diff --git a/gui/preload-main.js b/gui/preload-main.js
index b0231032..c3fbab6b 100644
--- a/gui/preload-main.js
+++ b/gui/preload-main.js
@@ -28,7 +28,8 @@ var appDataFolder =
 var configFolder = path.join(appDataFolder, "FreeDATA");
 var configPath = path.join(configFolder, "config.json");
 var config = require(configPath);
-config.enable_mesh_features = FD.enable_mesh();
+
+//config.enable_mesh_features = FD.enable_mesh();
 const contrib = [
   "DK5SM",
   "DL4IAZ",
@@ -397,6 +398,21 @@ window.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => {
     document.getElementById("NotificationSwitch").checked = false;
   }
 
+  if(config.enable_mesh_features.toLowerCase() == "true"){
+            document.getElementById("liMeshTable").style.visibility = "visible";
+    document.getElementById("liMeshTable").style.display = "block";
+    document.getElementById("enableMeshSwitch").checked = true;
+
+
+  } else {
+            document.getElementById("liMeshTable").style.visibility = "hidden";
+    document.getElementById("liMeshTable").style.display = "none";
+        document.getElementById("enableMeshSwitch").checked = false;
+
+  }
+
+
+
   // theme selector
   changeGuiDesign(config.theme);
 
@@ -1244,6 +1260,22 @@ window.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => {
     FD.saveConfig(config, configPath);
   });
 
+  // enable MESH Switch clicked
+  document.getElementById("enableMeshSwitch").addEventListener("click", () => {
+    if (document.getElementById("enableMeshSwitch").checked == true) {
+      config.enable_mesh_features = "True";
+          document.getElementById("liMeshTable").style.visibility = "visible";
+    document.getElementById("liMeshTable").style.display = "block";
+    } else {
+      config.enable_mesh_features = "False";
+          document.getElementById("liMeshTable").style.visibility = "hidden";
+    document.getElementById("liMeshTable").style.display = "none";
+    }
+    //fs.writeFileSync(configPath, JSON.stringify(config, null, 2));
+    FD.saveConfig(config, configPath);
+  });
+
+
   // enable is writing switch clicked
   document.getElementById("enable_is_writing").addEventListener("click", () => {
     if (document.getElementById("enable_is_writing").checked == true) {
@@ -1430,10 +1462,17 @@ window.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => {
     var stop_bits = document.getElementById("hamlib_stop_bits").value;
     var handshake = document.getElementById("hamlib_handshake").value;
     var tx_delay = document.getElementById("tx_delay").value;
-    var enable_mesh = "False"
-    if (config.enable_mesh_features == true) {
-      enable_mesh = "True";
-    }
+
+      if (document.getElementById("enableMeshSwitch").checked == true) {
+    var enable_mesh_features = "True"
+              document.getElementById("liMeshTable").style.visibility = "visible";
+    document.getElementById("liMeshTable").style.display = "block";
+  } else {
+        var enable_mesh_features = "False"
+    document.getElementById("liMeshTable").style.visibility = "hidden";
+    document.getElementById("liMeshTable").style.display = "none";
+  }
+
     if (document.getElementById("scatterSwitch").checked == true) {
       var enable_scatter = "True";
     } else {
@@ -1548,6 +1587,7 @@ window.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => {
     config.tx_delay = tx_delay;
     config.tci_ip = tci_ip;
     config.tci_port = tci_port;
+    config.enable_mesh_features = enable_mesh_features;
 
     //fs.writeFileSync(configPath, JSON.stringify(config, null, 2));
     FD.saveConfig(config, configPath);
@@ -1598,7 +1638,7 @@ window.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => {
       tx_delay,
       tci_ip,
       tci_port,
-      enable_mesh
+      enable_mesh_features
     );
   });
 
@@ -1764,12 +1804,13 @@ window.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => {
     resetSortIcon();
   });
 
-  autostart_rigctld();
 
-  if (! config.enable_mesh_features == 1) {
-    document.getElementById("liMeshTable").style.visibility = "hidden";
-    document.getElementById("liMeshTable").style.display = "none";
-  }
+
+
+    autostart_rigctld();
+
+
+
 });
 //End of domcontentloaded
 
@@ -2954,14 +2995,6 @@ ipcRenderer.on("action-update-unread-messages-main", (event, data) => {
 
 ipcRenderer.on("run-tnc-command", (event, arg) => {
 
-  if (arg.command == "enable_mesh") {
-    sock.enable_mesh();
-  }
-
-  if (arg.command == "disable_mesh") {
-    sock.disable_mesh();
-  }
-
   if (arg.command == "save_my_call") {
     sock.saveMyCall(arg.callsign);
   }
diff --git a/gui/preload-mesh.js b/gui/preload-mesh.js
index 00657660..2834a84e 100644
--- a/gui/preload-mesh.js
+++ b/gui/preload-mesh.js
@@ -28,30 +28,6 @@ window.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => {
 
 
 
-  document
-    .getElementById("enable_mesh")
-    .addEventListener("click", () => {
-      if (document.getElementById("enable_mesh").checked) {
-
-
-        let Data = {
-      type: "set",
-      command: "enable_mesh",
-    };
-    ipcRenderer.send("run-tnc-command", Data);
-
-
-      } else {
-let Data = {
-      type: "set",
-      command: "disable_mesh",
-    };
-    ipcRenderer.send("run-tnc-command", Data);
-
-      }
-    });
-
-
 });
 
 
diff --git a/gui/sock.js b/gui/sock.js
index 7b7454b2..3db27039 100644
--- a/gui/sock.js
+++ b/gui/sock.js
@@ -862,19 +862,6 @@ exports.sendFecIsWriting = function (mycallsign) {
   writeTncCommand(command);
 };
 
-// ENABLE MESH
-exports.enable_mesh = function () {
-  command =
-    '{"type" : "set", "command" : "enable_mesh"}';
-  writeTncCommand(command);
-};
-
-// DISABLE MESH
-exports.disable_mesh = function () {
-  command =
-    '{"type" : "set", "command" : "disable_mesh"}';
-  writeTncCommand(command);
-};
 
 
 // SEND FEC TO BROADCASTCHANNEL
diff --git a/gui/src/index.html b/gui/src/index.html
index c2590fcd..115c2d3a 100644
--- a/gui/src/index.html
+++ b/gui/src/index.html
@@ -3804,6 +3804,21 @@
                     </div>
                   </label>
                 </div>
+                <div class="input-group input-group-sm mb-1">
+                  <label class="input-group-text w-50">Enable MESH protocol</label>
+                  <label class="input-group-text w-50">
+                    <div class="form-check form-switch form-check-inline ms-2">
+                      <input
+                        class="form-check-input"
+                        type="checkbox"
+                        id="enableMeshSwitch"
+                      />
+                      <label class="form-check-label" for="enableMeshSwitch"
+                        >experimental! REALLY!</label
+                      >
+                    </div>
+                  </label>
+                </div>
                 <div class="input-group input-group-sm mb-1">
                   <label class="input-group-text w-50"
                     >Database maintenance</label
diff --git a/gui/src/mesh-module.html b/gui/src/mesh-module.html
index bf7acbe5..35ab266b 100644
--- a/gui/src/mesh-module.html
+++ b/gui/src/mesh-module.html
@@ -19,18 +19,8 @@
     <script src="../node_modules/bootstrap/dist/js/bootstrap.bundle.min.js"></script>
     <!-- chart.js -->
 
-    <nav class="navbar fixed-top bg-light">
-      <div class="container-fluid">
-        <input
-          type="checkbox"
-          class="btn-check"
-          id="enable_mesh"
-          autocomplete="off"
-          checked="true"
-        />
-        <label class="btn btn-outline-info" for="enable_mesh"
-          >Enable / Disable Mesh</label
-        >
+    <nav class="navbar fixed-top bg-light ms-2 me-2">
+
 <input
                         type="text"
                         class="form-control"
diff --git a/tnc/main.py b/tnc/main.py
index 0e6cee0f..7d856232 100755
--- a/tnc/main.py
+++ b/tnc/main.py
@@ -404,8 +404,10 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
     # start modem
     modem = modem.RF()
 
-    # start mesh module
-    mesh = mesh.MeshRouter()
+    # start mesh protocol only if enabled
+    if MeshParam.enable_protocol:
+        # start mesh module
+        mesh = mesh.MeshRouter()
 
     # optionally start explorer module
     if TNC.enable_explorer:
diff --git a/tnc/sock.py b/tnc/sock.py
index f4999310..3d1a5077 100644
--- a/tnc/sock.py
+++ b/tnc/sock.py
@@ -395,14 +395,8 @@ class ThreadedTCPRequestHandler(socketserver.StreamRequestHandler):
             if received_json["type"] == "get" and received_json["command"] == "routing_table":
                 self.tnc_get_mesh_routing_table(received_json)
 
-            # ENABLE MESH
-            if received_json["type"] == "set" and received_json["command"] == "enable_mesh":
-                MeshParam.enable_protocol = True
 
-            # DISABLE MESH
-            if received_json["type"] == "set" and received_json["command"] == "disable_mesh":
-                MeshParam.enable_protocol = False
-                # -------------- MESH ---------------- #
+            # -------------- MESH ---------------- #
             # MESH PING
             if received_json["type"] == "mesh" and received_json["command"] == "ping":
                 self.tnc_mesh_ping(received_json)