Communicators
LilyGO T-Deck and T-Deck Plus, LilyGO Pager, Heltec V4 touch, and Altware builds. Direct messages, broadcasts, neighbor and location views. GPS, vibration, and stealth modes where the board supports them.
Get started
2+ radios. One cluster.
You do not need a kit from anyone. A communicator is a handheld you message on. A link is a relay that caches and forwards. Start with two communicators if that is all you have.
* Get your own private mesh cluster up and running in 15 minutes!
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1
Flash matching firmware.
Put communicator firmware on handhelds and link firmware on relays. If you are in the USA, use the USA build on every device. Elsewhere, use the non-USA build on every device. Mixing regions in one cluster is not supported.
Open the firmware host · current release 3.7.8
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2
Create the cluster on a root communicator.
Name the cluster and set the center frequency and hopping. That first device is the root. Onboard each additional radio while it is in range of the root. Onboarding is in person, once. Keys are generated on the hardware and are not shown.
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3
Leave the radios on.
Screens can sleep. The mesh works better when the radios stay powered. Place links with a view of the area you care about. Direct messages can be held up to 24 hours for a device that is off or out of range. You get a signed delivery confirmation when one lands.
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4
Add a wider view only if you want one.
Blackout Comms Live pairs an Android phone or tablet over Bluetooth. Overlook does the same job on a Windows PC or a Linux machine, including a Raspberry Pi left on a monitor. Both are windows onto the cluster. They do not hold your keys, and they are not required to send a message.
Hardware that already runs it
Flash what you have.
Links
T-Beam, T3S3 OLED or e-paper, Heltec E290. These cache and forward, help with time sync, and hold packets for later delivery. Solar and fixed relay builds fit here.
Board-level build notes and a Heltec touchscreen walkthrough are on the main site. This page will not try to sell you a radio.