Off-grid messenger · Phase 0.5

Messages that don't need towers.

Chat that finds its own path — Bluetooth to people nearby, LoRa mesh across the city, satellite to anywhere on Earth. No accounts, no phone numbers, nothing in between can read you.

iOS build 7 · in App Store review

MeshStar app: chat over LoRa with hops, SNR, delivery and signature status
MeshStar app: private end-to-end encrypted chat over Bluetooth
ᛒ Bluetooth · private chat
Real screenshots · iOS build 7
E2E
device to device, on every path
34 s
orbit → delivery proof, measured live
11 hops
longest community-mesh route tested
0
servers that can read your messages

System map

One network for every situation.

Pick a situation and watch a message travel. Numbers on the drawing match the numbered steps.

youboxorbitboxthem12345

When the mesh can't reach

The nearest gateway box sends the sealed packet through a low-orbit satellite to a box near the other person — on another continent if needed.

  1. 1Your phone seals the message and hands it to your LoRa node.
  2. 2The mesh carries it to the nearest gateway box.
  3. 3The box uplinks the sealed packet to a low-orbit satellite. It can't read it.
  4. 4Orbit → the box nearest to them, anywhere on Earth.
  5. 5Their local mesh delivers it to their phone; a signed ✅ flies back.
Paths
BluetoothLoRa meshSatellite
Cost
satellite credits
Status
● Works today

01 — 03

Three paths. One conversation.

Every message is sealed on your phone and opened only on theirs. The app picks the cheapest path that reaches them — and shows you which one it took.

01Bluetooth

People nearby

Phone to phone in the same room, building or camp; nothing but the app.

Range
tens of metres
Cost
free
02LoRa mesh

Across the city

A pocket LoRa node paired to your phone joins the community MeshCore mesh; messages hop node to node, no towers, no internet.

Range
km per hop, many hops
Cost
free
03Satellite

Anywhere on Earth

When the mesh can't reach, a gateway box sends the sealed message through a low-orbit satellite link.

Range
global
Cost
pay per byte, prepaid credits

Free paths first. Satellite is used only when nothing else reaches — and before it is, you see the size and the price.

Features

Built for when the network isn't there.

True end-to-end

Keys live in the phone's keychain; mesh nodes, boxes and relays carry only ciphertext — verified by tests.

Voice over satellite

Push-to-talk voice notes up to ~30 s, compressed to a few KB, delivered with proof.

Signed delivery proof

✅ means the recipient's device signed a receipt, not that a server accepted it.

Works with the community mesh

Speaks MeshCore, rides existing repeaters.

No accounts, no numbers

Add contacts by QR; identity is a key pair.

Honest path telemetry

Every message shows its path — Bluetooth, LoRa with hops and SNR, or orbit with timing.

SOS to every pathSoon

Hold to send an alert with location down all paths at once.

Pass predictionSoon

"Expected delivery ~14:20", computed offline on the phone.

Open protocol

Built on Reticulum / LXMF, not locked to one app.

Field log

Proven on hardware, in public mesh.

Every line below happened on real radios and real satellites — not in a simulator.

  1. Voice note from iPhone through orbit — 27 s, 4 frames, signed receipt back.

    Satellite
  2. iPhone ↔ iPhone over LoRa, encrypted — text and voice both ways, SNR 11–13 dB, no boxes, no satellite.

    LoRa mesh
  3. First encrypted message from the public mesh to orbit — relays saw only ciphertext.

    LoRa meshSatellite
  4. App on two iPhones; crypto matches the reference byte-for-byte.

    Bluetooth
  5. Sofia → Chișinău → orbit → Sofia — 11 hops of strangers' repeaters across borders, then down via satellite.

    LoRa meshSatellite
  6. Two unconnected meshes (Chișinău, Sofia) joined through space.

    Satellite
› Earlier milestones (5)
  1. Switched to MeshCore — 2 hops of public mesh, reached orbit in 31 s.

    LoRa meshSatellite
  2. First end-to-end encrypted message via satellite, box to box, proof returned.

    Satellite
  3. Multi-hop through our own repeater — hand-built antenna on a café roof.

    LoRa mesh
  4. Full loop: phone → LoRa → orbit → phone push notification.

    LoRa meshSatellite
  5. First light — "Hello from orbit."

    Satellite

Roadmap

Where it's going.

01

Now

  • iOS public release
  • Satellite for anyone in the mesh (type @sat, see the price, send)
  • Encrypted chat across the city over 1–3 community hops

02

Next

  • Compact gateway (pocket node with satellite modem, no computer inside)
  • SOS and pass prediction
  • Android (same protocol, same keys)
  • Prepaid satellite credits

03

Later

  • Own nanosatellites — a network no single company or country can switch off
  • Ship and aircraft tracking from the same constellation
  • Multi-region relays

The box

Your mesh's window to the sky.

One gateway gives a whole neighbourhood, camp or vessel a satellite uplink; it forwards sealed packets and cannot read them.

role
LoRa mesh ↔ satellite gateway
sees
ciphertext and packet hashes only
radios
MeshCore LoRa + low-orbit satellite modem
phone nodes
off-the-shelf boards (Heltec, Seeed, LilyGO)
power
USB, low idle draw
voice
~8 s per satellite frame, notes up to ~30 s
BluetoothLoRa mesh

Mesh & Bluetooth

free, forever

Satellite

Satellite

prepaid credits, pay per byte

Pricing at public launch

FAQ

Questions, answered.

Do I need a box or a radio?+

No for Bluetooth. City mesh needs a small LoRa node (≈ €30). Satellite needs a box somewhere in your mesh — yours, a friend's or a community one.

Is it really end-to-end?+

Yes: encrypted with the recipient's public key, signed with yours; nodes, boxes and relays can't open packets; tests check relays see ciphertext.

What can be seen in transit?+

Content is hidden; short destination addresses and packet sizes are visible on the satellite leg. Metadata hiding is planned as an optional mode.

How fast is satellite?+

Seconds to a few minutes depending on sky view and the next pass. Measured: 34 s orbit → signed receipt; ~3 min end-to-end with the modem behind glass.

How much will it cost?+

Prepaid credits, pay per byte; mesh and Bluetooth free; pricing at public launch.

Android?+

Planned; same protocol, iPhone and Android talk on every path.

Beta

Be first on the network.

The iOS beta is opening to a small group of testers — hikers, sailors, mesh enthusiasts and anyone who needs a channel that stays up.

Do you have a LoRa node? (optional)

We only use your email to send the beta invite.