The best time to learn how to work together with a group of people is before a crisis, not during it. Crisis engineering tells us that a team is more likely to be successful if everyone has already worked together.

Most of the antennas that ship with evaluation boards are not very good. One option for an upgrade if you’re using the recommended 868 MHz network is the Taoglas TI.08.A. IMPORTANT: Never turn on a LoRa device without an antenna attached! The power sent to the antenna can destroy the device if there is no antenna attached to radiate it.

LILYGO T-Echo If you’d like a device that good for hacking and comes in a small case, The LILYGO T-Echo is a simple small low-power ready-to-use handheld device for about €80. It has ~3cm square e-ink display, a case with a few buttons, Bluetooth, GPS, and about a day’s worth of battery. Input/output/charging is via USB-C (but use a USB-A to USB-C cable). Received messages are displayed on the e-ink screen and can be cycled through with the buttons. Sending messages requires connecting with another device via Bluetooth.

This is a great option for your “everyday carry” Meshtastic node. It’s the size and shape of a few credit cards. It’s also convenient to give to your less technical family and friends.

Heltec V4 or later If you have more time than money, try the Heltec V4 or later, currently one of the cheapest boards available at around €20. It has a postage stamp-sized OLED screen, a couple of tiny buttons, WiFi/Bluetooth, and USB-C input/power (but use a USB-A to USB-C cable). Received messages are displayed on the OLED and can be cycled through with tiny buttons. Sending messages requires connecting to it via WiFi or Bluetooth. It has no case, but the little plastic box it comes in can easily be turned into one with a sharp pen knife. It also has no battery, but it is a good idea to have a separate power bank anyway since you need a working phone or computer to send messages. It has no GPS.

Binnen MeshCore is het niet alleen het apparaat, maar vooral de software die een belangrijke rol speelt. Bij het inrichten van een repeater dienen we dan ook bij de flasher te kiezen voor de rol repeater.

Meshtastic heeft heartbeats om continu binnen het netwerk aan te geven wie er is. MeshCore doet dit niet,

Meshtastic gebruikt bredere bandbreedtes (125 kHz of 250 kHz), waarbij MeshCore bewust lager zit (62.5 kHz). Hierdoor heeft MeshCore voor bebouwde omgevingen een aantal voordelen:

Eind 2025 is er een flinke verhuizing gaande van Meshtastic naar MeshCore. Dat heeft er o.a. mee te maken dat MeshCore een betere ontvangst lijkt te hebben en zijn de eerste signalen dus ook positief. Steeds meer eigenaren van repeaters zetten er dan ook MeshCore-firmware op en stappen daarmee over naar MeshCore.

Meshtastic bestaat sinds 2020 en heeft de afgelopen jaren wat bekendheid gegeven aan het opzetten van mesh-netwerken. In 2025 is MeshCore beschikbaar gekome