Andy Kirby's lightweight mesh protocol. Better battery, smarter routing, city-scale range. The power user's choice for grid-down comms.
NOT Meshtastic. Better than Meshtastic.
MeshCore is a lightweight C++ library for embedded LoRa mesh networking with hybrid routing — smarter than flood routing, simpler than full internet-style protocols. Created by Andy Kirby (UK) and released under the MIT license.
Meshtastic works. But it's chatty. Broadcasts constantly. Floods the network. Drains batteries announcing devices every few minutes. Andy wanted efficiency.
| Feature | Meshtastic | MeshCore |
|---|---|---|
| Battery Life | 2–4 days (constant broadcasting) | 1–3 weeks (sleeps when idle) |
| Routing | Flood routing — every node relays everything | Path hash routing — only nodes on the route relay |
| Scalability | Chokes around 50–100 nodes | Scales to thousands of nodes |
| Repeaters | Dumb forwarders, no config | Configurable roles, remote management |
| Messaging | Real-time group chat only | BBS room servers — posts persist offline |
| Network Noise | Grows exponentially with nodes | Stays clean at any scale |
| License | Apache 2.0 | MIT — fork, modify, sell, whatever |
"Meshtastic is fine. Gets you on the air quick. But if you're building something that matters — grid-down coordination, community resilience — step up to MeshCore. You'll thank yourself when the battery lasts three weeks instead of three days."
— The Old Spark
Your personal messaging device. Pairs with phone via BLE, USB, or WiFi. Runs companion firmware. Sleeps when you're not using it — only wakes to send or receive. Battery: weeks with normal use.
Extends coverage intelligently. Relay-only — doesn't generate its own traffic. Can be solar-powered, runs for months. Remote config via MeshCore app (no ladder to retrieve it).
Repeater modes:
Placement: High elevation (hill, building roof, tower). Solar + battery. One good repeater = 10x coverage increase.
BBS-style messaging hub. Posts wait for you — not real-time flooding. Perfect for community coordination.
ALWAYS buy 868MHz for UK. Don't buy US (915MHz) or Asian (433MHz) versions. Wrong frequency = illegal + doesn't work with UK mesh.
Same hardware runs both MeshCore and Meshtastic — just flash different firmware.
ESP32-S3, SX1262, OLED screen, USB-C. The workhorse. Best value. Built-in battery management.
Amazon →ESP32, SX1262, GPS, 18650 battery compartment. Great for portable and mobile use.
Amazon →Physical QWERTY keyboard, 2.8" touchscreen, GPS. Runs MeshOS — Andy's standalone OS. No phone needed.
Amazon →nRF52840 ultra-low-power, SX1262, modular expansion. Best battery life — weeks on a charge.
Amazon →Start: Heltec V3 (~£15-20) + MeshCore companion firmware. Paired to your phone via Bluetooth. Battery lasts weeks. I've hit 8km from the shack to the Goldwing on the motorway, Floyd blasting through the speakers. No faff. Just works.
Want standalone? T-Deck with MeshOS. Physical keyboard, no phone needed. Andy's firmware. Brilliant bit of kit.
Works in Chrome/Edge. No software to install. Dead simple.
esptool.py --chip esp32 write_flash 0x0 meshcore-companion.binClone the repo, open in VS Code with PlatformIO, select your example app (Simple Secure Chat, Simple Repeater, Simple Room Server, Companion Radio), compile and upload. MIT licensed — fork it, modify it, build on it.
Android / iOS / PC — cross-platform. Connect via BLE or WiFi. Send messages, manage channels, configure devices and repeaters remotely. FREE. No ads, no tracking, no subscriptions.
Optional unlock (~£5-10 one-time): remote repeater management timer removal. Core messaging 100% free forever.
Physical QWERTY keyboard, GPS, 2.8" touchscreen. Full messaging + mapping. Completely self-contained — the cyberdeck for the mesh.
Optional unlock (~£10): deeper map zoom, remote server admin features.
Browser-based, no install. Connects via USB Serial. Works on Chromebook, locked-down PC, any device with a browser.
After flashing, set your region in the app or repeater config.
Legal for anyone in the UK. No amateur licence required.
Range: 2-10km typical, up to 50km+ with elevation.
North America: 915 MHz. Asia/Pacific: 433 MHz or 923 MHz (country-dependent). Check MeshCore Discord for your region's current recommended settings — they evolve based on community testing.
Flash companion firmware via web flasher. No soldering — Heltec has built-in battery management.
THE FUSE LAW: For external batteries (not built-in Heltec) — Battery → FUSE → Device. ALWAYS. If you can't put a fuse on it, you can't use it.
Solar panel → TP4056 → 18650 → FUSE → Heltec. Flash repeater firmware. Seal in waterproof box. Mount on hill. Runs indefinitely with decent sun. Weeks on battery alone.
The honest truth: Meshtastic is good. Widely adopted, easy, works. MeshCore is what you build critical infrastructure on. When the grid goes down and you need your mesh to actually work for weeks or months — you want MeshCore.
Andy Kirby — Creator, lead developer
Liam Cottle — Cross-platform smartphone app
Scott at Ripple Radios — T-Deck firmware
MeshCore Community — Discord and GitHub contributors