THE TEXTING NETWORK FOR THE END OF THE WORLD
Send encrypted texts with no cell signal, no SIM card, and no internet — using LoRa radios and your phone.
AutomationOpen-hardware
- difficulty
- ●●○○○
- time
- an evening
- license
- GPL-3.0
- repo
- repo ACTIVE8,033 stars
●●○○○ · an evening · GPL-3.0 · 8,033 stars · repo ACTIVE
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
- Dev board / microcontroller — runs the project firmware
Partner
COMPAREE VERDICT
Meshtastic turns LoRa radio boards into an off-grid mesh network for text messages: your phone pairs via Bluetooth, every radio relays for the others, and the community's verified ground-distance record between two nodes is 331 km. The firmware is GPL-3.0, the docs are solid, and the barrier to entry is genuinely low — ready-made devices exist, flashing happens in the browser, and the mobile apps run on Android and iOS. The catch is that you are buying hardware the project does not sell: you pick a supported board (dozens listed in the docs) and source it yourself, and prices vary wildly depending on whether you want a tiny keychain device or a solar-repeater setup. The single thing most likely to go wrong is setting the wrong region — EU_868, US_915, etc. — because the ISM band rules differ per country and an incorrect setting can mean your messages never arrive or you transmit illegally. The second trap is powering a radio without its antenna: the transmitter can burn out instantly. If you treat those two setup steps as hard requirements, the rest is straightforward. This is not a toy; people run permanent nodes for hiking groups and disaster preparedness, and the network belongs to you — no subscription, no one to turn it off.
IN THE REPO
NOT IN THE REPO
- —Firmware repository is complete and actively maintained (GPL-3.0 licence, permits commercial use).
- —Official documentation at meshtastic.org covers flashing, region setup, and mobile apps — thorough and well-illustrated.
- —No hardware BOM in the repo itself; the project supports dozens of commercial boards and you pick one from the docs.
- —Ready-made devices exist (no soldering required) but you buy them from vendors, not the project.
- —Web-based flashing works in Chrome; Android and iOS apps are free.
- —Two mandatory setup steps: set your region correctly (ISM band rules differ per country) and never power a radio without its antenna attached.
Can I build this?
Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.
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Gallery
Start here
Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.
- 1.Pick a supported board from the hardware list at meshtastic.org (Dozens of boards work; start with a ready-made device if you want zero soldering.)
- 2.Flash the firmware using the web-based installer (Works in Chrome; takes a few minutes and requires a USB cable.)
- 3.Install the Meshtastic app on your phone and pair via Bluetooth (Free on Android and iOS; pairing instructions are in the docs.)
- 4.Set your region correctly before transmitting (ISM band rules differ per country — EU_868, US_915, etc. An incorrect setting means messages fail or you transmit illegally.)
KNOWN ISSUES
- Buying a board without checking the supported-hardware list — not every LoRa module works, and some boards need soldering or external antennas.
- Setting the wrong region (EU_868 vs US_915 vs others) — the ISM band rules differ per country, and an incorrect setting means your messages never arrive or you transmit illegally.
- Powering a radio before attaching its antenna — the transmitter can burn out instantly; the docs insist on this for a reason.
- Expecting cellular range from a single node — the 331 km record was line-of-sight with high antennas; in a city or forest, range drops to hundreds of metres without relay hops.
- Assuming the mesh is private by default — messages are encrypted, but you must set a custom channel key if you want to keep strangers out of your mesh.
- Underestimating battery life for portable nodes — transmitting every few minutes drains small batteries quickly; a solar panel or larger battery matters for fixed repeaters.
Do I need a licence to use this?
No — it operates on unlicensed ISM bands (433 MHz, 868 MHz, 915 MHz depending on region), but you must configure the correct region or you risk transmitting illegally.
How far can two radios actually talk?
The verified ground-distance record is 331 km, but that was line-of-sight with high antennas. In a city or forest, expect hundreds of metres per hop; the mesh extends range by relaying through other nodes (default three hops).
Can I use this without buying hardware?
No — Meshtastic is firmware for LoRa radios, not a phone app that works alone. You need at least one radio board to participate in a mesh.
Are the messages private?
Yes, messages are encrypted by default, but the default channel key is public. Set a custom key in the app if you want to keep strangers out of your mesh.
What happens if I flash the wrong firmware version?
The web installer picks the correct version for your board automatically. If you flash manually and pick the wrong target, the radio will not boot — reflash with the correct version.
Community builds
No community builds yet — be the first, we feature the best ones.
Discussion1
FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM
The verified ground-distance record is 331 km — and that is with just two nodes. What would you use a mesh like this for: hiking, neighbourhood backup, or something else?
Meshtastic project
Meshtastic started as an experiment in long-range off-grid messaging and grew into a global community of thousands of nodes. The firmware is maintained by contributors worldwide, and the project accepts no money — everything is free, GPL-3.0, and built by people who need the network to exist.
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DISCLAIMER
- Comparee is not the author of the projects featured here. All rights to each project belong to its creator — every page links to the original source, and we never host creators’ files.
- Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
- Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
CompareeTEAM1mo agoedited
Practical notes from our verification: the firmware repo is actively maintained and the documentation at meshtastic.org is unusually thorough for an open-source hardware project — setup steps, region tables, and mobile app instructions are all there. The single biggest trap we saw in community threads is people setting the wrong region (EU_868 vs US_915 vs others) and wondering why their messages never arrive; the ISM band rules differ per country and the docs are clear about this, but it is easy to miss. The second trap is antenna safety — never power a LoRa radio without its antenna attached, because the transmitter can burn out instantly. Ready-made devices exist (T-Beam, Heltec, RAK, LilyGO boards) and flashing happens in the browser, so the barrier to entry is genuinely low if you pick hardware from the supported list. No official project video exists; the best walkthroughs are community-made and linked in the docs.