goTenna Mesh was popular with hikers because it was light and let a whole group message with no signal. Nelos keeps that and adds waypoints, offline maps, an identity that stays yours, and a Need Help button - on a small, light radio.
Many people land on this page for the same reason: they used to carry a pair of goTenna Mesh devices in a pack, the devices are no longer sold new, and they want to know what to switch to. Nelos is a modern app that connects your phone to a small compatible radio - group chat, everyone's location on an offline map, waypoints, and a Need Help button, close to what goTenna felt like but with more features. You can start using it for free.
goTenna Mesh is a small, light radio (goTenna listed it at about 1.7 oz), with a silicone loop to clip onto a pack strap or belt. The battery lasted about a day of use, with a full charge in around an hour over USB. It connected to a phone over Bluetooth, allowed short messages and GPS location sharing with no cell service, and could relay through other goTenna devices - up to six hops - so a group spread out along a trail could still reach each other. That's why a lot of backcountry groups used it.
Setting the brand name aside, a hiking group needs a few fairly specific things:
The guide How to Communicate While Hiking Without Cell Service goes deeper into when two-way radios, satellite devices and LoRa mesh actually fit; the section below focuses on the direct replacement for goTenna Mesh.
Handheld satellite devices (for example Garmin inReach, Zoleo) and the satellite messaging feature on some newer phones solve a different problem: communicating outside the group - texting someone at home, or calling for rescue - from trails with no signal at all. The trade-off is a monthly subscription, higher device cost, and the need for a relatively open view of the sky. This isn't for the group to message each other all day along the trail.
FRS, GMRS or PMR radios (depending on your region) provide instant voice communication when the group is close. Simple, no pairing. The downsides: terrain affects range heavily, there's no message history, and no location display.
For a group of roughly 2-6 people on the same trail, occasionally spreading out a few hundred meters to a few km, who just want to message and see each other's location - and don't need to reach anyone outside the group - Nelos fills exactly the gap goTenna Mesh used to fill. No subscription, no account, small device, long battery.
If you often go solo, or the trail runs for several days far from anywhere you could call for help, or you need the ability to send an SOS and updates to someone at home, then a satellite device is something to have - independent of what the group uses to talk to each other. LoRa mesh, Nelos included, does not replace that part; the two kinds of device solve two different problems, and plenty of groups carry both.
Nelos is a modern app that serves the same need. The phone connects over Bluetooth to a small compatible radio device. In the app, you get private group messaging, everyone's latest location on a pre-downloaded offline map, map markers, and a "Need Help" button to alert the group. Nelos is free and needs no account.
A few things to be clear about. Range depends on terrain, devices, antennas and radio conditions. For a small group moving together, you usually don't need anything extra; if you want to cover a long stretch of blocking terrain, you can place a repeater in a high spot. Nelos is not a rescue device and does not replace a satellite communicator for a real emergency. See the devices guide for compatible hardware and the hiking page for how it's used.
If your group moves together and only needs internal communication, Nelos is the direct replacement for goTenna Mesh - with more features and no single-vendor hardware lock-in. If the trip needs the ability to call for rescue or reach someone at home, add a satellite device as a separate layer. The guide Best goTenna Mesh Alternatives in 2026 has more on when that's the case.
The small LoRa devices used for mesh are usually in the size and weight range of a pocket radio, and run for days on a charge. Exact figures vary by model - see the devices guide to compare.
For a small group moving together, usually not. A repeater is useful when you want to cover a wide area or get past a fixed piece of blocking terrain, not for a group that stays close together on the trail.
Not really. Satellite devices are strong at reaching outside the group and calling for rescue, but the messaging pace is slower and usually comes with a subscription. For a group messaging each other constantly along the trail, LoRa mesh fits better.
Nelos is an independent product, not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by goTenna. Names mentioned belong to their respective owners.
Nelos brings group messaging, location sharing, and a shared group map with location updates to LoRa mesh — with no cell service, no server, and no account.
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