Do You Need a LoRa Mesh Repeater?

In Nelos, each person's radio talks directly to the others in range. A normal companion radio - the handheld paired to your phone - doesn't relay messages for other people's devices. Relaying is the job of a repeater: a device fixed in a good position, no phone, no messaging, just forwarding messages and location between other devices. Some compatible radios and trackers can also be switched to a Companion Repeater mode that relays for nearby devices, on supported frequencies and at the cost of more battery.

Try a direct link first

For a group of a few people travelling together - the same route, the same small campsite, occasionally spreading a few hundred metres apart - the handhelds usually reach each other directly with nothing extra. In that case, buying and carrying a repeater is just dead weight. Start with the right number of handhelds for the number of people, and see whether there's actually a problem before adding one.

When a repeater helps

A repeater is worth it in a few specific situations:

• Covering a wide area around a fixed point. A large campsite, a valley, a nature reserve - where people spread out beyond the direct range between handhelds. A repeater placed high in the centre can link them all.
• Getting past a fixed piece of blocking terrain. If one hillside always sits between the campsite and a frequently used stretch of trail, a repeater on top of that hillside can create a relay path around it.
• A long-term community network. A solar repeater fixed on a high point can serve many groups in an area over time.

What a repeater can't solve

A repeater is not a general way to boost range. It only helps if it's in a position where both sides that need linking can "see" it. Some cases where a repeater doesn't help:

• When the whole group is moving. A motorcycle or car convoy on the move has nowhere fixed to put a repeater. The network is just the devices on the vehicles.
• When it's placed badly. A repeater set low, between tents, or in a canyon is blocked by that same terrain as any other device. Elevation and a clear view are what matter.
• When the problem is too much distance in every direction. If two people are on opposite sides of a large mountain and there's no high point that sees both, a repeater can't create a path that doesn't exist.

Portable or fixed

A spare compatible handheld, switched to Companion Repeater mode on a frequency that supports it and placed temporarily on a car roof or hung from a high branch, can act as a temporary repeater for an outing. This is a light way to test whether an anchor point helps.

A dedicated repeater usually has a bigger battery or a solar panel, a weatherproof case, and a mount for fixed installation - suited to a long-term spot. See the repeaters section of the devices guide.

Placement principles

There's no "a repeater boosts range X times" formula - the result depends entirely on the specific terrain. A few general principles:

• As high as possible - a rock outcrop, a hillside, the top of a building. Elevation usually matters more than power.
• Choose a point from which you can "see" both areas that need linking, not blocked by a peak or a band of forest.
• Avoid the ground, close to a body, or inside a pack.
• If the device supports an external antenna, use it and place the antenna as high as you can.

The field note on a first mountainside repeater deployment is a concrete example - not proof that every installation gives the same result.

In short

Start without a repeater. Add one when you have a fixed point to take advantage of and a wide area or a piece of blocking terrain to cover. Don't expect it to be a general range boost, and don't trust any specific range figure. The guides Are Mesh Networks Reliable? and Camping Without Cell Service say more about how a network like this behaves in practice.