MeshCore Reference — Meshnology

MeshCore is an independent off-grid LoRa mesh platform — a lean alternative to Meshtastic with lower protocol overhead, path-selective routing, and a deliberate node-role model. UK-originated. Website: meshcore.co.uk

🏗 Architecture

Philosophy

MeshCore uses path-selective forwarding — nodes don't flood-rebroadcast every packet. Routing is deliberate and path-aware, reducing airtime and collisions in dense networks.

Node Roles

COMPANION

Your personal radio. Connects to phone/laptop via USB/BLE. Sends and receives for the user.

REPEATER

Infrastructure relay. Forwards mesh traffic. No user device needed. Deploy at elevation or fixed sites.

ROOM SERVER

Persistent store-and-forward gateway. Can bridge to internet. Holds messages for offline nodes.

BBS NODE

Bulletin Board System mode. Async message store and forward. Good for sporadic links.

vs Meshtastic Routing

Unlike Meshtastic's managed flood, MeshCore repeaters learn routes and selectively relay — reducing duty cycle usage. Critical in EU 868MHz 1% regions. MeshCore defaults to 869MHz sub-band (10% DC allowance).

📦 Packet Structure

Compact binary frame optimised for LoRa's limited payload:

MeshCore Frame (typical layout)

Preamble1BSync / frame type identifier

Sender ID4BNode identifier (truncated hash)

Dest ID4BTarget node or broadcast (0xFFFF)

Seq / TTL2BSequence number + hop count limit

Msg Type1BTEXT / ROUTE_REQ / ROUTE_ACK / PING

PayloadVarMessage body or route data (UTF-8)

CRC2BFrame integrity check

Compact header vs Meshtastic's protobuf framing = less overhead per packet, important where airtime is the bottleneck.

📡 LoRa Parameters

Parameter	Default	Notes
Frequency	869.525 MHz	EU 869MHz SRD (10% DC)
Spreading Factor	SF11	Range/speed balance
Bandwidth	250 kHz	Wider than Meshtastic default
Coding Rate	4/5	Minimal FEC overhead
TX Power	Up to 27 dBm	Hardware dependent
Sync Word	0x2B	Differs from Meshtastic 0xF3

869.525MHz allows up to 10% duty cycle at ≤25mW ERP vs 1% on standard EU 868MHz — much more airtime budget.

🖥 Supported Hardware

Device	MCU	Status
Heltec WiFi LoRa 32 V3	ESP32-S3	Supported
Heltec Wireless Tracker	ESP32-S3	Supported
LilyGO T-Beam v1.x	ESP32	Supported
LilyGO T-Beam S3	ESP32-S3	Supported
TTGO LoRa32 v2.1	ESP32	Supported
RAK WisBlock 4631	nRF52840	Community
Seeed Wio-E5	STM32WLE5	Experimental

↗ Full list at meshcore.co.uk

⚡ Flashing MeshCore

ESP32 — esptool

$ pip install esptool
$ esptool.py --chip esp32s3 --port COM5 \
write_flash 0x0 meshcore-heltec-v3.bin

Web Flasher

meshcore.co.uk → Downloads → Flash Online. Chrome/Edge required.

nRF52 — UF2

Double-tap reset → BOOT drive appears. Drag .uf2 onto drive.

First Boot

Connect via MeshCore Web client or serial at 115200 baud. Set role, region, and call sign before transmitting.

⚖ vs Meshtastic

Aspect	Meshtastic	MeshCore
Routing	Managed flood	Path-selective
Protocol	Protobuf	Compact binary
EU frequency	868.1MHz (1% DC)	869.5MHz (10% DC)
Node model	All nodes equal	Companion / Repeater
BLE	Full	Limited
Telemetry	Full sensor suite	Minimal
Ecosystem	Very large	Lean, focused
Interoperable?	❌ Separate networks — not compatible

🌐 Resources

↗ meshcore.co.uk ↗ Web Client ↗ GitHub

Developed by ripplebiz. UK-originated, actively maintained. Community on Discord (linked at meshcore.co.uk) and GitHub Discussions.

→ Open Web Client Launcher

🔷 MESHCORE REFERENCE