Why a LoRa mesh keeps working when phones and the internet don't, and how people put self-powered repeaters on hills, masts and rooftops to cover whole regions.
Mobile phones depend on a chain: masts, mains power, fibre backhaul, data centres. Break any link (a storm, a power cut, an overloaded mast at a big event) and messages stop.
A LoRa mesh skips the chain entirely. Each radio is its own tiny base station. It runs on its own battery, talks directly to radios in range and passes messages along. There is no server to fail and no company that can switch it off.
If one node drops out, messages route around it. If the whole internet disappeared tomorrow, every node on the mesh would carry on exactly as before.
Phones talk to the radio by Bluetooth only. Turn on airplane mode and it still works.
Handhelds last days on battery, and solar repeaters keep running when the grid goes down.
The more nodes there are, the more ways a message can get through.
LoRa at 868 MHz travels best when nodes can "see" each other. Hills, buildings and trees soak up signal. Two handhelds at street level might manage a kilometre or two. Lift one onto a hilltop and it can link nodes tens of kilometres apart. That is why the community puts repeaters up high, and why they need to be self-powered.
Typical handheld-to-handheld in town at ground level.
Common from a well-placed hilltop or rooftop repeater.
Record links between high points with clear line of sight.
Don't want to build one? Ready-made units such as the RAK WisMesh Solar Repeater or SenseCAP Solar Node come sealed and solar-powered out of the box.
On Meshtastic use ROUTER (or ROUTER_LATE) only for genuinely high, well-placed sites. Otherwise CLIENT. On MeshCore, flash Repeater firmware.
Your node must use the same settings as the mesh around it or it will hear nothing.
Disable Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, screens and GPS where possible. Every milliamp saved means a smaller panel and a smaller battery.
Run it in the garden and watch battery voltage through cloudy days before you climb anything.
Use remote admin or telemetry to keep an eye on battery and health without a trip up the hill.
Always ask the landowner, building owner or site manager. Many farmers, churches, clubs and businesses are happy to host a small box.
Use EU868 and the firmware's built-in UK/EU power and duty-cycle limits. Don't add amplifiers.
Wind, frost and lightning are real on hilltops. Secure the mounting, seal the cable entries, earth the mast.
Talk to your local mesh group first. One well-placed repeater beats five that all compete for airtime.