MeshCore vs Meshtastic: Why I Don’t Support MeshCore!

In this video, I explain why I do not support MeshCore on my channel and why I have chosen not to make videos about it. This is not me saying MeshCore is useless. It is still a tool, and it may be a good fit for some people. What matters most to me is that people are getting into off grid communications, learning how communication systems work, and experimenting with LoRa technology. My issue is with how MeshCore is often presented. I come from a networking background, and I do not see MeshCore as some automatic upgrade over Meshtastic. I see tradeoffs. Smart routing can absolutely make sense in stable environments with repeated direct communication between the same nodes. But smart routing is not free. The network has to learn paths, store route information, react when paths break, and recover when the environment changes. MeshCore’s own FAQ explains that first contact uses flood routing, then a delivery report helps establish a future direct path, and if a known path breaks the node can reset that path and fall back to flood again. Another thing people need to consider is the hardware that is actually out in the field. Sometimes one system may seem to have better reach, but that may not only be because of the protocol itself. It could also be because there are simply more nodes deployed in that area, better node placement, higher elevation, better antennas, or stronger local coverage. Your real world experience can depend just as much on location and infrastructure as it does on the software design. To be fair, Meshtastic is not purely flood only anymore either. The current Meshtastic docs say that since version 2.6, direct messages use a different approach from broadcasts. It starts with managed flooding, can learn a next hop for future direct messages, and can fall back to managed flooding again if RF conditions change or a next hop stops working. That is why I keep saying this is not about blind loyalty to routing or flooding. It is about understanding the use case. Meshtastic’s own writing says managed flood routing avoids route discovery overhead, adapts well to dynamic topologies, and is optimized for broadcast-heavy traffic, while route discovery and maintenance can add overhead on low-bandwidth LoRa networks. For me, and for the kinds of situations I care about most, I still lean toward Meshtastic. I think it makes more sense for dynamic environments, survival communications, group messaging, and general message spreading where simplicity, resilience, and adaptability matter more than trying to maintain an ideal route. Do your own research. Do not just take my word for it, and do not blindly take anyone else’s word for it either. Look at the official documentation, compare the tradeoffs, look at your local environment, consider the hardware around you, and choose the tool that makes the most sense for your needs. References Meshtastic Mesh Broadcast Algorithm https://meshtastic.org/docs/overview/mesh-algo/ Meshtastic 2.6 Preview: MUI and Next-Hop Routing are here! https://meshtastic.org/blog/meshtastic-2-6-preview/ Why Meshtastic Uses Managed Flood Routing https://meshtastic.org/blog/why-meshtastic-uses-managed-flood-routing/ MeshCore FAQ https://github.com/meshcore-dev/MeshCore/blob/main/docs/faq.md MeshCore Issue #1775: Mesh Reliability Risks Under Scale and Mobility https://github.com/meshcore-dev/MeshCore/issues/1775 MeshCore Issue #1489: Proposal: Improve DM reliability https://github.com/meshcore-dev/MeshCore/issues/1489 #MeshCore #Meshtastic #LoRa #OffGridComms #MeshNetwork #RadioTech #Networking #SurvivalComms #LoRaMesh #GhostStrats #cybersecurity #ghoststrats #infosec #ethicalhacking #hackinggadgets #cyberawareness #digitalsecurity #offgridtech #ai #education