Get on the mesh

So here's how you can get onto the mesh with any compatible device, there's many to choose from, some are also equipped with a GPS so you can just stick it in your pocket and it should update the location, some of these devices are also standalone so don't need a mobile phone to be used, note that the mobile phone used with the devices is only acting as an interface to these devices, that are known as companion radios.

So here is what you need to do to get on the mesh once you have purchased your device (any LoRa device that works on 868MHz should work for this)

1. Get the correct firmware for your device from the MeshCore website, the way this is installed depends on the device, in near enough all cases this would require a computer, for devices that connect to a phone via Bluetooth this is companion radio firmware, for standalone devices this is Client GUI, for some devices this will allow data on SD card so best to have one of those in the device if this is an option, during any kind of firmware install using a computer don't turn off the computer or unplug the USB cable, there's a risk you may brick the device rendering it unusable.
2. If you are using a companion radio device you can install the MeshCore app at this point, this is available on Google Play and the Apple App Store, if you're using a standalone device you can skip this step.
3. Once the flashing process has complete (the device will determine how long this takes to complete) you should restart the device, if it's just plugged in via USB just take the cable out and put it back in, if on batteries you may need to press the reset button, if you're using a companion device you can then open the MeshCore app on your phone and pair the device to the phone, if it has a screen a PIN will appear there for you, otherwise it is set to default of 123456, enter the pin when the phone asks for it, use the connect button in the MeshCore app and make sure the app has the right permissions, don't do this from the Bluetooth settings in the phone, once the app connects you should see the contacts list which should be empty, if it is not then it means while you've been pairing the device another station has advertised itself, repeaters are identified by a symbol that looks like a radio tower, you may not see repeaters immediately but these do advert themselves periodically, the other options are the channels list which lists channels, this should only be at this stage the public channel, and a map, this map is offline but there is an option to see an online map if you wish, on standalone devices this will differ and potentially depend on which device you have.
4. At this point you can send an advert, there are two types, a zero-hop advert which means those you can directly contact will hear it but it won't be repeated by any repeaters, or flood which means the whole mesh will hear it, in both cases this would add you to the contact lists of others automatically by default, you can turn off this option if you desire if you don't want others adding to your contact list and can choose who is on the list and who isn't.
5. You can still send messages in the public channel without sending an advert, the repeaters nearby should repeat this traffic, the public channel can also be removed should you not need or want to use it and you can set up your own channels with secret keys and share these with those you want to participate in the channels.

And that's you on the mesh, once firmware and the app are all installed you don't need the Internet again, so should the Internet and the phone networks stop working then you will still have a means to communicate with the outside world.