If you will be using Meshtastic on a regular basis, we strongly recommend installing Meshtastic CLI. In some cases devices may have issues with a firmware update or something else that requires an NRF52 erase and reloading of firmware.
It may happen while you are configuring your new device, or a year from now when a firmware update attempt somehow gets corrupted. Needing to complete this procedure is generally not indicative of any hardware problem and over time we have seen it necessary with any brand of hardware from developer boards to all-in-one units.
The process is not complicated and does not require programming knowledge. It does require Meshtastic CLI, and here is how to install that:
Start here by installing the Meshtastic Python CLI-
https://meshtastic.org/docs/software/python/cli/installation/
The “py -V” command will let you know if Python is already installed on your system by returning the version. If it does anything else besides returning the version you will need to install python. I would suggest using the x86 version found here as it seems to have less issues than the x64 version.
https://www.python.org/ftp/python/3.12.8/python-3.12.8.exe
***Note***
When installing Python, make sure to select the option to "Add Python to PATH" or check the box that says "Add Python to environment variables". If you missed this during installation, you can add Python to your system's PATH manually after installation. Failing to do so may result in errors when trying to use Python or pip commands.
The last step in the installation process is incorrect. Do not use the “pip3 install --upgrade "meshtastic[cli]".
Instead use this command:
pip3 install --upgrade meshtastic
Now you are ready to complete an NRF52 factory erase should the need ever arrive!
Military and First Responder 
