Friends in high places: billionaire-free, collapse-proof communications with LoRa and Meshtastic

Building and strengthening networks is crucial to improving our resilience to the changes and social upheaval heading our way. Our social networks buffer us against possible insults to our circumstances. Everything that improves our connections increases our resilience.

The communities around us are not just geographical. Increasingly, we form and maintain our connections online, but the networks this relies on are not as resilient as we might hope. The enshittification of Twitter over the last few years has shown the vulnerability of social media to the whims of the ultra-rich. Many Twitter users have decamped to Bluesky, which offers a similar format, but this time built on an open protocol. Theoretically this provides the ability to keep and move accounts to a different provider in the event of corporate takeover, but with no other platforms offering the protocol currently, users remain locked in for now. Mastodon is an alternative platform based on federated servers. This decentralised infrastructure safeguards against takeover, but the more complicated entry process makes it less accessible for people who are not technologically oriented.

The internet itself is based on open protocols, but hardware servers are not something that most users have access to. Platforms such as Starlink provide internet to remote places, but are owned and controlled by billionaires who retain control over internet access for their users. The ability to turn off communication links in a country is an extraordinary power for a private individual to wield.

I’m writing this on a phone during a power cut, although I still have mobile signal if I step outside. We rely on the internet and mobile data throughout our lives, but these links that connect us are not a given; our lines of communication are vulnerable to external forces, such as climate or bad actors, and their loss would leave us adrift and voiceless. Access to democratised, resilient means of communication is strongly protective, by allowing easy and trusted ways to transmit information across local communities.

There are other communication methods that are truly democratic, providing peer to peer links that work without the internet or even mains power. Meshtastic is a community-driven, open source protocol for connecting ‘nodes’, low-powered transmitters that use a technology called LoRa (Long Range, pronounced ‘Laura’). These small, inexpensive modules receive and transmit text messages across a ‘mesh’ of nearby nodes. Being restricted to low power avoids the need for a radio licence but means signals are relatively weak, mainly transmitted by line of sight, though distances of over 200 miles between individual nodes have been achieved. The data rate is limited, meaning that short text messages can be transmitted, but not images or video.

LoRa technology was originally designed to transmit small quantities of metering data, for instance the level of food remaining on a grain store on a remote farm, but Meshtastic provides a way to connect these nodes to propagate messages across a network. These messages can be open to all, or encrypted & available only to chosen recipients sharing a channel.

At present there is an incomplete ‘mesh’ of nodes across the UK and other countries, with small networks not necessarily connected to others, while other solitary nodes are sitting lonelily waiting for someone, anyone, to connect to. The internet can be used to bridge gaps between networks to allow wider communication, as well as providing a map of currently active nodes. Using internet bridges does somewhat defeat the purpose of building a resilient and self-sufficient communication infrastructure, however.

The entry point for joining Meshtastic is relatively low. LoRa transmitters are available with a suitable antenna for around £25(GBP). Something like the Heltec LoRa 32 v3 can be purchased with the appropriate software installed, just needing the supplied antenna to be attached before being powered, via a battery or USB cable. The connector isn’t very robust so a case is worthwhile for portable units. The built-in screen shows received messages, and the module has connectors that allow the use of various sensors and outputs, making the automated transmission of information feasible. Bluetooth or Wifi capabilities let a phone or device running the Meshtastic app connect to the LoRa to send out messages. Each node will pass on other messages received, with a limit on the number of ‘hops’ between nodes to prioritise local information and stop messages propagating endlessly.

The only way to know if there will be local nodes to connect to is to try; connections are more likely in higher places with better line of sight, and in more populated areas. Connections continue across the mesh, so transmitters that can see each other are also connected to every other node within sight of any of them. In the UK, achieving a critical mass of sufficient nodes to form a network across the country is not too far away.

This is where friends in high places come in. Placing a LoRa repeating transmitter at the top of tall buildings, church spires or on hills and ridges can massively open up the mesh. Living in rural Herefordshire, I’m connected to just one node in the local town, but recently someone put a temporary transmitter on the Malvern Hills, which connected me to nodes from Newport and Bristol to Birmingham. The app suddenly comes alive as messages and connections find a way through.

Nodes share their location, mapping out the local mesh, though it is possible to protect privacy by making the location vague rather than precise. Because LoRa uses little power, it is possible to leave remote nodes running off-grid, using just a battery and solar panel. These devices work fine on the move; a cross country journey will discover plenty of nodes in passing.

Meshtastic is just on the cusp of wider acceptance. As with most innovations, it started with enthusiasts exploring the technical aspects of new ways of communicating, but it is now starting to spread to people who aren’t so bothered about the technology that underpins it, but see the value in decentralised, billionaire-proof communications.

How to join Meshtastic

If you’re interested in being part of the mesh, you’ll need a LoRa transmitter. The Heltec LoRa 32 v3 linked to above is a fine place to start, coming with a small screen, supplied antenna and both wifi and bluetooth capabilities. Make sure you choose the correct frequency for your country; 868MHz is used across Europe.

Connect the antenna to the circuit board. There’s no soldering required, it just clips on. Plug in a suitable battery or USB charging cable and it will wake up. Download the Meshtastic software onto a phone or tablet to connect to your LoRa via Bluetooth or Wifi. The best place for the transmitter is somewhere with the furthest clear line of sight, such as an upstairs window.

If you can see other nodes, eventually chat will pop up in the open channel, although developing the mesh is still the main topic of conversation. You can set up channels for local communities, or private ones to chat with connected friends. The mesh is still developing, so you may not find other nodes locally, but don’t lose heart – every network has to start somewhere. Get some more LoRas, and share them with friends in high places.

Thanks to Ant Gray for technical advice and the great ‘friends in high places’ phrase!