So... what is The Mesh?
If you've clicked on The Mesh in our navigation and thought "what on earth am I looking at?" don't worry, you're not alone. Let us explain.
The Mesh is a live, read-only feed of real radio messages being picked up by our LoRa node, a small device called APEX, sitting here in Devon. These messages are being transmitted by people (and devices) in the local area over something called the Meshtastic network, and APEX is quietly listening in and displaying them here for you to see.
Think of it like a public radio scanner, but for the 21st century.
What is Meshtastic?
Meshtastic is an open-source project that lets people communicate over long distances using LoRa radio, a low-power, long-range radio technology but without needing the internet, mobile signal, or any centralised infrastructure at all.
Devices running Meshtastic form a mesh network, meaning messages can hop from node to node across a wide area. One device might pick up a message and relay it to the next, and so on, like a chain of radio repeaters, all run by hobbyists and makers.
It's used by hikers, preppers, amateur radio enthusiasts, and makers who want off-grid communication. And it's completely free and open source. 🎉
What is APEX?
APEX is our Meshtastic node, powered by a LilyGo T3-S3 a compact ESP32-based development board with a built-in LoRa radio. It's a fantastic little bit of kit if you're looking to get into LoRa or Meshtastic yourself.
APEX sits connected to a Raspberry Pi 4, which listens to incoming messages over Bluetooth, filters them, and pushes them up to The Mesh page on this website every 30 minutes. No internet required on the radio side, just radio waves doing their thing across Devon.
What am I actually seeing on The Mesh page?
The messages you see are transmitted on the LongFast public channel, the default, unencrypted, publicly broadcast channel on the Meshtastic network. Anyone with a compatible LoRa device can receive these messages. We're simply displaying what APEX picks up in a readable format.
You'll see:
- The sender's node name or ID — set by the person who owns that device
- The message text — whatever they broadcast publicly
- The timestamp — when the message was received
- The channel — always the public LongFast channel
We don't store messages long-term, we can't send anything back, and we have no idea who these people are. It's purely a window into what's happening on the public mesh in our area.
Why did we build this?
Honestly? Because it's cool. 😄
At Noppitlabs we're all about maker technology, DIY electronics, and cybersecurity gadgets. Meshtastic sits right at the intersection of all of those things, it's open source, it's practical, and it works completely off-grid. We wanted to show visitors a real, live example of what this technology looks like in action.
If it inspires even one person to pick up a LoRa module and start experimenting, job done.
Want to get involved?
If you're in Devon and already running a Meshtastic node, there's a chance APEX has already picked up one of your messages! And if you want to get started with Meshtastic yourself, the LilyGo T3-S3 is a great place to start, it's the exact hardware powering APEX.
Check out meshtastic.org for everything you need to know, and feel free to drop us a message if you have any questions. 📡