// the find
nootropicdesign/lora-mesh
LoRa mesh networking
A 2018 demo of LoRa mesh networking using Moteino/Arduino nodes, an ESP8266 gateway, and a Node.js web visualizer. Each node builds its own routing table by broadcasting to all peers and tracking which acknowledgements come back. Aimed at hobbyists who want to see LoRa mesh concepts in action, not production deployments.
The routing table approach — each node discovers peers by tracking ACKs — is simple enough to actually understand and modify. Separating the gateway (ESP8266 + MQTT) from the mesh nodes is a clean architectural split. The Node.js visualizer using Socket.IO + p5.js gives you live feedback without any polling hacks. All four components are self-contained sketches with minimal dependencies.
Abandoned since 2019 and it shows — N_NODES must be hardcoded at compile time, so adding a node means reflashing everything. There's no dynamic route discovery; the mesh is really a static star-of-stars with extra steps. No security whatsoever on the MQTT channel or the web interface. The RadioHead library dependency is notoriously finicky across board/transceiver combinations and the README gives you no help diagnosing failures.