The article highlights two standalone LoRa mesh communication devices that work with Meshtastic and MeshCore. The Lilygo T-Deck Pro stands out as a premium handheld with a built-in full keyboard and display, designed for “premium standalone use“.
Seeed’s Wio Tracker L1 Pro is a very compact handheld for standalone messaging and its 5-way joystick acts for keyboard input for a minimalistic standalone approach.
While Heltec’s MeshPocket combines LoRa mesh communication with a power bank and could be used as a Meshtastic Router or MeshCore Repeater to push the range and reachability for your standalone Mesh devices for several weeks without re-charching and no need for any interaction with a Smartphone while its status is displayed on an e-ink display.
Lilygo T-Deck Pro: “premium standalone device“, reminiscent of a Blackberry
Highlights: Keyboard, trackball with click function, and micro SD card slot. Map display when OpenStreetMaps maps are saved in the correct format on an SD card (sold separately). The ESP32‑S3 architecture with PSRAM is potentially Meshtastic Store & Forward capable.
Lowlights: It shouldn’t be dropped, as the device doesn’tseem particularly robust for tough outdoor use. A modern user interface is only supported from version 2.7 of the Meshtastic firmware onwards.
Seeed Wio Tracker L1 Pro: Very small “minimalistic standalone device” with 5-way joystick
Highlights: Comparatively high battery capacity of 2,000 mAh. Great user interface with 5-way joystick for operation as a stand-alone device from firmware 2.7 onwards, including free text input for messages. Norwegian chipset with very low power consumption.
Lowlights: At the time of writing and the firmware version 2.7.11, it was not possible to read more than the last inbound message in the stand-alone usage without the phone app.
Heltec MeshPocket: Router or Repeater for standalone Meshtastic and MeshCore devices
Highlights: Depending on the model, an enormous battery capacity of 5,000 or 10,000 mAh, configurable E-Ink display. Can also be used as a PD-enabled power bank for smartphones and a magnet for attachment with MagSafe.
Lowlights: The antenna is okay, but not the best, and cannot be replaced. The device cannot be used as a stand-alone device for Meshtastic messaging and requires a smartphone with the Meshtastic app. There could be a potential risk of a swollen lithium-ion battery in a device from a company that is not very specialized in power banks.
Before purchasing one of these devices, please research the actual features.
More about the Wio Tracker L1’s 5-way joystick
Other Meshtastic & MeshCore blogposts
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