Emergency communication · LoRa mesh · Mallorca
MeshCore is a small radio network that works without mobile coverage, without internet and without mains power. Palm-sized nodes pass messages along — roof to roof, hill to hill. We are putting the first repeaters on the Puig de Randa and looking for people with a good site.
Why bother
On 28 April 2025 mainland Spain and Portugal lost power for hours. Cell towers ran on batteries, then stopped altogether. The Balearics were spared that time — which is no reason to relax.
Depending on the site, a cell tower lasts a few hours on battery. After that: radio silence — even with 80 % left on your phone.
A gota fría, a wildfire, a mast blown over: on an island, one damaged node is enough to cut off a whole area.
When everyone calls at once the network jams long before it fails. Precisely when people need to coordinate.
MeshCore does not replace the emergency services. It makes sure neighbours, family and helpers can reach each other when nothing else works.
What MeshCore is
MeshCore is free, open software for small radio devices. Every device both receives and forwards. There is no central hub, no contract, and nobody who can switch it off.
The node pairs over Bluetooth with an app. You type as you would in any chat — the message just travels by radio instead of the mobile network.
Only the recipient can read a direct message. Repeaters pass it on without opening it.
That band is open to everyone in Europe. No amateur licence, no registration, no fee.
A node draws so little that a small solar panel keeps it running for years without anyone climbing up to it.
How a message travels
Between two phones lie a few metres of Bluetooth and many kilometres of radio. The repeater up high is the piece that turns two neighbours into half an island.
You write in the MeshCore app on your phone — offline, with no data connection at all.
The phone pushes the message over Bluetooth to your node, sitting somewhere in the house.
The node transmits on 868 MHz. Every repeater in range picks the message up and forwards it.
At the far end the same path in reverse — radio, Bluetooth, phone. Usually within seconds.
The plan
Radio needs line of sight. At around 540 metres the Randa stands alone in the Es Pla plain — from up there you see Palma, Llucmajor, Campos and as far as Manacor. One device up there replaces a dozen down in the valley.
39.5278 N · 2.9258 E
Main node. The longest reach; covers the bay of Palma and the plain.
39.5271 N · 2.9326 E
Picks up the eastern side — towards Campos, Felanitx and Manacor.
The first fixed node, and at the same time our test and measurement point.
The mountain rises out of flat land. Exactly what a radio node needs: nothing in the way.
The summit area and the eastern slope together cover the sides that each leaves in radio shadow.
Once we can see where the gaps are, another site follows — based on measurements, not guesswork.
All figures are at planning stage. Sites are surveyed on the ground and, of course, only built with the owner’s consent and within local regulations.
Honestly
A radio network meant for an emergency should not promise what it cannot keep. So here are the limits first.
The official emergency number stays the emergency number. MeshCore is for everything alongside it: “we’re fine here”, “water is up to the road”, “meet us at the gate”.
Short messages and positions. No calls, no photos, no video — the radio link is far too narrow for that.
With a clear line of sight, tens of kilometres are possible; behind a hill, sometimes not even two. That is why we build high and then measure.
The 868 MHz band has legal limits on power and airtime. We set the devices up to stay within them, gain antenna included.
We are building this as a neighbourhood project, not a product. There is nothing to subscribe to.
Looking for helpers
A network only becomes one when several people join in. We are looking for roofs, hills, masts and hillside fincas — anywhere you can see a long way. Ideally with the same device I use myself: then maintenance is the same for everyone.
A ridge, a gable, a mast, a hilltop. The less in the way, the better.
The device powers itself from a small solar panel. No mains connection needed.
Normally there is no more maintenance than that. If there is, we come out.
Only where it is explicitly permitted, of course.
We source, flash and configure the device ready to go — you just bolt it on.
If you like, we come out, align the antenna and measure the link.
Updates, network care, fault finding. Your site then appears on the network map.
No contract, no minimum term. If you want it down again, you take it down.
The kit
To keep the network maintainable we use the same hardware everywhere. People who join usually buy their own device — for particularly important sites we can talk about splitting the cost.
approx. €119
EU868 · nRF52840 · 5 W solar · 4 × 18650 (13,400 mAh) · GPS · weatherproof housing with mast bracket
A complete package for unattended outdoor operation. Around 8 mA at idle — which is why sunlight is enough.
approx. €25–35
868 MHz · N connector · mast clamp
Replaces the short stock antenna. Deliberately not 9 dBi: that radiates too flat and loses the nodes sitting lower down.
approx. €30–40
EU868 · USB-C · Bluetooth to the app
The small node for home or a rucksack. It links your phone to the network — you do not need a repeater of your own for that.
Total per repeater site: roughly €150 to €160, once. After that no running costs — no contract, no SIM, no fee.
Common questions
And if your question is not here, just write.
No. Neither for the repeater nor for your phone. The app talks to the node over Bluetooth and everything else goes by radio. That is exactly the point.
The network uses the 868 MHz band, which is open to everyone in Europe. No amateur licence, no registration. There are limits on transmit power and airtime — we set those correctly when configuring the device.
Between two nodes in a village, often only half a kilometre to two; roof to roof, two to five. From a repeater up high with a clear view, considerably more — on the Randa we expect 15 to 30 kilometres across the plain. These are figures from other LoRa mesh projects, not our own measurements: our network does not exist yet. And nobody gives guarantees in radio anyway.
Direct messages are end-to-end encrypted; a repeater forwards them without opening them. Open group channels are, as the name says, open — you do not write anything there that not everyone should read.
The device, around €150 once, usually bought by you. Setup, network care and updates are on us. There are no running costs.
Then you take it down. It is yours, it is tied to no contract, and the network finds another path. Just let us know so the map stays right.
Yes. Every node helps, street level included. To start, a small companion node for €30–40 is enough to see whether anyone is in range yet.
Building the network
A photo of the location and roughly where it is are enough to start. I will tell you honestly whether it is worth it.
MeshCore Mallorca is a private neighbourhood project by JumpIT. Not a commercial offer, no sign-up, no subscription.