- Meshtastic
- Documented
- MeshCore
- Documented
- Role
- companion
Manufacturer specs only Not yet available
Messages that don't need a cell tower.
Research handheld LoRa radios, solar repeaters, antennas and node power for Meshtastic and MeshCore. Plan a kit that fits your people, your terrain and the rules.
Every radio here states which network it runs, how well that is documented, who sells it, and whether the link pays us. Today that means manufacturer and project documentation, cited, with the gaps marked.
Two radios and a hilltop repeater, side elevation
Not to scale
Sheet 1 of 1
| Item | Part | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pocket radio | Pairs with a phone. Sends and relays text over LoRa. |
| 2 | Keyboard radio | Types and reads messages with no phone at all. |
| 3 | Solar repeater | Sits high and passes messages over the hill. |
| 4 | Outdoor antenna | Height and a tuned antenna beat more power. |
| 5 | Coax run | Every foot loses signal. Keep it short. |
| 6 | Clear path | The football-shaped zone around the line must stay mostly clear. |
| 7 | Panel and battery | Sized so the node rides out cloudy days. |
Start from what you need
Family check-in
Two or more radios so the household can text when cell service is down.
Cover the neighborhood
A repeater up high carries messages past houses, trees and hills.
Get more range
Antenna height, gain and coax loss, worked out with numbers.
Keep nodes running
Batteries and small solar panels sized from measured draw.
Choose a starting kit
Three common setups. Each opens the kit builder with the choices filled in, so you can change anything.
Family pair
Two people, same house or campsite.
- Two companion radios with screens
- Both on the same network
- No repeater needed at short range
Household with a repeater
Four people spread across a neighborhood.
- Companion radios, plus keyboard radios for anyone without a phone
- Ready-made solar repeater on the roof
- 3 dBi outdoor antenna and a short coax run
Neighborhood node
Six people across a town, one DIY repeater.
- Long-battery pocket radios
- Low-power board in a weatherproof box
- Mast antenna, coax, panel and battery
Radios we have researched
None of these can be bought through us yet. Each page cites its specs, both firmware statuses, and what the radio does not do.
- Meshtastic
- Documented
- MeshCore
- Documented
- Role
- companion
Manufacturer specs only Not yet available
- Meshtastic
- Documented
- MeshCore
- Documented
- Role
- standalone
Manufacturer specs only Not yet available
- Meshtastic
- Documented
- MeshCore
- Likely
- Role
- repeater
Manufacturer specs only Not yet available
How a mesh works
Radios relay for each other
A message hops from radio to radio until it arrives. No tower, no internet, no subscription. Text only, and slow.
One network per group
Meshtastic and MeshCore are separate systems. Radios on one cannot message radios on the other, so the whole group picks one.
Height beats power
Range is mostly about a clear path. A repeater on a roof or hill does more than any handheld upgrade.
Why you can check our work
Both networks, separately
Every radio shows its Meshtastic and MeshCore status on its own line, with the document behind each.
Evidence labels
Hands-on tested, lab report, manufacturer specs only, or unverified. Nothing here is hands-on tested yet, and the labels say so.
Rules, cited
Power and encryption rules link to the federal regulation itself. The US 915 MHz rules.
Paid links labeled
Commission links are marked at the button. Rankings never follow payout. Disclosure.
Start reading
Your first hour with a mesh radio
From the box to a working message: the app, the region setting, the role, a private channel, and the first test. For Meshtastic and MeshCore.
MeshCore vs Meshtastic: which mesh network should you join?
Two LoRa messaging systems that run on much of the same hardware but cannot talk to each other. How they differ, and how to choose.
Antennas, height and coax: getting range the right way
Why height beats power, what antenna gain really does, how much your cable costs you, and where the US rules draw the line. With worked numbers.
The US 915 MHz rules for mesh radios, in plain words
What 47 CFR 15.247 allows for power and antennas, what firmware support does and does not mean, and why licensed operation rules out encryption.