Mesh Radio Supply
Build a kitKit

Build guides

Every guide is written from cited sources and says so at the top. When we test something ourselves, the guide will carry a "Tested by us" label and the method.

Setup

SetupBeginnerResearch-based

Your first hour with a mesh radio

From the box to a working message: the app, the region setting, the role, a private channel, and the first test. For Meshtastic and MeshCore.

 SetupIntermediateResearch-based

Build a solar repeater for your neighborhood

Ready-made or DIY, the firmware role to pick, sizing the battery and panel, mounting it safely, and securing it so it serves your mesh for years.

Antennas and range

Antennas and rangeIntermediateResearch-based

Antennas, height and coax: getting range the right way

Why height beats power, what antenna gain really does, how much your cable costs you, and where the US rules draw the line. With worked numbers.

Mesh radio

Mesh radioBeginnerResearch-based

MeshCore vs Meshtastic: which mesh network should you join?

Two LoRa messaging systems that run on much of the same hardware but cannot talk to each other. How they differ, and how to choose.

 Mesh radioBeginnerResearch-based

Family mesh messaging: a starter setup

What two or three LoRa radios can do for a household with no cell service, when a repeater helps, and the setup steps that trip people up.

Rules and privacy

Rules and privacyAll readersResearch-based

The US 915 MHz rules for mesh radios, in plain words

What 47 CFR 15.247 allows for power and antennas, what firmware support does and does not mean, and why licensed operation rules out encryption.

 Rules and privacyBeginnerResearch-based

Mesh privacy: channels, keys and what is never encrypted

Default channels are public. How private channels and direct messages are protected on Meshtastic, what MeshCore documents, and the limits worth knowing.

How we work

How we workAll readersResearch-based

Buying guides versus paid placements: how we research and earn

What our evidence labels mean, how we would earn money, and the rules that keep payouts out of our recommendations.

Coming next

Planned, not yet written. Listed so you know what is missing.

  • What to download for offline learning, and the licenses that come with it
  • Running Linux offline: updates, restores, encryption and recovery media
  • Local AI requirements by model size, memory and graphics
  • Rooftop solar repeaters: site planning, coax loss, grounding
  • New versus used mini PCs: what to check on a refurbished unit
  • Field range testing with a repeatable method