Mesh networking gets pitched online as the thing that will save your comms when everything else goes down. It is a genuinely interesting technology, and also not the magic bullet the hype suggests. This is the map to everything on QSO Journey about mesh: what it actually is, getting a Meshtastic node running, growing a real network, and where AREDN fits as a different animal entirely.
What Mesh Networking Actually Is
Getting Started with Meshtastic
- Setting Up Your First Meshtastic Node: Hardware and Firmware Basics
- MeshCore vs. Meshtastic: What’s Actually Different
- Meshtastic vs. AREDN vs. APRS: Which Mesh Tool for Which Job
Configuring Your Network
- Meshtastic Channel Configuration: Encryption, Modem Presets, and Range Tradeoffs
- Meshtastic Messaging: Channels, Roles, and Group Chat Best Practices
Building Out Coverage
- Building a Solar-Powered Meshtastic Repeater Node
- Meshtastic Range Testing: Antennas, Placement, and Realistic Expectations
Mesh in a Preparedness Plan
Mesh is also pulling in a lot of people who never touch a ham club. I wrote about what that means for the hobby in Where Are the Young Hams? Not at Your Club Meeting.
Where to Go Next
Want mesh as one layer of a bigger emergency comms plan? See Emergency Communications and Preparedness. Still building your core station first? Start with Building Your First Ham Radio Station.