What Device Should I Buy?
Personal Node Recommendations
Best Daily Carry (EDC)
If you are looking for a reliable, rugged, and water-resistant node with a 5-day battery life, the T1000-E from Seeed Studio is a great choice. You can purchase it directly from Seeed Studio with 5% coupon K7ABUUV9 or on Amazon.
Our Recommendation List:
| Board | Strength | Trade-off | Buy-from |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1000-E | Durability & Long Battery Life | No display, Limited Expandbility | Seeed Studio, Amazon |
| T-Deck-Plus | Built-in Keyboard & Large Display | Poor Battery Life, Large Formfactor, High Price | Lilygo, Amazon |
| Wio Tracker L1 Pro | Durability, Joystick Keyboard (With Ranger Firmware), Great Battery Life | Larger Then T1000-E Without Water Resistance | Seeed Studio, Amazon |
| MeshPocket | Works As A Magsafe Battery Bank & E-Ink Display | Quite Fragile | Heltec Automation, Amazon |
Solar Node Recommendations
Pre-made Solar Nodes
If you prefer a "plug-and-play" solution that is weather-ready out of the box, the SenseCAP P1 or P1 Pro from Seeed Studio are excellent choices. These units integrate the solar controller and enclosure, saving you significant assembly time. you can recieve a 5% discount by code S9ZRMA1X at checkout.
The P1 is $35 cheaper as it does not include batteries or GPS; you will need to supply four 18650 batteries yourself. By comparison, the P1 Pro includes everything you need to get started, including an integrated GPS module.
Repeater Nodes to Build
For those DIYing their own repeater or solar enclosures, here are some boards we recommend.
Top Picks:
- Heltec V4: Our recommended board for repeater deployments using Meshcore
- RAK WisMesh: Lower power but more efficient for Meshtastic deployments
| Board | Strength | Trade-off | Buy-from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heltec V4 | Higher transmit power | Higher power consumption (Only for Meshtastic) | Heltec Automation, Amazon External Wifi Without Screen, Amazon With Screen |
| RAK WisMesh | Power efficiency | Slightly lower TX power | Rak Wireless, Amazon |
| Xio-SX1262 | Ultra-Small formfactor | poor price to preformance | Seeedstudio with 2% coupon 0YZSYDIW, Amazon |