Can you Explain it like I'm 5?

Pretend you're sitting in class and want to send a note to everyone in the class. You write your note on a piece of paper and copy it three times. The message can be up to 228 characters - about as long as this paragraph so far. You hand those three pieces of paper to the three people around you. Then those three people re-write the message three times and hand it to the three people around them and so on. Now imagine a big gust of wind comes and blows away some of the messages. If even just a few people saw the note and keep copying and re-sending it, eventually everyone will get a copy of the note. This is like sending an unencrypted message to everyone on the network.

Now imagine you want to send a message to a single person or a select group of people but you don't want other people who see the note to be able to read it. You could write the note using a secret language. You could then hand a decoder key to your friend or to a group of friends and they could decode the message. The message still gets passed the same way - with every single person writing the message a few times and handing it to everyone - but only those people with the decoder key will be able to understand the message. This is like sending an encrypted direct message or encrypted group message.

Denver Mesh works the same way as this paper example, but instead of sending paper notes we're using digital text messages and sending it with radio waves. Our radios are solar powered and they don’t need any internet or cell phone coverage. This means they will work even if the power is out.

What Are The Differences Between The Various Programs?

  • Meshtastic Beginner-friendly and widely used. Every device relays messages in a true peer-to-peer mesh — great for mobile groups like hiking parties or trail meetups. Strengths: Easy apps (Android/iOS/web), location sharing, telemetry, huge community with growing Colorado nodes. Trade-offs: Lower hop limit (usually max 7), higher airtime in busy areas.
  • MeshCore Newer (launched ~2025) and more structured. Regular "companion" devices send/receive only; dedicated repeaters handle routing for longer, more reliable paths. Strengths: Up to 64 hops, less congestion, better for fixed setups like mountaintop repeaters or larger networks. Same hardware, simple tools. Trade-offs: Not compatible with Meshtastic; needs planned repeaters for best performance.
  • Reticulum Advanced, flexible networking stack — works over LoRa and many other mediums (Wi-Fi, radio, etc.), with strong focus on security. Strengths: Built-in end-to-end encryption, anonymity, file transfer, and bridging different techs. Ideal for complex or future-proof setups. Trade-offs: Steeper learning curve and more setup.

Other Resourses