Off-grid communication devices

Nelos works with a small, affordable LoRa device that connects to your phone over Bluetooth and offers multi-day battery life, helping your group stay connected when cell service is unavailable. Use Nelos to message each other, share locations, and see your group on worldwide offline maps. This page helps you choose a device that works with Nelos - some devices are ready to use right away, others need MeshCore firmware installed first. If you're not sure where to start, see what you want to do below.

One small device can do more than one job. Use it with your phone for messaging and location sharing, or let a compatible GPS-equipped device work on its own as a tracker when you need it - you don't necessarily need separate hardware for each role.

What is an off-grid communication device?

An off-grid communication device is a small radio that pairs to your phone over Bluetooth so your family or group can send messages and share location when there's no cell service. Your phone stays the screen, the keyboard, and the map; the device carries the messages over radio instead of a carrier network. Nelos runs on LoRa mesh devices, which are low-power and relay for each other so the whole group doesn't need to be in direct range.

How a smartphone plus a LoRa radio works: your phone connects to a LoRa radio over Bluetooth; that radio talks to the other radios in your group, relaying through them as needed; each radio hands its messages to the phone it's paired with. No tower, no internet, and no subscription for the group to reach each other. The guide to off-grid communication explains the full picture, and what a LoRa mesh radio is covers the hardware from scratch.

The device types

• Handheld communicator - one per person, paired to a phone. Send and receive messages and share your location. See handhelds below.
• Tracker - reports its own location with no phone attached, for a child, pet, vehicle, or gear. See trackers below.
• Repeater - left at a high point to relay for the others and extend useful range. See repeaters below.

When LoRa mesh is the right choice - and when it isn't

A LoRa mesh device fits when a group travelling together needs to message and see each other with no signal, with no monthly fee. It is not a rescue beacon: it can't call emergency services and doesn't reach anyone outside your group. If you need to send an SOS or message someone far away from a remote area, a satellite messenger or PLB is the right tool. If you only need short-range voice in open terrain, two-way radios are simpler and cheaper. Many people carry a LoRa mesh device for group coordination and a satellite messenger for emergencies - the methods are compared in full here.

Start here

What do I need?

Stay connected with family or friendsChoose a handheld for each person. Track a pet, vehicle, or gearUse a compatible GPS-equipped device as a standalone tracker. Cover a larger areaAdd a repeater to help extend your mesh. Already own a LoRa device?Check more devices compatible with Nelos.

Handheld or tracker? It can be both. Many compatible GPS-equipped devices can serve either role depending on how you use them - carry one with your phone today, then use that same device to track a pet, child, vehicle, or bag another day.

Planning a hiking trip? See how Nelos works for hiking groups →

Recommended devices

A short list of devices we recommend for common Nelos setups - not the only hardware Nelos works with. See Compatible devices below for the fuller list.

Handhelds for each person

A handheld is the normal starting point for families and outdoor groups. Each person carries one alongside their phone; it connects over Bluetooth so Nelos can send messages and share locations when cell service is unavailable. Many handhelds are GPS-equipped, so the same device can also work as a standalone tracker when you need it.

Using a compatible device as a tracker

Many compatible GPS-equipped devices - including the same ones people carry as handhelds - can also report their own location independently, without a phone attached. That's useful for a pet, child, vehicle, backpack, or other gear. It's not a replacement for a person carrying a phone and device to message the group.

Repeaters for a larger coverage area

A repeater helps compatible devices communicate across a larger area. You can place one outdoors; it does not need a phone or internet connection, and solar models can operate without wall power. Coverage depends on terrain, placement, antennas, and radio settings.

Do you need a repeater? See also our field notes from installing a repeater on a mountainside.

New to MeshCore? What Is MeshCore? explains the LoRa, MeshCore, and app layers for someone who just bought a radio.

Compatible devices

The picks above are a starting point, not the limit. Nelos works with a wide range of other compatible LoRa radios beyond what's listed here, as long as the device runs the official MeshCore firmware.

More compatible devices

Popular devices that work with Nelos include:

• LILYGO T-Echo
• Heltec T114
• Heltec T1
• Seeed SenseCAP T1000-E
• Seeed Wio Tracker L1 Pro

If you already have a compatible radio, flash it with the official MeshCore firmware and Nelos will detect it automatically over Bluetooth. See the MeshCore project for current firmware and supported boards.