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0x04 / 0x0eHow do I communicate when the internet is down or cut?

Off-Grid and Mesh Networks

LoRa meshes, Bluetooth meshes, packet radio, HF data modes and overlay networks that route around central infrastructure, or do without it.

Start here

Community Networks Explainer Delay-tolerant networking Explainer Usable Off-Grid Messaging Explainer Off-Grid Networks Explainer Satellite broadband and direct-to-cell Explainer Usable

Guides

Build a community Wi-Fi networkBegin with a small, maintainable network whose local services still have a purpose when the upstream connection fails. intermediate None Building a Local Mesh NetworkA few cheap radios and a phone app give you a text network that needs no towers, no SIM cards and no internet. beginner 2 hours Internet Shutdown PreparednessWhen the network is switched off, the only tools that work are the ones you installed, tested and shared before it happened. beginner 1-2 hours to prepare Resilient and Relocatable InfrastructureThe networks on this site are only as strong as the infrastructure behind them. Here is how to run yours so that losing any one machine, provider or jurisdiction does not take it down. intermediate a weekend to set up, ongoing to run Running Infrastructure for FreedomEvery one of these networks is only as strong as the number of independent people running it. Here is how to become one of them. intermediate 10 minutes to a weekend

Technologies

Briar Deep dive Battle-tested HF Radio Data Modes Deep dive Battle-tested APRS Deep dive Usable B.A.T.M.A.N. advanced and cjdns Deep dive Usable LibreMesh Deep dive Usable MeshCore Deep dive Usable Meshtastic Deep dive Usable OpenWrtalso in opsec Deep dive Usable Reticulum Deep dive Usable Satellite IoT and Direct-to-Device Links Deep dive Usable Bitchat Deep dive Experimental FIPS (Free Internetworking Peering System) Deep dive Experimental Nostr VPN Deep dive Experimental Yggdrasil Deep dive Experimental

Reference and research

Choosing a private messengeralso in messaging Comparison Off-grid communication compared Comparison

Directory78 curated links

LoRa Mesh Networks

  • disaster.radio — Paused solar-powered LoRa disaster recovery mesh network with firmware, hardware, and web app components
  • Meshtastic — open source, off-grid, decentralized mesh network using LoRa
  • MeshCore — Meshtastic's sibling LoRa mesh: same boards, dedicated repeaters and learned direct routes
  • Meshtastic GitHub
  • Meshtastic firmware
  • Meshtastic Android
  • Meshtastic Python — Official Python CLI and API for administering and automating Meshtastic devices
  • Meshtastic 2025 Beginner Guide — Comprehensive guide for building off-grid mesh networks
  • cubeos-app/meshsat — Meshtastic-to-Iridium satellite bridge: one gateway, unlimited mesh nodes, $15/month
  • Yeraze/meshmonitor — Web tool for monitoring Meshtastic node deployments over TCP/HTTP (386 stars)
  • Slofi/overmesh — Self-hosted Meshtastic dashboard with node map, chat, bot, offline maps, and Mesh Sense
  • Meshtastic Home Assistant — Home Assistant custom integration for Meshtastic gateways, sensors, notifications, and automations
  • MESH-API — Experimental API router bridging Meshtastic and MeshCore networks to local services, dashboards, and alerts
  • Akita Meshtastic eMail — Experimental store-and-forward email-like messaging over Meshtastic LoRa meshes
  • Wio Tracker 1110 — Dev kit for Meshtastic with GPS, solar charging
  • Meshtastic Beginner Guide 2025 — Comprehensive beginner's guide for Meshtastic
  • socialmesh — Offline Meshtastic companion app for messaging, node discovery, and mesh exploration over BLE/USB
  • pyMC_core — Python MeshCore library for SPI LoRa radio modules and off-grid field deployments

MeshCore

  • MeshCore firmware — MIT-licensed LoRa mesh firmware and C++ routing library: companions, dedicated repeaters, room servers
  • awesome-meshcore — Curated resources for MeshCore LoRa text communications and supported hardware
  • MeshCore documentation — Official docs: firmware roles, CLI, packet format and companion protocol
  • MeshCore web flasher — Flash companion, repeater or room-server firmware from the browser

Reticulum Stack

Delay-Tolerant Networks (DTN)

Bluetooth Mesh Messaging

  • Bitchat (iOS/macOS source) — Bluetooth LE mesh messenger with a Nostr fallback; public domain
  • Bitchat on Wikipedia — Encyclopedia overview of the Bitchat messenger and its history
  • Bitchat — Project site: phone-only Bluetooth mesh chat with no accounts or servers
  • Bitchat whitepaper — Protocol v2.0: BLE mesh, Noise encryption, couriers, Nostr path and its metadata limits
  • Bitchat for Android — Protocol-compatible Android client with Tor and Wi-Fi Aware support

Overlay Mesh Networks

Decentralized P2P

Hardware & Radios

Resources

Community Wi-Fi

  • LibreMesh — Community mesh architecture with BATMAN-adv and Babel

Amateur packet radio

  • APRS-IS — Internet distribution of APRS reports and radio-gateway guidance

Delay-tolerant networking

Satellite access

  • Starlink direct-to-cell — Official service notice describing LTE-phone messaging with mobile partners
  • Eutelsat OneWeb — LEO connectivity with dedicated user terminals
  • Amazon Leo — Official FAQ for the former Project Kuiper, including rollout status

Full directory, all pillars →