Wait… meshcore? There is more stuff I can spend money on?
this post was submitted on 27 Jan 2026
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Yeah meshcore uses the same radios and frequencies but the way the mesh forms and operates is different. It seems that the people that use it really like it but meshtastic is way more popular where I am at the moment.
Isn't meshcore proprietary and not open source?
So, it's kinda mixed. The firmware is open source, while the mobile apps are freemium based.
They are working on an open source one right now. And there is more and more nodes popping up.
Personally I hope both protocols can play nice and we can have a good big mesh instead of two competing communities. Kinda like the fediverse :)
Withholding source/charging for apps isn't exactly playing nice imo
The Android and iOS apps were not open source, but there is a new app called meshcore-open that is open source.
its both closed source for LoRa chips itself are not open source...yes a there is a attempt out there to reverse engeneer LoRa and make it work via SDR and GNU-radio, but rn its not compatible with most chips out there.
no, it’s fully free and open sourced
Depends what part of it you are considering. The mobile apps are "free" but not OSS.
There is a new 3rd party mobile app that's fully FOSS.
I don't know honestly
Is it compatibel with all the stuff that runs meshtastic?
Nope similar but separate firmware. If you mean hardware then yes most radios that work with meshtastic will work with meshcore
Take a look at the flasher. It has most of the most popular nodes. https://flasher.meshcore.dev/
Very similar to meshtastic, except you have to chose if you are working with a repeater, client, or room (AKA chat room).
If It uses same radios and frequencies, so a device flashed with meshtastic can send a message to a device flashed with meshcore ?
@Jean_Mich_Much @SomeAmateur No, because it uses a different protocol. Like when someone would speak a language you don't understand to you, you can hear it just fine, but not comprehend it...
Okay I understand thanks for answer
Very interesting, my entire city has moved to meshcore over the last couple months
Anybody have any experience using mesh radios for communication while hiking?
The closest node for either one is 60 miles away, so I'm not really tied to either, but am interested in picking some up for communication out in the field while out of cell range.
I have some tech/electronics experience, and plan on making some solar powered relay nodes eventually so I can slap them on a tree or tall pole, but for now I have nothing.
Recent politically motivated events in my country, as well as weather, have made my decision to have a secondary form of communicating with my wife pretty easy, and I'd like it to be something relatively small I can pack into a bag or pocket, that's easy for my non-techy partner to use.
The Seeed T1000-E is by far the best hiking companion. It's water and dust-proof, has a 2+ day battery life, and excellent range in credit-card form factor. Plus it looks nothing like a radio so it won't attract suspicion from certain groups.
Seeed T1000E or RAK WisMesh Tag will be clandestine enough.
Just pair it to your phone, share the channel and you're good to go
Amazing job!