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Getting Started with Meshtastic

2024-12-08

I have just wrapped up my applications for grad school (as you may be able to tell by the gap in my blogs), and have been looking for a fun way to de-stress as I make my way through the backlog of articles, books, and blogs that I ignored in the process. I have seen a lot of interest in Meshtastic online, and a local tech group that I am a part of has started an offshoot dedicated to the system, so I thought I would join in.

For those who don’t know, Meshtastic is, in their words, “An open source, off-grid, decentralized, mesh network built to run on affordable, low-power devices”. To join the network, you buy a board capable of receiving long range radio waves, flash the Meshtastic software, and then connect to the device to see who else in your area is communicating over the network. While that is a broad overview, there are some specifics to know to get started. First, Meshtastic only supports a few devices. You can find that list easily available on their website. I went with the Lilygo Techo, as this device is ready to go right out of the box: it has the screen connected, battery attached, is assembled in a case, and already has the software flashed. You just connect your phone and get to using it! The second thing to note is that anyone can use Meshtastic because it operates in unlicensed spectrums. Because of this, you need to choose a different model based on where you live: in the U.S. where I live, you would choose the 915 mhz option, as that part of the radio spectrum has been set aside for free use. Don’t get this part wrong, as you will both be breaking laws and also won’t be able to communicate with anyone else in your area. Finally, be aware that this is not an instant communication device, and its use will be limited both by the terrain in your area and the number of users. Lora (the type of radio communication that Meshtastic uses) tends to be pretty weak and will be blocked by buildings and terrain. This means you need a lot of users close to you and also need to avoid barriers between you.

My experience with Meshtastic has been pretty fun so far. In the two weeks that I have had the device, I have connected to about 75 devices near me. Throughout the day you will notice that your device pings you with notifications that you have seen a new node. You will notice that you cannot always communicate with a node, even if you try to message it right when you see it. My device is relatively low power with a small antenna, so it will pick up on broadcasts from wide reaching devices, even if it cannot broadcast enough to speak back to them. This is where the fun aspects of the network come into play. Each Meshtastic node also acts as a repeater. If there are enough nodes between me an a device far away, they will chain together to get my message to that node. While the more security minded here will balk about man-in-the-middle attacks, I’ll address that later in the blog. The number of messages that I have received is definitely increasing as my device connects to more and more nodes. Funnily enough, as I am typing this I just got a message in the general chat (which is added by default for all devices) asking how everyone’s day is. One of the more fun aspects so far has been seeing unexpected places cropping up in the list: I have seen a local hardware store, a shooting range, and a dentists office pop up as businesses hosting their own nodes.

Now we can address some problems with the network, from an every day use standpoint. First, this network absolutely suffers from “lossy distribution” in a painful way. I often get messages that are obviously replies to a conversation that I have not heard the rest of. I also frequently do not receive replies to sent messages (hopefully because they get lost along the way and not because I’m annoying……). Because of this, most of my time is spent exchanging pings, rather than holding real conversations. Additionally, although the entry to this network is cheap, being heard relies on a dense network. Your voice may literally scale with the money you spend in this network, as high-power devices, better antennas, and property to mount hardware on will directly influence how much you can hear and be heard. Additionally, as I mentioned earlier, messages pass through nodes on their way to further away ones. This means anyone could theoretically capture all messages that their device repeats. This brings up concern for surveillance and malicious actors. Although Mestastic does offer out of the box options for message encryption, as the network stands I doubt data scrapers or surveillance actors would have use for the system. The network is so spotty, that it would be near unusable for either surveillance or confidential communication at range. More worrying are the default GPS settings. Devices by default broadcast gps locations that can be seen on an in app map. So many users essentially carry an open tracking device with gps logs. Although surveillance actors may be more likely to utilize phone companies if seeking that data as they have established relationships with those companies, this does bring up concerns for local stalkers. The GPS settings can be altered in the app (find your node in the nodes list, click its name, then click more details to manage the device).

I have heard of recent developments that excite me about the network. Currently, it appears that Meshtastic is gaining steam as a solution to downed cell phone towers in the event of a natural disaster. Because of its perception as potentially enhancing security in a time of disaster, people have been able to lobby local governments to host nodes on existing public infrastructure. Living in Oklahoma, there is a fear that tornadoes and hail storms will damage communications systems. Because of this, people have lobbied the city of Tulsa to keep a node on their downtown Bok center, increasing the connectivity for the whole city. I am looking forward to helping replicate their success in Oklahoma City, trying to get a node on top of Devon Tower (which, if you have been to OKC, you will know is several times larger than any other building around and is visible from very, very far away). This raises exciting possibilities of local governments facilitating cheap communication (boards can be purchased for as little as $30), sidestepping the regulations around internet service providers and cell carriers (for now).

All in all, so far this has been fun mostly for the novelty of it. I am meeting with people in my community and having friendly one-off conversations in a way that I never have before. It is exciting seeing the networks grow! Additionally, this feeds my need to take devices to a completely impractical space. For example, could I get a cheap board, set it in repeat only mode, and then sew it into a jacket? Would it be fun to act as a hot spot wherever I go? Although I do not see Meshtastic replacing my normal media any time soon, I think it will be a fun project getting to know others, getting involved in local governance, and having a slew of fun electronics projects lined up.