MeshCore

MeshCore is an off-the-grid, encrypted, anonymous mesh network based on LoRa radios. It is similar to Meshtastic but is written from scratch with architectural improvements that make it more reliable, allow for longer hops and with different security properties.

Boston MeshCore Network

See our live map for a visualization of our mesh network routes, history and other resources.

I began using Meshtastic in Cambridge, MA and while I found I could reach some users in NH and locally in Massachusetts reliability was terrible, default settings everyone used with Meshtastic were limiting and its managed flood routing approach was highly problematic. The MeshCore project was created 6 months earlier and rapidly evolving when I flashed my radios to try it out.

MeshCore was dramatically better at both message handling and reliability due to good design choices from the beginning. What began as a single radio in my window to test with turned into 3 creating a 20 miles link to my friends house 2 towns away.

Since then, the Boston MeshCore network has grown to over one hundred users with as many repeaters over 400 square miles. We have a goal of connecting New Hampshire, Albany, NY, Hartford CT and Rhode Island into a large New England wide area network. This goal is not only technically possible but given the expansion of our users over the last few months within reach by Summer of 2026.

Some users have created prototypes and experiments on top of the mesh such as bots with various diagnostic functionality, a mesh radio triggered remote car starter and a fun hack that is a VoIP-to-MeshCore interface where you dial a number that is picked up by my Asterisk PBX and performs on device transcription that is then broadcast to the mesh public channel.

incoming: radio voip voip-to-meshcore gear