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Community mesh reference

Own the last mile.

Practical guides to community mesh networks — what they can really carry, how to join one, and how to build your own node.

No hype: LoRa meshes carry text, not Netflix. Wi-Fi community meshes can carry broadband — where they exist.

Nodes on the air

Each figure shows what it counts, where it comes from and when it was last read. The counts are not comparable between networks, and most undercount.

Global

  • Meshtastic

    9,563

    Meshtastic nodes heard on public MQTT in 24 h

    Global; only nodes that share a position and reach the public MQTT feed, so well below the true total

    Live · read 2026-10-29 13:29 UTC

    Source: meshmap.net

  • MeshCore

    20,603

    MeshCore repeaters advertised in 7 days

    Global; repeaters submitted to the MeshCore map with an advert in the last 7 days, future-dated entries dropped

    Baseline snapshot from 29 Oct 2026 (live figure not loaded yet or source unavailable)

    Source: map.meshcore.io

  • Reticulum

    977

    Reticulum interfaces announced to rmap.world in 24 h

    Opt-in directory, not a census of Reticulum; excludes NomadNet, PropNode, RRC and RetiBBS service entries

    Live · read 2026-10-29 13:29 UTC

    Source: rmap.world

  • AREDN

    2,553

    AREDN nodes seen in 7 days

    Global; nodes on the AREDN world map with a last-seen time in the last 7 days

    Live · read 2026-10-29 13:29 UTC

    Source: worldmap.arednmesh.org

  • NYC Mesh

    1,222

    NYC Mesh nodes listed active

    New York City; listed active (hand-maintained by volunteers), one node per location

    Live · read 2026-10-29 13:29 UTC

    Source: api.nycmesh.net

  • Freifunk

    41,202

    Freifunk nodes reported by communities

    Sum of self-reported community counts, mostly Germany; many communities have not updated recently

    Live · read 2026-10-29 13:29 UTC

    Source: api.freifunk.net

UK

  • Meshtastic

    233

    Meshtastic nodes heard on public MQTT in 24 h

    UK & Ireland box (lat 49.8–60.9, lon −8.7–1.8; includes the Republic of Ireland); positioned nodes only

    Live · read 2026-10-29 13:29 UTC

    Source: meshmap.net

  • MeshCore

    1,201

    MeshCore repeaters advertised in 7 days

    UK & Ireland box (lat 49.8–60.9, lon −8.7–1.8; includes the Republic of Ireland); repeaters only

    Baseline snapshot from 29 Oct 2026 (live figure not loaded yet or source unavailable)

    Source: map.meshcore.io

Coventry (West Midlands)

  • MeshCore

    17

    MeshCore nodes advertised in 7 days

    Within 25 km of Coventry (52.41, −1.52); all node types, not only repeaters

    Baseline snapshot from 29 Oct 2026 (live figure not loaded yet or source unavailable)

    Source: map.meshcore.io

Each network counts differently — these numbers are not comparable and should not be added together. How we count → · JSON

Start here

Two kinds of mesh

Can carry internet traffic

High-bandwidth community meshes

Wi-Fi and point-to-point radio.

Speed
Far higher than LoRa: broadband-class (point-to-point radios are rated in hundreds of Mbps)
Carries
Can replace broadband when a member shares an uplink
Examples
City-scale projects such as NYC Mesh, Guifi.net and Freifunk
Needs
Line of sight between rooftops or windows for long links; Freifunk also uses ordinary home routers

Text & telemetry only

Low-bandwidth LoRa meshes

Long-range, low-rate radio.

Speed
Roughly 0.3–11 kbps with the presets allowed in the UK
Carries
Text, telemetry and position. Not web pages, video or calls
Examples
Meshtastic, MeshCore, Reticulum over LoRa
Range
Kilometre-scale hops
UK radio
Licence-exempt 868 MHz
Power
Runs on a battery

LoRa vs Wi-Fi mesh: the full comparison

Why bother

Networks

Profiles of community mesh networks, including what each can and cannot carry. Browse the networks

Radio use is regulated. In the UK, LoRa mesh radios use the 868 MHz licence-exempt band under Ofcom IR 2030. A mesh does not automatically give you internet through your neighbours. Read the disclaimer →