Meshtastic
What it's for
Text messages carried by LoRa radio, from device to device, with no mobile network or internet. Your phone connects to the device over Bluetooth.
Why it matters
No operator, no server: nothing to cut off or compel. Several kilometres of range, and a mesh that relays messages.
For whom & when
Hiking, dead zones, outages and crises. You need hardware (one radio device per person) and must accept short, slow messages.
The default channel can be read by anyone. Direct messages are encrypted (firmware 2.5 and later), but radio metadata stays visible. Meshtastic does not talk to MeshCore, a competing project.
Install & use
Buy a supported device (list on meshtastic.org) and install the app.
- Select your country’s radio region: allowed frequencies and transmit time vary.
Create a private channel with a random key: the default public channel uses a key everyone knows.