Background Information
Founded by Kevin Hester in early 2020, Meshtastic is an open-source community-driven LoRa project designed to create an off-grid, decentralized, mesh communication infrastructure for areas that lack a reliable communication infrastructure. The project has grown, and has allowed hundreds of volunteers to contribute to the firmware and apps on GitHub, and has allowed Meshtastic to be supported on a wide range of inexpensive boards.
Technical Overview
Meshtastic uses the Long Range (LoRa) protocol to facilitate the long range off-grid comminication platform, allowing for supported devices to become nodes in a network, and allowing users to send text messages and sensor data over multiple hops without any cellular or Wi-Fi infrastructure. If the message hasn't been recieved by another nearby Meshtastic device after a certain amount of time, it will attempt to retransmit the message.
Technical Specifications
Radio/Mesh Information
- Radio Protocol: LoRa (Long Range)
- License Required: No
- Operating Bands: 433/868/915 MHz
- Data Rates: ~21.9 kbps w/ overhead
- Range: 331 km between nodes (Under ideal conditions)
- Max Hops: 3 hops per message
Supported Hardware
- Microcontrollers: Most nodes with low-power MCUs
- LoRa Transceiver: SX1262 or SX1276/SX1278
- GPS Receiver: GNSS
