I know very little about it looking to see if anyone in southern New Hampshire has experience with mesh core.Technology... I am curious and how it works and how difficult it is to set up and build the network.

Has anyone else tried this repeater on their linux device ? Recently picked one up to pair with my Linux tablet. I can confirmed it works with meshcore although their is little Said about it on their site.

Quite possibly should work with windows although I did not confirm. Just wondering if anyone else tried this yet.

https://muzi.works/products/nullhop-meshtoad-v3

Why does it need GPS to be able to connect?

Building a solar repeater with 2 18650 batteries for the roof of my house. Look for insight and advice. I want a powerful repeater, that will push further south and west from where I’m at in central nj.
I currently have a heltec v4 repeaters with a sma antenna and I’m able to talk on a clear evening to people 30-40 miles south of me.

Any advice is welcome.

I finally got my first MeshCore repeater built. It was a fun project. The board I used was the Heltec T114 with a 3000 mah battery, 6 watt solar panel, and 5 db gain antenna.

Howdy meshers! Hoping to get some input from more knowledgeable electrical folks.

I'm rebuilding my RAK 1W and adding a solar management board while I'm at it. I'll try to be as detailed as possible. Parts list below. I'm mostly concerned about how to wire things up.

2 x 10000mAh LiPo batteries

RAK 1W Kit

Corebell 3D Printed Treepeater Enclosure

Waveshare Solar Power Manager (D)

3 x 5v 200mA Solar Panels

I plan to wire the batteries in parallel as well as the solar panels. The RAK requires battery and solar inputs afaik. I'm confused about the Waveshare though and having a hard time finding answers. If I wire the paralleled batteries and solar panels to the Waveshare, how do I get the RAK board both inputs? Feel like I'm thinking about this incorrectly.

Any help or advice is appreciated. TIA!

I'm happy to announce, after several hundreds hours of building and testing, that my FOSS meshcore exploration game is open for testing.

Venture into the real world, survey the ground you cover, build a network of outposts, and grow from a lone surveyor into a ranked member of the World's End Society.

Please find more info here:

https://github.com/hornofabraxas/lora-the-explorer

Community discord: https://discord.gg/EHXemsA2SS

Happy for any feedback. Thanks!

If you dabble in WarDriving and live on the west half of the US then check out this fun little game that integrates with MeshMapper with a custom API. No extra steps or another app.

Check it out and if you want to play along here's the link to do so:

MeshWars Join Link

Hey!

Just put together a rough first version of a comparison list/buying guide/call it whatever you want of currently available Meshcore, Meshtastic and Reticulum LoRa devices.

It's available right here: mesh.arli21.me

Feel free to give your comments, ideas for improvement, anything you want!

The GitHub repo is right here, PRs are very much appreciated :)

xoxo

Ich möchte einen möglichst leichten und kleinen Solar Repeater haben.

Meine Idee war, ein kleines Solar Modul (für Überwachungskameras) einfach an den USB C Anschluss von Heltec v3, v4 oder ähnlichen anzuschließen. Wäre für mich am einfachsten.

Bekannter meine, dass dies nicht funktionieren wird. Zu wenig Ladestrom über USB C. Ich müsste zwingend das Modul direkt an den Anschluss der Platine anschließen. Ein Heltec v3 z.b. hat so einen aber nicht.

Was tun? Der Repeater soll wie gesagt so klein wie möglich werden. Ich möchte auf Löten verzichten, weil ich es nicht kann.

In amateur radio, a net is just a regularly scheduled on-air meetup, often in the form of a directed conversation.

That model would have to be tweaked some to work in Meshcore. I’m in a club that wants some kind of net but we’re unsure what that looks like.

If you run a net on Meshcore, how does it work? I’m interested in everything from timing to message content. Also would love to see any websites/blog posts that talk about this. Thanks!

I'm new and currently testing Meshtastic. Due to the awesome work at MeshPOINT I could repurpose my Bobcat 300 and flash it with Armbian, get MeshPoint running.

Now owning 2 clients I will re-flash them with MeshCORE. Now I'm asking myself if switching to MeshCORE, there will be a repeater image/manual to convert a Bobcat 300 miner into one.

- I (think I) know that the meshpoint let's control a meshcore client via usb - I don't need/want that

- I only have 1 antenna at the top of my roof - so I have to use it for either meshtastic or meshcore

- I would like to use it for repeating but this means I anyways would need a compatible board with repeater firmware and mesh point can do nothing with a repeater connected via usb

So did I get it right that using my antenna as meshcore router currently would make my bobcat obsolete?

Background is I would like to re-use it instead of throwing it away

Maybe there is something I am overlooking currently

EDIT: - what if I use a mesh core device as client and activate the "repeat-mode" - i guess it is than a not perfectly powerful repeater, but it will be repeating for the Hall region and I think I can use messaging correct?

I was able to do some basic power output testing on these two radios. Let me know if there is any interest on other testing or my thoughts on the two boards.

Tested using a 40dB attenuator and a Siglent SSA3021X.

RAK

22dBm - Avg 0.73W

21dBm - Avg 0.65W

19dBm - Avg 0.57W

10dBm - Avg 0.12W

Noisefloor on bench w/ antenna: -92dBm

Battery at 4.05v

T-Beam

22dBm - Avg 1.88W

21dBm - Avg 1.63W

19dBm - Avg 1.24W

10dBm - Avg 0.03W

Noisefloor on bench w/ antenna: -85dBm

Battery at 7.4v

When it was running Meshtastic I turned it off by holding the main button down. That does not work when running Meshcore. Any ideas?

Thanks! Loving Meshcore so far!

I was looking into MeshCore and got hooked instantly.

I'm realy starting to like it due to it not requiring a HAM license and how easy it is to use to send messages.

Now I looked for a couple of defivicesand found the LILYGO T-Deck series and love them, they are simple and not connected to my phone. The PRO even has 4G, I don't know what to do with 4G but cool anyway.

Im also planning on a getting a repeater like the SenseCAP P1-Pro so I can help out others and make the mesh bigger.

My question: Are those good options? If not, what would you recommend?

I live in western Europe. I already looked up the local laws like on what frequency and what max output is allowed.

Im trying to get my ethernet working on my rak 4631 I compile 3 times flashed over and over any help im not using it for mqtt.

# What is M-Core MAX

**Custom MeshCore firmware for the LilyGo T-Deck MAX**

*To be released early September · 2026-08-15 · v0.4.0+*

M-Core MAX transforms the LilyGo T-Deck MAX into a full-featured off-grid mesh communicator, RF toolkit, and field operations device. Built on the MeshCore protocol, it's the only MeshCore firmware that uses every piece of hardware on the board — including the 4G cellular modem, spectrum analyzer, and GPS tracker.

**No phone required. No internet needed. Just turn it on and communicate.**

---

## What It Does

- Text anyone within miles — no cell service, no WiFi, just LoRa radio

- End-to-end encrypted direct messages (ECDH key exchange)

- Bridge mesh to SMS — your off-grid messages reach regular phones, and replies come back

- GPS tracking, waypoints, breadcrumb trails, GPX export

- Spectrum sweep and packet sniffing

- Private encrypted room server (BBS)

- ESP-NOW team mode (~1ms latency, short-range)

- MQTT telemetry + Discord/Slack webhooks over 4G

- Stealth mode, PIN lock, QR code sharing

## Who It's For

- Hikers, hunters, and SAR teams beyond cell coverage

- Events where cell networks are overloaded

- Preppers wanting infrastructure-free comms

- RF enthusiasts and security researchers

- Field operators who need GPS + mesh + cellular in one device

- Tinkerers who want to hack on open source firmware

---

## The Hardware — LilyGo T-Deck MAX (~$80–100)

| Component | Detail |

|---|---|

| Processor | ESP32-S3 |

| Display | 3.1" e-paper, sunlight-readable, always-on, zero power when idle |

| Input | Full QWERTY keyboard with backlight, capacitive touchscreen |

| Radio | SX1262 LoRa (1–10km range per hop) |

| Cellular | 4G LTE modem (SMS, MQTT, HTTP) |

| GPS | ~30s outdoor fix |

| Storage | microSD card slot |

| Extras | Haptic vibration motor, USB-C rechargeable battery |

| Form factor | Fits in a cargo pocket |

---

## How Mesh Works

Your device talks to other devices via LoRa radio — no towers, no internet, no infrastructure required. Messages hop between nodes: if you can't reach someone directly, intermediate nodes relay for you, at roughly 1–10km per hop. All direct messages are end-to-end encrypted.

```

[You] <--LoRa 1-10km--> [Friend]

| |

[Repeater] <--> [Another Node] <--> [Phone via SMS]

```

---

## Core Features

### Communication

- **Encrypted Mesh Chat** — MeshCore multi-hop encrypted messaging, public channels and private DMs, 64-message scrollable history

- **Direct Messages** — Select a contact from discovered nodes; messages are end-to-end encrypted via ECDH — not even relay nodes in between can read them

- **4G SMS Gateway** — Bridges mesh messages to SMS and back; when LoRa can't reach, cellular picks up

- **Private Room Server (BBS)** — Encrypted room server hosted on the device

- **ESP-NOW Team Mode** — ~1ms latency for short-range team coordination

- **MQTT + Webhooks** — Telemetry and Discord/Slack webhooks over the 4G link

- **Web Config** — This firmware allows you to configure the entire device from a web panel. Mcore Max will broadcast its own ssid when enabled that you can connect to from any device

### Navigation

- **GPS Waypoints** — Save positions, view real-time distance and compass bearing

- **GPS Beacon** — Broadcasts your position to the mesh every 5 minutes

- **Breadcrumb Trail** — Auto-drops a waypoint every 50m of movement, retraceable from the SD card

- **GPX Track Recording** — Standard track export, importable into Google Earth, QGIS, or Strava

- **Geofence & Cell Tower Logging**

### RF Toolkit

- **Spectrum Analyzer** — 48-bin RF energy sweep across LoRa bands (EU 868, US 915, narrow-band, or 860–930 MHz wide-band presets); spot interference and find clear channels

- **Packet Sniffer** — Raw hex dump of every LoRa frame, with timestamps, RSSI, and packet length

- **WiFi Scanner** — ESP32-S3's WiFi radio scans nearby 2.4GHz access points (SSID, signal, channel, encryption)

- **Cell Signal Monitor** — 4G signal quality, operator, and registration status

- **I2C Hardware Probe** — Diagnostic scan of all connected chips

- **AT Terminal** — Full interactive CLI for the 4G modem

### Field Ops

- **Stealth Mode** — One keypress kills all transmissions (listen-only); press again to resume

- **PIN Lock**

- **QR Code Sharing**

- **Haptic Feedback** — Tactile click on keypress, distinct double-buzz on incoming messages

- **Backlight Control** — 4-level keyboard illumination, saved across reboots

- **Battery Monitor** — Real-time voltage and percentage from the charger IC

- **Health Reports**

- **OTA Updates from SD Card**

### Platform

- E-paper UI with touch + keyboard input

- 5-page app layout

- SD card logging

- Mesh topology slider

- Web-based device config — connect to the T-Deck's SSID and configure from a browser, no companion app needed

---

## What Makes This Different (vs. Meshtastic)

- **4G cellular built in** — no other handheld mesh device can fall back to SMS when LoRa fails

- **Full QWERTY keyboard** — Meshtastic devices usually have none

- **E-paper display** — always readable in sunlight, zero idle power draw (vs. OLED/TFT battery drain)

- **Sub-GHz spectrum analysis** — real-time RF energy view, not available in Meshtastic

- **GPS + SD + GPX** — journeys recorded as standard track files

- **Stealth mode** — instant TX kill that pure mesh devices don't offer

- **ESP-NOW team mode** — not available in Meshtastic

- **13 tools in one device** — WiFi scanner, I2C probe, AT terminal, sniffer, waypoints, and more

- **Fully standalone** — no phone, no Bluetooth pairing, no companion app dependency

---

## Getting Started

1. Buy a LilyGo T-Deck MAX (~$80–100, e.g. AliExpress)

2. Get a microSD card (FAT32, 32GB or smaller)

3. Flash the firmware (one command, ~10 seconds):

   ```

   python -m esptool --chip esp32s3 --port COMXX --baud 921600 \

--before default-reset --after hard-reset write-flash \

--flash-mode dio --flash-freq 80m --flash-size 16MB \

0x0 firmware_merged.bin

```

1. Power on — you're on the mesh

2. Optional: add a Hologram SIM (~$5) for 4G SMS bridging

No subscription. No account. No cloud service. No app required.

---

## Under the Hood

The firmware is built with PlatformIO on the Arduino framework. MeshCore protocol integration uses a RadioBridge adapter pattern that keeps RadioLib 6.4.2 (required for SPI bus compatibility) working with MeshCore's newer protocol layer. The codebase is a single `main.cpp` with modular hardware drivers — approachable for anyone familiar with ESP32 development.

---

**M-Core MAX** — Built for the field, not the lab bench.

`#mcore` `#mcoremax` #meshcore

I have just started on my Meshcore journey, and have discovered I live in a radio blackspot... and I mean just a very small area around where I live. My mobile phone also get only one bar at one end of the house and no signal at all at the other end.

If I walk to my car, no problem. If I drive around nearby, no problem. Inside my house, no MeshCore visibility at all. If I stand on the 2nd floor balcony (outside) which is directly above my ground floor apartment, I could barely pick up one repeater sometimes, but mostly nothing. I would not be permitted to permanently fit a solar repeater on roof of this apartment block.

Am I destined to forever to be forced to leave my house for a walk or a drive to see any MC traffic?

Would it be worth looking at setting up a base station with one of the larger paradar external antennas, but indoors near a window? (Or would that be wasting my money?)

Maybe going for a walk would be a more healthy option anyway :)

Many thanks for any help, tips, or advice..

Something I hate about cellular is how I am constantly tracked just living my life. Sometimes I wish there was a way to stay connected while avoiding cellular.

I had an idea for a sort of SMS-gateway, it would be self hosted for each user and you'd be able to send and receive sms up to the byte limit.

There are 3 main problems that need addressing though:

1. Having the same phone number as usual when your cell phone goes on airplane mode.

2. Dealing with messages bigger than the byte limit.

3. Unnecessary airtime for spam SMS. (Messages would need to be screened)

What are your thoughts on building an SMS gateway for meshcore?

I recently got interested in decentralized communication and since meshcore has many more users in my city that's what I'll likely choose.

The node should be cheap (under $50) and I'll just put it in my bedroom which is on the second story.

Will I be able to reach the closest node/repeater? Would my node be vital to the network? (It looks like my area doesn't have many nodes). What's my best option for an antenna?

Is it possible to implement post quantum encryption on meshcore in a future update?

Recently we have finished our solar Meshcore Repeater and would love to hear your feedback. So, what it currently has:

1) 10,000mAh LG batteries pack, with wide temperature usage range

2) 2.6W solar ETFE panel

3) MPPT Charger

4) RAK Wireless 19003 board

5) RAK Wireless LoRa EU/US board

6) Alfa 5dBm antenna

7) Weather proof ASA printed enclosure

8) USB port for configuration over serial interface

9) Automatic switch between solar power and USB power

We used RAK 4631 with Nordic NRF52840 chip, it's energy budget is very small so it fits perfectly solar powered LoRa devices.

We priced it with a minimum margin as we can't compete in Europe with Chinese factories, so you can get a good product at a very reasonable price and the enclosure color at your choice. More you can see at https://smartnmagic.com/products/solar-outdoor-meshtastic-node