What it is
Small, low-cost radios pair with your phone over Bluetooth. You type a message in an app, and the radios pass it along from one to the next until it arrives. The more radios in an area, the farther messages reach.
It works when cell service is down or not there at all, and the radios use licence-free bands, so anyone can join.
Two systems
Both are free and open source, and they run on the same radios. They are separate networks, though: a radio on one cannot talk to a radio on the other.
Meshtastic
Every radio relays what it hears, so a network forms wherever people switch radios on. It has the largest community and is the quickest to set up.
MeshCore
Fixed repeaters do the relaying and handheld radios stay quiet. That keeps the airwaves less crowded and lets messages travel farther across a region.
Getting started
- Get a radio made for your region's band (915 MHz in the US and Canada).
- Install the firmware from a browser over USB, using the flasher on either project's site. Attach the antenna before powering the radio.
- Install the app on your phone and pair the radio over Bluetooth.
- Set your region and the same radio settings your local network uses.
- Say hello on the public channel.