What are Meshtastic and MeshCore

Picture this: You’re deep in the wilderness, at a remote campsite, or in the middle of a power outage. Cell towers are down, Wi-Fi is gone but you can still send text messages, share GPS locations, and stay connected with your group. That’s the power of LoRa mesh networks.

Solid Link Systems sells readyto use hardware (nodes, antennas, solar setups, cases) for two popular platforms: Meshtastic (the go-to for flexible, community driven meshes) and MeshCore (the newer option for more stable, controlled networks). Both run on affordable LoRa radios, work without any infrastructure, and are perfect for hiking, prepping, emergencies, or just reliable group comms.

Quick Comparison Section 

Feature	Meshtastic	MeshCore
Best For	Dynamic, moving groups (hikes, events)	Fixed setups (home repeaters, static networks)
How It Routes Messages	True mesh: Any node can relay (up to ~7 hops)	Repeaters handle routing (clients connect directly)
Network Style	Flooding (everyone helps relay)	Controlled (less traffic, higher reliability)
Community Size	Huge & growing (largest off-grid LoRa network)	Newer but focused on efficiency & stability
Key Strengths	Easy setup, GPS tracking, plugins, MQTT bridging	Better for direct messaging, less congestion
Hardware Compatibility	Same LoRa devices (Heltec, RAK, LilyGo, etc.)	Same devices (different firmware)
App Experience	Free, open-source apps (iOS/Android)	Official apps (some features may require purchase)

Simple Explanations

• Meshtastic: Like a giant game of telephone with your phone as the mic. Devices automatically pass messages along, building a network that grows as more people join. Great for ad-hoc adventures where nodes come and go.
• MeshCore: More like a structured relay team. You set up dedicated “repeaters” (on hills/rooftops) to handle the heavy lifting, making messages more reliable in fixed areas. Ideal if you want to build a stable neighborhood or event network.

Why Both?
Many people start with Meshtastic for its simplicity and community, then try MeshCore for better performance in larger or denser setups. The hardware is often the same just flash different firmware! We carry custom built nodes, starter kits, and accessories optimized for both.