This page is something of a placeholder. Last year, I (and others) got very excited about Meshtastic, which has a lot of parallels with the world of amateur radio. Sadly, my enthusiasm fizzled, due to the lack of messages I actually managed to send and receive using this wireless mesh tech. Now, the buzz is around MeshCore, which uses the same hardware but with a better brief.
Meshcore vs Meshtastic
From what I’ve discovered so far, MeshCore and Meshtastic both let small, low-power radios form a mesh network, passing messages from device to device without needing the internet or mobile phone coverage. Where they differ is in who they are really aimed at.
- Meshtastic is built around simple, practical communication between people. Pair a node with your phone, open the app, and you can send short text messages, share your location, and see other users on a map. It’s been around longer, so it benefits from a large community and some established nodes.
- MeshCore seems to take a more flexible, technical approach. Rather than focusing on chat and maps, it provides a foundation for building your own mesh-based systems, and also focuses on bandwidth economy, stability and confirming message receipt.
From what I’ve read, Meshtastic works for ad-hoc off-grid messaging, and MeshCore is better if you want to build infrastructure and solid efficient networks.
As I’ve not had much luck with Meshtastic in Southend-on-Sea, I’m trying MeshCore. I’ll be updating this page as I get to grips with it.
The good news is that Heltec v3 device works with Meshtastic and MeshCore – it just needs to be flashed with the right firmware.
Updating a Heltec v3 from Meshtastic to MeshCore
- Make sure your PC has the Silicon Labs CP210x USB driver installed – Check Windows Device Manager. Install the latest from Windows Update (under Advanced Drivers)
- Connect the Heltec to the PC
- Use the web-based Flasher – https://flasher.meshcore.dev/
Getting started
In the MeshCore app, there are 3 settings for the UK. General advice seems to be to set for 869.618MHz Eu/UK Narrow (SF8)
Settings we’re using:
- EU/UK (Narrow)
- Frequency: 869.618MHz
- Bandwidth: 62.5 kHz
- Spreading Factor 8
- Coding Rate: 8
- Transmit Power: 22dBm
I have the device flashed to Meshcore – at the moment, it’s not found anything to connect to… watch this space and I’ll update it soon
| Looking for Meshcore kit?
A common place to look is AliExpress – See: Lora at AliExpress. The Heltec v3 is now available on Amazon: Heltec v3 at Amazon A popular choice is kit based on the Lora 32 ESP32 development board. We ordered a Heltec board (supplied with a snazzy case) from the following dealer: Lora32 V3 ESP32-S3 868MHz at AliExpress – We ordered a pack of two and they turned up in under a week. Note that this requires external power, and flashing with the MeshCore software, which is pretty straightforward. |
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