What is a mesh network?

A mesh network is a group of radios that pass messages to each other. No towers. No subscriptions. No internet required. If you can hear another radio, you're on the network.

It sends text messages without relying on big tech

MeshCore is open-source software that turns inexpensive LoRa radios into a text messaging network. Messages hop from device to device until they reach their destination. The hardware draws almost no power and needs no license to operate.

Two roles: companion and repeater

A MeshCore network has two primary roles to make the magic happen - the companion, a personal device which sends and receives messages, and the repeater, which receives and repeats signals. The same hardware can be configured as either role.

Companion

Your device. A small radio you carry, paired to your phone over Bluetooth. This is how you send and receive messages. 

Repeater

The infrastructure. A stationary radio placed at elevation. Solar-powered, unattended, always listening. It forwards messages between companions that can't reach each other directly.

Multi-hop message delivery

Messages travel through the network hop by hop:

(1) Your companion sends a message.
(2) The nearest repeater picks it up and forwards it.
(3) The next repeater does the same.

This continues until the message reaches the destination. MeshCore uses intelligent routing to pick the best path, not flooding (where every node rebroadcasts everything).

 

Pair over Bluetooth, message like Signal

You carry a small radio. It pairs to your phone over Bluetooth. You open the MeshCore app on iOS or Android, and the interface looks and feels like any modern messaging app. You see contacts, channels, and a message thread. You type, you send, you get delivery confirmations.

An honest note about privacy: MeshCore uses encryption, but it is not a privacy tool. Traffic can be observed and potentially decrypted. Treat it like a radio network. It's useful for coordinating, not for secrets.

MeshCore vs. Meshtastic

If you've been looking at mesh networking, you've probably seen Meshtastic. Both projects use the same LoRa radio hardware and the same frequencies. They solve the same basic problem. The difference is in how the network is built.

 

Meshtastic

MeshCore

Architecture

Every device relays traffic by default. The mesh self-organizes from whatever clients are nearby.

Companions don't relay. Dedicated repeaters handle routing. The network is planned.

Reliability

Depends on which clients happen to be around. If people go home, the mesh shrinks.

Repeaters don't move. The network is the same at 3 AM as it is at 3 PM.

Congestion

Flood routing and telemetry from every node can saturate bandwidth.

Intelligent routing. Only repeaters forward traffic. Less noise.

Best for

Pop-up networks. Hiking groups. Events. Situations where you just need something now.

Planned infrastructure. City or regional coverage. Networks you want to rely on.

Neither is "better." They solve different problems. Meshtastic is great for ad-hoc, spontaneous use. MeshCore is what you build when you want a network that's still there tomorrow.

The key insight: "Repeaters don't move." A MeshCore network built on solar-powered repeaters at fixed locations provides consistent, predictable coverage. That's the foundation you need for emergency preparedness, community infrastructure, or anything where reliability matters more than convenience.