings.
Interface settings¶
Tune a connection you already have — channel, mode, isolation, discovery. Connections adds and switches things on; this screen adjusts what is already there.
Each connection is listed with its live status and an on/off switch. Open one to reach the settings below, or rename and remove it. The screen also offers Scan for radios, Discover interfaces (find connections other people have published on your network) and Add interface.
Radio parameters (radio connections only)¶
Every radio that needs to talk to every other radio must match on all of these. The region preset fills them in for you.
| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Region preset | United States (915 MHz) | Fills in every field below with the values legal and usual for your region. Start here. |
| Frequency | per preset | The channel the radio sits on. Must match on every radio that talks to each other. |
| Bandwidth | per preset | Channel width. Wider carries more data but hears weaker signals less well. |
| Spreading factor | 8 | Range against speed, 7–12. Higher reaches much further and sends much more slowly. |
| Coding rate | 4/5 | How much error correction is added, 4/5–4/8. Higher survives noise better and sends more slowly. |
| TX power | per preset | Transmit power. Always keep within the legal limit for your region. |
Always verify local regulations for your operating frequency and power before changing these.
Interface isolation (IFAC)¶
Isolation makes a connection private: only devices that hold the same network name and passphrase can talk over it.
| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Network name | — | The shared name of your private network. |
| Passphrase | — | The shared secret. Shown masked. |
| IFAC size | Auto | How much of each packet is spent proving membership: 64-bit (best for slow radio links), 128-bit, 256-bit, or 512-bit. |
| Apply credentials to all interfaces | On | Writes the same name and passphrase to every connection instead of just this one. |
| Remove IFAC | — | Clears the credentials from the connection. Asks you to confirm, and applies after a restart. |
Interface mode¶
| Mode | Use it for |
|---|---|
| full (default) | Normal use — send and receive everything. |
| gateway | Passing traffic between two parts of a network. |
| access_point | Serving other devices that connect in to this one. |
| roaming | A device that moves between networks. |
| boundary | A device at the edge of the network. |
Discovery publishing¶
Available on connections that other people can dial into. It advertises the connection so they can find it instead of typing an address.
| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Make discoverable | Off | Announces this connection to the network. Everything below only matters once this is on. |
| Discovery name | — | The name people see when they find it. |
| Reachable on | — | The address others should connect to. |
| Announce interval | 360 min | How often the connection announces itself. |
| Stamp value | 14 | How much work a device must do to announce, which keeps spam down. |
| Encrypt discovery | Off | Encrypts the announcements, so only your own network can read them. |
| Publish IFAC credentials | Off | Includes the isolation credentials so authorised devices connect on their own. |
| Bootstrap only | Off | Detaches automatically once enough other connections are up. |
| Latitude / Longitude / Height | — | Optionally publishes where the connection physically is. |
Network¶
Transport relay, organizations & system. The top of the screen is read-only status:
| Reading | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Mesh status | How many people are active, idle and offline right now. |
| Encryption | Confirms messages are encrypted (AES-256). |
| This device | Your own address on the mesh. |
Below that:
| Control | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Enable transport relay | Off | When on, this device carries other people’s traffic as well as its own. Meant for an always-on device, not a phone. Press Save network config to apply. |
| Background mesh — uses location (iPhone only) | Off | Keeps Stolo on the mesh while the app is in the background or the screen is locked, so messages still arrive. Requires the Always location permission with Precise Location enabled — Stolo walks you through granting it, and will not show the toggle as on without it. iOS displays its location indicator while this runs. If the permission is later reduced, the toggle switches itself off and tells you. |
| Mesh devices | — | The devices Stolo can see, grouped by the organization each one belongs to. |
| Network contacts | — | Join, create or import an organization, mark one trusted, or make one your primary publisher. |
Store & forward¶
When someone is offline, a store-and-forward node holds your message until they come back and collect it.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Default | Uses the Stolo network node. This is the normal choice. |
| Custom | Routes through a node address someone has given you. Paste the address and apply. |
| Off | Messages to someone who is offline fail instead of being held for them. |
| Act as a propagation node | Turns this device into the node that holds messages for your group. Your node address appears underneath — share it, and others paste it under Custom. |
System¶
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Refresh routes | Announces you again so the mesh rediscovers how to reach you. Try this first if someone has gone missing from your list. |
| Apply changes / Restart backend | Brings your connections into line with the settings you have changed. The mesh link drops for a few seconds; your messages, contacts and identity are untouched. |
| Version information | Read-only. Quote it when you contact support. |
Privacy & identity¶
Identity keys¶
Your encryption keys & address.
| Control | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| E2E encryption / Message authentication | Active | Read-only confirmation that your messages are encrypted and that senders are verified. There is nothing to switch off. |
| Location sharing limit | Approximate | The ceiling on location sharing across the whole app. Exact allows precise positions, Approximate caps every conversation to a roughly 1 km grid square, and Off stops all sharing at once no matter what any individual chat is set to. Applies immediately. |
| Strict mode | Off | When on, messages from people you have not trusted — individually or through an organization — are dropped instead of being held in quarantine for review. Use it when you only want messages from people you have already approved. |
| Trusted peers | — | Everyone you have chosen to accept messages from. Remove trust sends their future messages back to quarantine. |
| Identity hash | — | Your device’s address, with Copy identity hash so you can share it. |
Location sharing is per conversation and starts off for everyone. You turn it on inside a chat, for that person. The setting above is the limit that applies on top of whatever your individual chats are set to.
Identity backup¶
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Export identity backup | Writes a passphrase-protected backup file holding your identity, and optionally your message history. Anyone with the file and its passphrase can act as you, so keep it as safe as the device itself. |
| Import backup… | Restores from a backup file. This replaces the identity on this device with the one in the backup. |
Make the backup before you need it. Without one, a lost device means a lost identity and lost history.
Delete profile¶
Removes your identity, your messages, your contacts — or all of it — from this device. You choose what goes, and you type a confirmation first.
Nothing here can be undone. Deleting your identity also loses anything still waiting for you on a relay. Export a backup first if you might want this profile again.
Trusted contacts¶
Senders you always accept messages from. The row shows how many you have. Opening it lists them, each with the option to remove trust — after which their messages are held in quarantine again rather than delivered.
Appearance¶
| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Theme | Light | Light is easiest to read in direct sun; Dark cuts glare at night. |
| Message bubbles | Cyan | The accent color used for your chat bubbles. |
Permissions¶
Stolo asks for each of these the first time it needs it, and explains why. You can allow or skip any of them, and change your mind later in your device’s own Settings app.
| Permission | What Stolo uses it for |
|---|---|
| Location | Showing your position on the map and sharing it with the people you choose. Also required, as Always with Precise Location, for Background mesh on iPhone. |
| Bluetooth | Pairing and talking to a LoRa radio over Bluetooth, and finding nearby devices. |
| Notifications | Alerting you to new messages. |
| Microphone | Recording voice messages. Asked for the first time you record one. |
Privacy and legal¶
For what Stolo collects and what stays on your device, see the Privacy Policy. Terms of use are at Terms of Use, and notices for the third-party software Stolo builds on are at Open-source licenses.