Off-grid mesh networking for civil preparedness

When infrastructure fails

  • The Motorola P210 was critical during the Balkan wars
  • Radio filled the gap when all else failed
  • Today: sabotage, military strikes, overloaded infrastructure
  • What if your communication didn't depend on anyone else's infrastructure?

LoRa — Long Range Radio

  • Modulation technique for low-power, long-range radio
  • Operates on unlicensed ISM bands (915 MHz in US, 868 MHz in EU)
  • Range: up to 15 km line of sight, 1–3 km in cities
  • Very low power — runs for months on a battery
  • Low bandwidth: suited for text and small data
  • No license required

Meshtastic

  • One of many alternative open-source firmware for LoRa devices
  • Turns cheap hardware into a mesh radio network
  • No internet, no cell service, no central server
  • Encrypted by default
  • Free and community-driven

How the mesh works

[Node A] ──► [Node B] ──► [Node C] ──► [Node D]
 you          neighbour    relay        friend
  • Every node is also a relay
  • Messages hop automatically through the network
  • If one node goes down, traffic reroutes
  • Range extends with each node added

Handheld radio vs Meshtastic

Handheld radio

  • ✅ No firmware flashing
  • ✅ Simple to use out of the box
  • ✅ Established standard
  • ❌ No encryption
  • ❌ No mesh — point to point
  • ❌ No GPS sharing

Meshtastic

  • ✅ Encrypted by default
  • ✅ Mesh extends range
  • ✅ GPS position sharing
  • ✅ Free and open source
  • ❌ Requires firmware flashing

Civil preparedness use cases

Scenario Use
Natural disaster Coordinate rescue, share locations
Power outage Neighbourhood communication network
Search & rescue Track teams in the field
Backup comms Last resort when all else fails

Live Demo

Two Meshtastic nodes — no cell network, no internet — can chat with each other.

Summary

  • LoRa, long-range, low-power radio
  • Meshtastic, open-source mesh on top of LoRa
  • Works when everything else is down
  • Cheap, self-hosted, encrypted
  • Easy to operate

Questions?

Building a local network

  • Place antennas on elevated points like rooftops or masts
  • A small number of fixed nodes covers a large area
  • Bridge traffic to the internet when limited connectivity is available
  • Community channels for neighbourhood coordination
  • Just 3–4 nodes can cover a residential area

Getting started

Hardware (~300–600 kr per node)

  • Heltec, LilyGO, RAK Wireless, and others
  • Nodes can run on solar + small battery

Software

  • Flash Meshtastic firmware (meshtastic.org)
  • Connect via the Meshtastic app (Android/iOS)

No registration, no subscription, no account