Real-world guidance on communication, devices, offline maps, and preparing for places where cell service can't be relied on.
Tracking dogs, kids or gear beyond cell coverage? Start with the off-grid GPS tracking overview.
Off-grid communication means messaging and sharing location with your group when there's no cell service or internet. Why your phone still knows where it is but can't send it, the main methods - two-way radio, LoRa mesh, satellite messenger - and how a phone paired to a LoRa radio fits together.
A practical look at hiking without cell service: two-way radios, satellite messengers, and LoRa mesh - what each is actually good for, plus offline maps and location sharing when signal disappears.
In Nelos, your identity lives in the app, not the radio - so a dead battery, a broken unit, or a borrowed spare doesn't make you a stranger to your own team. How that compares to Meshtastic and the official MeshCore app, and where Nelos's own approach still has limits.
Guides are organized around what you're trying to do. Pick a topic to filter the list below.
46 guides
A communication plan for a family camping trip: work out where you'll have signal and where you won't before you go, agree on a meeting point, choose handhelds and trackers, download offline maps, think about battery and charging, and know when you need a satellite messenger or a PLB.
GPS still knows where you are, but Life360 and Find My need the internet to update. How to use a LoRa tracker with Nelos as a backup location layer for kids and pets on weak-signal outdoor trips, with a simple setup and safety notes.
When you lose signal, apps like Life360 and Find My stop updating. This guide walks through the options for a family that still wants to see each other's location out of coverage: phone GPS, internet apps, an internal radio layer, a standalone LoRa tracker, and satellite messengers - and where each one fits.
Life360 needs mobile data or Wi-Fi to share your location with your Circle. Without signal or internet, others only see your last known position - even though the phone still knows where it is. What still works, and the options for groups that go off the grid.
Most dog GPS trackers need mobile coverage and a subscription. What actually works without cell service - LoRa trackers and dedicated dog-tracking handhelds - how each one behaves in the woods, and how to set up off-grid dog tracking with Nelos.
Your dog has run off and there's no signal. A calm, step-by-step plan for searching woods and backcountry: where to look first, how to use a tracker's last position and Find Mode, what to do when the tracker is out of range, and when to call for help.
Kids' smartwatches and phone-based location sharing need mobile coverage. What works for keeping track of children at summer camps, festivals, outdoor events and in the countryside - AirTag, cellular watches, LoRa trackers - and how to use one openly and safely.
AirTag has no GPS - it is found by nearby Apple devices. A GPS tracker fixes its own position. How each one works, where AirTag is the better buy, and why a LoRa GPS tracker suits dogs, kids and groups away from cell coverage.
A GPS tracker can fix its own position with no SIM and no cell service - the hard part is getting that location to you. How Bluetooth tags, LoRa, cellular and satellite trackers compare, which need a subscription or internet, and how to choose.
A plain explanation of LoRa GPS tracking: how a tracker fixes its position, how MeshCore radios carry it to your phone, why updates are requested rather than streamed, what affects range, and what Find Mode and Safe Zones actually do.
How to use a Seeed SenseCAP T1000-E as a dedicated off-grid GPS tracker: installing MeshCore, adding it to Nelos, tracking it from your phone with Find Mode and Safe Zones, battery expectations and practical tips for dogs, kids and gear.
Camping is different from hiking: there's a relatively fixed campsite and people spread out and come back. How to take advantage of that fixed point, where to place devices and a repeater, how to coordinate when the group splits into smaller parties, offline maps, and battery for a multi-day trip.
We haven't published any guides yet - check back soon.
Free, no account, works offline. See what device you need and get your group talking in minutes.
English
Japanese
German
French
Spanish
Vietnamese