Crystal Coast of North Carolina Mesh Network
We're building an off-grid LoRa mesh network with MeshCore and Meshtastic across the Crystal Coast and Southern Outer Banks including, but not limited to, Morehead City, Beaufort, Atlantic Beach, Emerald Isle, Havelock, Jacksonville, Swansboro, Grantsboro, Bayboro, Oriental, New Bern and DownEast. The community-run network works without cell service, subscriptions, or licenses with low cost SMS type devices—ideal for everyday and emergency communication.
Meshtastic and MeshCore enable long-range, low-power mesh communications along the coast, relaying messages between nodes without dependence on cell towers or satellites. They extend coverage beyond line of sight, improve resilience during emergencies, and run on inexpensive devices, license-free frequencies with multi-day battery life.
LoRa mesh radios enable off-grid text and data messaging by relaying packets across nearby devices, without cell towers or internet. Ideal for outdoor use and emergency response, these decentralized networks extend coverage beyond line of sight, run on low-power, license-free frequencies, and can be encrypted for privacy. Learn more about LoRa.
Communicate in areas with no cell service, license free. Each node in the mesh extends the network further.
LoRa technology enables communication over miles, even with low power and small antennas. This is ideal for coastal areas where traditional communication infrastructure may be limited or non-existent.
All communications can be encrypted with strong encryption. Your messages stay private.
You are ready to join the mesh community! But what steps should you take to get started?
Network Structure
Communication Needs
Summary
Choose Meshtastic for casual, off-grid communication needs where ease of use and flexibility are priorities. Opt for MeshCore when you require a robust, structured network capable of handling complex communication needs in urban or tactical type settings. Meshtastic and MeshCore are not compatible with each other.
Both Meshtastic and MeshCore can utilize the same hardware. This means that devices designed for Meshtastic can also be configured to work with MeshCore, but not at the same time, providing flexibility in your choice of equipment.
Any of the following devices will work on either platform. For all-in-one, off-the-shelf: SenseCAP T1000-E, WisMeshTag, Wio Tracker L1, WisMesh Pocket, Muziworks M1, T-Deck Pro. For base installations: SenseCAP Solar Node P1, Wismesh Repeater Mini, Heltec Mesh Solar. If DIY is more your style, RAK, Seeed Studios, Heltec, Lilygo and others offer kits—add antennas, batteries, a small solar panel and an enclosure for mounting on a building or tower.
After you purchase your hardware, it is time to flash the firmware. If you are using Meshtastic, go to the flasher website and flash the latest beta firmware for your device. If you are using MeshCore, go to the MeshCore flasher website and flash the latest firmware for your device.
Once flashed, you will need to configure your device. See the configuration pages linked below for the associated flash and configuration procedures for your device.
Outside of the mesh network itself, we're most active in our public Discord Server.
Chat with local builders, share repeater coordinates, and get real-time node hardware troubleshooting help.
Join Our Discord ServerWe’re extremely grateful to our great community partners who have helped to build this strong network.
