Documentation

Meshtastic primer

Voicetastic does not invent a new network. It rides on Meshtastic, an open-source LoRa mesh. If Meshtastic is new to you, here is the smallest explanation that will get you to a useful mental model.

What is Meshtastic?

Meshtastic is a project that turns inexpensive LoRa radios into a self-healing wireless mesh. Each radio (called a node) can relay messages for the others, so coverage grows organically as more people join. No tower. No SIM card. No subscription. Range per hop is typically a few hundred metres in town and several kilometres in the open; multi-hop networks easily cover a town or a hiking trail.

You relay relay Friend
A message can take any working path of relays. Nodes rebroadcast for each other automatically.

What it carries by default

  • Short text messages, broadcast or direct.
  • Position and telemetry, if you opt in.
  • Channels: a channel is just a shared name + pre-shared key. Anyone with the key is in.

Voicetastic adds voice messages on top, using a Meshtastic application port reserved for third-party tenants (PRIVATE_APP, port 256). To Meshtastic, voice frames look like any other payload; they get the same encryption, the same routing, the same airtime budget.

What hardware do I need?

A Meshtastic radio

Any node running modern Meshtastic firmware. ESP32, nRF52, RP2040, the list is long and growing. See supported devices.

A Voicetastic client

The Android app (BLE or USB serial) or the Linux desktop client (BLE or USB serial). Both speak the same wire protocol.

A LilyGo T-Deck (optional)

The reference target for the browser flasher: a standalone Voicetastic-aware radio with a screen and keyboard.

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You can use Voicetastic with a standard Meshtastic radio. You do not need a Voicetastic-specific firmware. The custom firmware (in our firmware fork) only matters for nodes that act as standalone Voicetastic devices, like the T-Deck.

How it stays private

Meshtastic encrypts every channel with AES-256-CTR using the channel's pre-shared key. Voicetastic delegates confidentiality to that layer rather than rolling its own envelope. Anyone with the channel key can read traffic on it; anyone without cannot. If you want stricter confidentiality, give the channel out only to trusted parties.

Where to learn more

Meshtastic docs

The canonical project documentation: getting started, channels, firmware, modules.

Supported hardware

Every board the Meshtastic firmware runs on, with notes and quirks.

Build the firmware

Compile firmware from source if you want full control over your node.

Configuration reference

Every setting Meshtastic itself exposes: LoRa preset, region, channels, power, position.
Overview How it works