Meshtastic Working Group

What is Meshtastic?

Meshtastic is an open-source project that turns inexpensive LoRa radios into a powerful, off-grid mesh communication system. With a Meshtastic device, you can send short text messages and GPS locations to others without the need for cellular or internet access—perfect for emergencies, hiking trips, or rural communities.

Meshtastic devices form a mesh network, meaning your messages can hop between radios to reach their destination, even if you're not directly within range. This makes it ideal for decentralized communication in areas with limited infrastructure.

Goals of the Working Group

The ERSN Meshtastic Working Group exists to:

  • Evaluate Meshtastic as a supplement to our GMRS radio net
  • Explore deployment of a regional mesh network
  • Coordinate channel use and best practices
  • Test bridging strategies for linking isolated clusters
  • Promote community adoption and device onboarding

Our long-term vision is a robust, semi-persistent mesh that can serve as a backup communications method that supplements our GMRS net.

Contents

Getting Started with Meshtastic

New to Meshtastic? Here's how to begin:

  1. Buy a device
    We recommend starting with the LilyGO T-Echo or T-Beam boards.
  2. Install the firmware
    Use the Meshtastic Flasher to install the latest firmware onto your device.
  3. Download the app
    Get the Meshtastic app for Android or desktop to configure your device, view messages, and monitor network status.
  4. Configure your device
    Use the app to set up your device. Make sure to select the correct region (US), most other settings can stay as default at first.
  5. Join the ERSN Channel
    • Channel name: ERSN
    • Private key: [Click to reveal]
    • Anyone may join, but we reserve the right to make the channel key private in the future to protect network integrity.

Check out Meshtastic's detailed Getting Started Guide for more detailed instructions.

Range and Coverage

Meshtastic devices leverage LoRa (Long Range) radio technology, which offers impressive coverage compared to other license-free options:

  • Urban areas: 0.5-1 mile between nodes
  • Suburban areas: 1-3 miles between nodes
  • Rural/line of sight: 3-10+ miles between nodes
  • Elevated positions: 10-20+ miles with good elevation and antennas

Factors affecting range include:

  • Terrain and obstacles (hills, buildings, dense trees)
  • Antenna quality and placement (higher is almost always better)
  • Device power settings (can be adjusted in the app)
  • Environmental conditions (rain, humidity, etc.)

The mesh architecture means that even with limited individual node range, a network of devices can cover larger areas as messages hop from node to node.

MQTT Bridging

MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) is a lightweight messaging protocol designed for constrained devices and low-bandwidth, high-latency networks—perfect for IoT applications.

MQTT bridging allows separated Meshtastic mesh networks to connect over the internet. For example, two mesh networks in different valleys that can't directly communicate via radio can still exchange messages when at least one node from each network has internet access.

  • MQTT host: mqtt.bayme.sh
  • MQTT username: [Click to reveal]
  • MQTT password: [Click to reveal]
  • Topic prefix: msh/US/CA/Motherlode
  • Map reporting: on

You should also update the ERSN channel configuration to have all options enabled (uplink, downlink, position).

WiFi-enabled Meshtastic nodes (like the T-Beam) can act as internet gateways, connecting your local mesh to the wider network. These gateways are typically stationary devices set up at home with permanent power and WiFi, but can also be mobile when connected to hotspots or Starlink in the field. 

                       MQTT Broker (Cloud)
                          ┌─────────┐
                ┌─────────│  MQTT   │─────────┐
                │         │ Broker  │         │
                │         └─────────┘         │
                │                             │
           MQTT Bridge via Internet/Grid      │
                │                             │
      ┌─────────┴──────────┐        ┌─────────┴──────────┐
      │ Stationary Gateway │        │ Stationary Gateway │
      │    (Pinebrook)     │        │     (Murphy's)     │
      └─────────┬──────────┘        └─────────┬──────────┘
                │                             │
                │ (wireless mesh)             │ (wireless mesh)
      ┌─────────┼─────────┐         ┌─────────┼─────────┐
      │         │         │         │         │         │
  ┌───┴───┐ ┌───┴───┐ ┌───┴───┐ ┌───┴───┐ ┌───┴───┐ ┌───┴───┐
  │ Mobile│ │ Mobile│ │ Mobile│ │Mobile │ │Mobile │ │Mobile │
  │ Node  │ │ Node  │ │ Node  │ │Node   │ │Node   │ │Node   │
  │  A1   │ │  A2   │ │  A3   │ │ B1    │ │ B2    │ │ B3    │
  └───────┘ └───────┘ └───────┘ └───────┘ └───────┘ └───────┘

Note: Bridging requires grid or internet access, so it's not a replacement for true off-grid use. It's best thought of as a way to “stitch” together multiple local meshes when internet is available.

Get Involved

If you're interested in joining the ERSN Meshtastic Working Group:

  • Ask to join our email list by dropping a note to ersnnets@gmail.com
  • Share your location and device info to help us build a map of active nodes
  • Help test and document signal ranges, bridging behavior, and power setups
  • Stay tuned for events and updates

Together, we'll build a resilient, decentralized communication fabric for the mountains.