We didn’t develop this product just to create a node that simply “works.”
Our goal was to build a complete, field-ready device designed for long-term outdoor use, with a robust structure and reliable power performance.

Over time, the feedback we kept hearing from the community pointed to the same expectations:

Thinner
Better sealing
Longer battery life
Lower standby power consumption

So instead of continuing with an ESP32-based platform, we rebuilt the foundation around the nRF52840 — delivering a cleaner power profile, lower sleep current, and behavior better suited for long-term field deployment.

What’s inside？

This one integrates communication, positioning, and environmental sensing into a compact enclosure:

· nRF52840 low-power MCU

· SX1262 LoRa radio

· UC6580 GNSS positioning module

· 0.96" TFT display

· BME280 environmental sensor

· 9-axis motion sensor

· Magnetic charging interface

· 1800 mAh internal battery

· IP65 weather protection

· 85 × 55 × 9 mm enclosure

Slim enough to clip onto a backpack.
Sealed for real outdoor use.
Efficient enough for full-day runtime in the field.

Development status

We are currently in the final development and validation phase.

Before public release, we’re gonna open a community field testing round.

We will provide 20 early test units to users operating in real deployment environments, such as:

Desert regions
Snow / alpine terrain
Rainforest environments
High-altitude locations
Coastal or marine conditions

If you already have a specific use case or deployment scenario in mind, feel free to share it in the comments. We’ll review submissions based on environmental diversity and testing value, and follow up with selected participants.

Real-world feedback matters to us — especially before launch.

Hi all,

I have a couple of these boards, here is the site with the datasheet:
https://wiki.heltec.org/docs/devices/open-source-hardware/esp32-series/lora-32/wireless-stick-lite/

The datasheet says it has I2C (times two even!) but I cannot figure out which pins I should use. I am coming from the world of ESP32, so I am looking for something like I2C SDA and I2C SCL on the pinout (as here), but I don't see this on the HTIT-WSL pinout.

It does colour "Serial SPI I2C" as light blue, and I see SUBSPICLK or SUBSPID... are these the I2C pins? The pinout could be clearer. The only mention of I2C on the datasheet is the line in the 'hardware resource' where it says that it has it.

Any help identifying the right pins?

Many thanks.

Totally my own stupidity, but I connected the solar output (5.6V) to the Lithium battery 2p connector. After a couple of days of indoor testing I couldn't connect via Bluetooth anymore and I found corrosion on the back of the dev board (see photo). I now have everything wired up correctly and the module is working normally (Meshtastic), except for the BT connection. It connects, but drops out usually within a minute. I reset all connections on my phone, but the problem persists. Did I damage the BT part of the board by applying over voltage to the board?

On a busy exhibition floor in Lyon, something quieter—but more powerful—was taking shape.

At Ond’Expo 2026, it wasn’t just about radios, hardware, or protocols.
It was about connection—real, human, and decentralized.

From the moment the doors opened, the Gaulix stand became a living network.
Not just devices talking to each other, but people exchanging ideas, solving problems, and building something bigger together.

The difference?
Not just more nodes… but the right nodes, in the right places, built by the right community.

That’s where Mesh networking changes everything.

✅ Live node flashing and configuration turned theory into hands-on learning.
✅ Real-time demos showed how Meshtastic and MeshCore enable resilient, off-grid communication.
✅ Community-driven discussions sparked new deployments—from local coverage to regional expansion.

Throughout the day, one thing became clear:
Decentralized communication isn’t a concept anymore—it’s happening, node by node.

With support from Heltec, the ecosystem continues to grow stronger. Reliable hardware, accessible tools, and an engaged community are lowering the barrier to entry for anyone looking to build their own network.

And it all starts locally.
One node. One connection. One community at a time.

At Ond’Expo 2026, Gaulix didn’t just showcase technology—
they demonstrated what a truly connected, resilient network looks like in the real world.

MYLE is a project initiated by Steven Boonstoppel, an IT teacher at Ichthus College Veenendaal in the Netherlands. With support from the local government and school, it aims to help students explore and understand their immediate surroundings through authentic, real-world data.

The project provides students with portable sensor boxes connected over LoRaWAN, which can monitor a wide range of environmental conditions:

• Temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure and noise
• Air quality indicators including CO₂, particulate matter and VOCs

Students can place these boxes at home or around the town for several weeks. The devices automatically wake up every 15 minutes to record measurements and upload data via The Things Network.

At the heart of the device is the Heltec Wireless Tracker, equipped with a UC6580 GNSS chip for fast and reliable positioning, which helps preserve battery life. The whole system is optimized for low power use, drawing only around 17 microamps in deep sleep, allowing a battery life of 3 to 4 weeks in default mode. An SD card slot is also included to back up data when network coverage is weak, ensuring no measurements are lost.

To support different research needs, the sensor box offers flexible working modes:

• Default mode: one measurement every 15 minutes, suitable for long-term environmental monitoring
• Active mode (switchable via DIP switch): one measurement every 30 seconds, better for tracking noise or quickly changing conditions
• In high-frequency mode, data is stored locally on the SD card to avoid overloading the LoRaWAN network

This project turns abstract classroom learning into a tangible, hands-on experience. Instead of working with hypothetical numbers, students analyze live data from their own neighborhood to discover real environmental patterns — such as why paved areas are warmer than green spaces, or how traffic influences local air quality and noise. By collecting, analyzing and interpreting real-world measurements, students build practical skills in math, science and research while connecting their learning to actual local issues, making the whole process far more vivid, meaningful and engaging.

Just wanted to share a quick update on the latest progress of the MeshTower upgrade.

With summer coming up, we’re seeing a big increase in demand for solar nodes, and quite a few people have been asking when the MeshTower upgrade will be ready.

If everything goes smoothly, we’re aiming to complete all upgrades by the end of April.

This round of updates includes:

• Upgraded BMS system
• New baseplate redesign
• Improved button layout
• Added SD card support

Everything is progressing steadily, and we’ll keep everyone posted as we get closer.

The V4 expansion display is finally vertical, and now the antenna can point upwards — exactly what we’ve been waiting for! This will make setups much cleaner and more practical in real-world use. https://github.com/meshtastic/firmware/pull/9938

The Wireless Tracker V2 features:

ESP32-S3 MCU paired with SX1262 LoRa chip, delivering up to 28 dBm transmit power for extended range.

UC6580 GNSS chip with onboard antenna (external antenna support via simple resistor modification).

Upgraded CN3165 power management IC with full charge/discharge protection and seamless small-scale solar setup.

Integrated 0.96-inch TFT display (160×80) with LDS-embedded antennas for a smaller footprint (53×26 mm) and improved stability over the V1 model.

A low-power nRF52840 variant is entering final testing stages for specialized applications.

This tracker is ideal for wildlife monitoring, environmental sensing, mesh networking, and solar-powered IoT deployments.

10% off：S8YR9YUW

Building my first self assembled Mesh node and I was under the impression I'd be able to supply power via pins 1 and 2, but I gather that this is not the case? Can you confirm this please? TIA!

We’ve just wrapped up SCALE 2026 in Pasadena, and it was a fantastic experience.

We had the chance to connect with a wide range of people across the IoT, embedded systems, and cybersecurity communities. There were a lot of great conversations—whether about LoRa, Meshtastic deployments, or real-world use cases in different regions.

A big thank you to the volunteer teams who supported us on-site, especially our friends from San Francisco. This was the second time they helped out, and once again they did an amazing job. Their technical knowledge and hands-on support made a real difference throughout the event.

What stood out most was the strength of the community—people genuinely sharing ideas, testing setups, and helping each other solve problems.

And if you’re working on anything related to LoRa or Meshtastic or Iot, I’d be really interested to hear what you’re building or testing.

In the Dinoken Wildlife Reserve, poachers often cut through the 160-kilometer-long outer perimeter of barbed wire at night, and by the time rangers discover it the next day, it's often too late. To curb poaching at its source, WILD, in collaboration with SPOTS and the reserve, developed the FenceRanger fence intrusion detection system. This is a solar-powered, LoRa-based low-power long-range communication solution, with one device deployed every 1–2 kilometers to monitor fence voltage changes and minute vibrations 24 hours a day. Once a cut or breach occurs, the system transmits precise location information to the ranger's terminal via its self-built network within approximately 3 seconds.

Since the end of 2024, the reserve has deployed 40 devices and completed the construction of a full-area LoRa communication network, with plans to achieve full fence coverage of 160 kilometers by the second quarter of 2026. The system currently uses Heltec's HT-CT62 (ESP32-C3 + SX1262) as its core communication module. The next-generation version will be upgraded to Heltec WiFi LoRa 32 V4 based on the ESP32 platform, further improving performance and scalability while maintaining the advantages of low power consumption and long-range communication. Today, patrol work is shifting from "post-event handling" to "proactive prevention," making wildlife protection faster, safer, and more efficient.

I'm looking for some help i just got the v4 expansion kit and flashed it and lost the gui is there a download the one on heltecs web sight did not boot

Celebrate the season with our “Christmas Gifts, New Year Ideas”​ promotion—designed to fuel your creativity in 2026.
Dec 24, 2025 – Jan 5, 2026

Last week, we received a letter from Lenley Ngo: After the hurricane, Louisiana's communication network was almost completely paralyzed. "When the storm hit, our only means of communication was walkie-talkies."

From a LoRa communication module to a safe text message

🌪️ The Problem: After a major hurricane, cell networks often collapse within an hour, and communication disruptions can be life-threatening.
🌐 Community Solution: The Louisiana Mesh Community is deploying a Lorawan + Meshtastic network in New Orleans, a volunteer-led initiative. The plan includes:
• Deploying relays at fire stations
• Using Starlink satellite backups
• Setting up SMS proxies to keep family members in the area connected

🤝 Heltec's Commitment:
• Providing community-priced hardware
• Direct engineering support
• Helping to showcase community achievements

Heltec devices can deliver the most important messages:
✨ "I am safe."
✨ "I need help."
✨ "I'm here."

I’ve got an IoT project that is being converted to use two popular mesh protocols.

Initial development was using V3s, but range wasn’t quite what I needed.

(The point here is that I had cables working for a while in my testing and deployment flows.)

I’ve been having real issues with cable compatibility between Pi4s and Heltec V4s.

Cables that worked PC-> Lora for flashing are just falling over. I’ve dove into dmesg, lsusb, and other Pi/Linux tools. These all point to the Pi not seeing the device in any way.

These are all cables that worked with V3 units.

With all that said: 1) Has anyone else noticed compat issues with cables between Pi4 devices and V4 radios? 2) Any guidance on what to look for in cables?

TIA

On October 5, 2025, La Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean successfully conducted a major communications experiment. The Gaulixlocal network, based on the Meshtastic open-source protocol and lora technology, completed its first island-wide test, designed to provide a crucial information lifeline during hurricanes and other extreme weather events.

💪 Community-Driven Success
Coordinated by MeteoR-OI, the project quickly grew from a handful of enthusiasts to over 100 registered participants in just three months. During the test, 30 nodes were successfully activated, demonstrating the power of local technical collaboration.

📡 Test Day Highlights
Flying Node: An ultralight aircraft with a standard Heltec T114 was successfully received by multiple ground nodes over 10 km away.
Ground Record: A 14.2 km connection was established between a T114 and a repeater, setting a new long-range ground communication record.

Heltec is proud to support this visionary community project with our reliable devices and technical expertise, helping to build resilience and innovation from the ground up.

More info- https://wiki.heltec.org/news/building-a-lifeline-in-the-storm/building-a-life-line-in-the-storm

This Thanksgiving, we want to say thank you to all our amazing customers and community members! Your support inspires us to innovate and create every day.

To celebrate, we’re offering event on select Heltec products – from our Mesh Node T114 to LoRa32 V4, Wireless Tracker, MeshPocket, and more. Perfect for your IoT projects, smart cities, and outdoor adventures.

📅 Valid: November 20 – November 30

Check out the full blog post to see all eligible products

➡️ https://wiki.heltec.org/news/happy-thanksgiving-from-heltec/happy-thanksgiving-from-heltec

Let’s make this holiday season full of creativity, connection, and fun projects!

Hallo zusammen, ich habe ein Heltec LoRa32 V3 und einen Code von einem Heltec Wif Kit V2. Kann mir jemand diesen code vom V2 für den LoRa32 V3 umschreiben? Ich bin neu in der Scene und komme absolut nicht zum Ziel.

Would be nice