Which radio should you buy?
Every board on this page is US 915 MHz and runs MeshCore. If you are buying your first one and do not want to read a table, buy the Wio Tracker L1 Pro and stop reading. The rest of this is here for when you want to compare.
Start here
- Seeed Wio Tracker L1 Pro · about $40
- The one we hand to newcomers. A complete pocket node out of the box: GPS, a small screen with a joystick, about five days on a charge, USB-C, already in a case. Flash it and start messaging. Buy on Amazon.
- Seeed SenseCAP T1000-E · about $35
- Cheaper and simpler. Credit-card sized, sealed, GPS and antenna built in, excellent battery life, no screen at all, so it lives on your phone. The easiest thing to pocket or hand to someone else. Buy on Amazon.
Either one gets you on the mesh the same evening. Once it arrives, walk through the setup.
Everything people around here run
Prices are ballpark and change often. Each row links to the maker, Amazon, and AliExpress so you can compare. Some vendors label these boards for Meshtastic, a different mesh firmware. The same hardware runs MeshCore once you flash it.
Marketplace links are affiliate links that support the mesh at no cost to you, run by the same volunteers behind txme.sh.
Cased and ready to go
| Device | Price | Notes | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seeed Wio Tracker L1 Pro | $40 | Top pick. A complete pocket node: GPS, small screen with a joystick, about five days on a charge, USB-C, in a case. Flash it and start messaging. | Seeed Amazon AliExpress |
| Seeed SenseCAP T1000-E | $35 | Best value. Credit-card sized, sealed, GPS and antenna built in, great battery life. No screen, so it lives on your phone. The easiest thing to pocket or hand to a newcomer. | Seeed Amazon AliExpress |
| Elecrow ThinkNode M1 | $40 | Sunlight-readable e-paper screen, GPS, buttons, and very low power. Reads the last messages without waking your phone. | Elecrow Amazon AliExpress |
| SenseCAP Solar Node P1-Pro | $90 | Off-the-shelf repeater, not a pocket radio. Arrives assembled with a solar panel, batteries, and GPS in a weatherproof shell. Mount it, point it at the sky, done. | Seeed Amazon AliExpress |
Boards, kits, and DIY
| Device | Price | Notes | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heltec WiFi LoRa 32 V3 | $20 | The classic entry-level board with a small screen. Add a battery and a case. Cheap enough to buy two and tinker. | Heltec Amazon AliExpress |
| Heltec WiFi LoRa 32 V4 | $50 | The V3's higher-power successor for more range. A stronger pick for a fixed node. | Heltec Amazon AliExpress |
| Heltec Mesh Node T114 | $30 | Low-power nRF52 chip with USB, battery, and solar inputs. A great all-rounder for handhelds and battery nodes. | Heltec Amazon AliExpress |
| Seeed XIAO ESP32-S3 + SX1262 | $25 | Thumb-sized. One of the smallest nodes, and the same building block behind many solar repeaters. | Seeed Amazon AliExpress |
| LilyGO T-Deck Plus | $70 | Full keyboard, color screen, and GPS. Send and read messages without touching your phone. | LilyGO Amazon AliExpress |
| RAK WisBlock Starter Kit | $30 | The modular, low-power platform for repeaters and solar nodes. Snap on GPS, sensors, or a bigger antenna. | RAK Amazon AliExpress |
| RAK WisMesh 1W Booster Kit | $39 | A 1 W amplifier for a DIY repeater that has to cover a chunk of the Hill Country. Needs a stable 5 V supply. | RAK Amazon AliExpress |
Buying for a repeater instead
A repeater is a fixed radio, usually solar, that stretches coverage for everyone rather than sitting in your pocket. A complete solar build runs $35 to $400 or more depending on the parts, and it gets configured before it is mounted with the settings every radio here runs.
Talk to us before you buy one. If we have approached you about a site, the node is on us and there is nothing here for you to buy. Otherwise we would rather help you pick the right parts for the spot than watch you buy twice. See host a node.
Can't afford a radio? Cost should not keep anyone off the mesh. txme.sh keeps a small, confidential budget to get radios to people who need one. Ask there, or in the Facebook group.