When the grid goes down, your messages keep moving.
TriMesh Network is a community-run, off-grid mesh that carries your messages node to node over long-range radio. No internet. No cell towers. No power company required.
Community-run by design — and TriMesh helps ours grow
The mesh is community-run. There’s no company that owns it and no tower you pay a bill to — the coverage comes from neighbors, hobbyists, preppers, and emergency-comms volunteers who put inexpensive long-range radios on the air and let them relay messages for one another. TriMesh Network is the volunteer group working to grow and support that mesh here in our area.
It all runs on MeshCore, a lightweight, hybrid-routing mesh protocol for LoRa radios (it’s not Meshtastic, though it uses much of the same gear). And we’re far from alone: independent MeshCore meshes are active in communities all across the US, sharing the same open protocol and the same hardware — so the network is bigger than any one town. Your node is at home on any of them, and you can see them light up on the live map.
Independent by design
The whole network runs over the air. Nothing in the path touches an ISP, a carrier, or the power company.
Owned by the community
Volunteers run every node. There's no company, subscription, or central server that can fail or shut it down.
Self-healing mesh
If a node drops, smart routing finds another path automatically and the messages keep moving.
You type a message. The mesh carries it the rest of the way.
You write a message on your own device. It hops from radio to radio across the network until it reaches the person you’re texting — no internet, no cell signal, no grid power in the path.
You write
Type on your phone, paired by Bluetooth to your companion radio.
It transmits
Your companion sends the message out over long-range LoRa radio.
Repeaters relay
High-up repeaters forward it hop by hop toward the recipient.
It arrives
Dana's companion receives it. Offline? A room server holds it.
Companion
Your personal node, paired to your phone over Bluetooth and driven by a MeshCore app. You read and write messages through it. A companion only handles your own traffic and does not repeat packets for other nodes, which saves battery and keeps the airwaves uncluttered.
Repeater
The infrastructure that extends the mesh. A repeater’s only job is to forward packets toward their destination using smart routing decisions, not blind rebroadcasting. Mount it high on a rooftop, tower, or hilltop and power it from solar or continuous USB to cover real distance.
Room Server
A store-and-forward bulletin board, like a post office for the mesh. It holds messages for people who are offline or out of range and delivers them (the previous 32 or so unseen messages) once they reconnect. A room server can also act as a repeater.
Built for the moment the normal network disappears
Ordinary communication leans on a long chain of things that can fail: cell towers, fiber lines, data centers, and the power that keeps them all running. When that chain breaks, TriMesh keeps working because it doesn’t use any of it.
Natural disasters
Hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and earthquakes routinely knock out cell and internet service. The mesh keeps neighbors and responders in contact when it matters most.
Power outages
Nodes run on small batteries, USB, or solar, so the network stays up even when the grid is dark for hours or days.
Internet outages
No ISP, no fiber, no data center in the loop. Messages move radio to radio, so a backbone failure doesn’t take you offline.
Cell-tower outages
When towers are overloaded, damaged, or simply out of reach, TriMesh gives you a separate path that doesn’t touch the carrier network.
Remote areas
Trailheads, campsites, farmland, and back roads with no coverage. Long-range LoRa and relaying repeaters reach where cell signal never has.
Ready when you are
The best time to join the mesh is before you need it. Set up a node today and it’s there the day everything else goes quiet.
Set up your nodeResilient by design, owned by the community
Every choice in the network points at one goal: communication that keeps working when you need it and answers to no one but the people who run it.
Works off-grid
No internet, no cell service, and no grid power required. The mesh stands entirely on its own over the air.
Community-owned
Volunteers run the nodes. There’s no company, subscription, or central server that can fail or shut it down.
Affordable hardware
Built on inexpensive, widely available LoRa radios, often around $25–40 to get started. Add more nodes as the network grows.
Long range
LoRa radio reaches far on very little power, and repeaters relay messages node to node to cover whole neighborhoods and regions.
Private
MeshCore encrypts direct messages to the recipient, so your one-to-one conversations stay between you and the person you’re messaging. Channel messages are protected by a shared key the group sets.
Resilient & self-healing
Smart routing finds a path automatically and can route around nodes that go offline, so the mesh keeps moving messages on its own.
News & events
What’s happening in our corner of the network. Setup nights, coverage pushes, and community updates.
TriMesh Network goes live
Our site is up and the local mesh is growing. Flash a companion, say hello, and watch your area light up on the live map.
Looking for high repeater sites
Got a rooftop, hilltop, or tower with a clear view? A solar repeater there extends coverage for the whole community. Reach out and we'll help with the gear.
Newcomer setup nights
We're hosting regular get-on-the-air sessions for first-time node owners. Bring a supported board and we'll get you flashed, paired, and messaging.
Add a node and grow the mesh
Getting on the network is simple: pick up an inexpensive LoRa radio, flash MeshCore firmware, and pair it to your phone. Want to extend coverage for everyone? Put up a repeater. Every node you add makes the whole mesh stronger and reaches a little farther.
Deploy your first node
Follow the getting-started guide to flash MeshCore and pair a companion node to your phone. Attach the antenna before you power on.
Setup guideExtend the network
Mount a repeater up high on solar or USB power to grow coverage for the whole community.
Build a repeaterJoin the community
Connect with other operators, ask questions, and map nodes in your area.
Get involvedHelp build the network your community can count on
Whether you set up a single companion node or raise a solar repeater on a hilltop, you make the whole mesh stronger. Start today, before you need it.