A side-by-side reference for choosing concentrator hardware and MeshCore companion radios. For high-level options see README > Hardware. For build-from-parts assembly see Onboarding > Step 2.
The host is always a Raspberry Pi 4 (1 GB minimum, 2 GB recommended) running 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS Lite. Pi 3 and Pi 5 are not currently supported: the compiled core modules are aarch64 binaries built and tested on Pi 4. Pi 5 may work but is not validated.
| RAK Hotspot V2 (RAK7248) | SenseCap M1 | DIY (Pi + RAK2287 + HAT) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concentrator | RAK2287 (SX1302) | WM1303 (SX1303) | RAK2287 (SX1302) |
| TX support | Yes (native, with HAL patch) | Yes (native, with HAL patch) | Yes (native, with HAL patch) |
| RX channels | 8 simultaneous | 8 simultaneous | 8 simultaneous |
| Spreading factors | SF7-SF12 simultaneous | SF7-SF12 simultaneous | SF7-SF12 simultaneous |
| Form factor | Pre-assembled metal case | Pre-assembled metal case | Bare or 3D-printed enclosure |
| Carrier crypto chip | None | ATECC608 (auto-detected) | None |
| SD card included | Usually 32 GB | Sometimes 64 GB | Buy separately |
| Antenna included | Yes | Yes | Buy separately |
| PSU included | Yes (USB-C) | Yes (USB-C, into carrier) | Buy separately |
| SPI bus latch on hard power loss | Yes | No | Yes |
| Typical price (eBay, used) | $40-70 | $30-60 | $50-90 (parts) |
Plug-and-play with install.sh |
Yes | Yes | Yes |
The RAK2287 module can latch its SPI bus when power is cut while the
concentrator is active. The Meshpoint service holds the concentrator in
GPIO reset during shutdown to prevent this on sudo reboot and
sudo systemctl restart meshpoint. Hard power loss (yanked cable,
breaker trip, outage) can still latch and require a full power-off for 10+
seconds to clear. Repeated hard power loss can permanently damage the
SX1250 RF front-end. The SenseCap M1 (SX1303 + WM1303) does not have this
issue.
If your deployment cannot guarantee clean shutdowns, either:
- Buy a SenseCap M1 instead, or
- Add a small UPS (PiSugar, USB battery with passthrough) to the RAK V2.
| If... | Buy... |
|---|---|
| You want the cheapest path | Whichever is cheaper on eBay this week |
| Power is occasionally unreliable and you have no UPS | SenseCap M1 |
| You already own a Pi 4 | DIY: RAK2287 + RAK Pi HAT |
| You want easiest reflash (back panel access) | RAK Hotspot V2 (4 bottom screws) |
| Hardware | Status | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi 3 | Not supported | Compiled core modules are aarch64 only; not enough RAM headroom for future growth |
| Raspberry Pi 5 | Not validated | May work but not regularly tested |
| Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W | Not supported | Insufficient memory and IO for concentrator + dashboard |
| 32-bit Raspberry Pi OS | Not supported | Core binaries are aarch64 |
| x86 / x86_64 host | Not supported | Same reason |
| RAK7268 / RAK7268V2 (commercial gateway) | Not supported | These are LoRaWAN gateways with different firmware path; SX1302 is similar but the platform stack does not match |
| Helium WHIP / Linxdot Indoor | Not validated | Same chip family as RAK V2 but the carrier varies; community testing welcome |
| Single-channel SX1276/SX1262 boards | Not for concentrator role | These are single-channel radios. They can run as a MeshCore USB companion, not as the main concentrator. |
Optional. Adds MeshCore RX and TX through a single-channel USB radio plugged into the Pi's USB port. Different protocol from Meshtastic, listens on a different default frequency.
Flash the radio with the companion_radio_usb firmware variant from
flasher.meshcore.co.uk before plugging
into the Pi. The setup wizard auto-detects the device and configures its
frequency to match your region.
MeshCore on most regions uses a 62.5 kHz LoRa bandwidth. The SX1302 concentrator inside every supported Meshpoint (RAK V2, SenseCap M1, RAK2287 DIY) cannot tune below 125 kHz. That is a hardware limitation of the SX1302 baseband, not a software gap, so MeshCore packets at 62.5 kHz are physically invisible to the concentrator no matter how it is configured.
The single-channel SX1262 inside a USB companion radio (Heltec V3/V4, T-Beam, etc.) operates well below 125 kHz, so it has no problem demodulating MeshCore at 62.5 kHz. Meshpoint then decodes those packets natively through its MeshCore decoder. If MeshCore networks in your area ever migrate to 125 kHz or wider, the SX1302 will be able to receive them directly and the USB companion becomes optional. See ROADMAP for the status of dual-protocol HAL work that would enable that path.
| Device | Chipset | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Heltec LoRa V3 | ESP32-S3 | Common, inexpensive, validated |
| Heltec LoRa V4 / V4 OLED | ESP32-S3 | Latest Heltec revision, validated |
| LilyGo T-Beam | ESP32 | Includes GPS |
| Heltec Wireless Tracker | ESP32-S3 | Includes GPS and display |
When two Heltec V3/V4 boards are plugged in (or one Heltec V4 with different firmwares on different boots), USB enumeration can be counterintuitive:
| Firmware on Heltec V4 | Enumerates as | USB ID |
|---|---|---|
| MeshCore companion | heltec_wifi_lora_32 v4 (named device) |
303a:0002 |
| Meshtastic | USB JTAG/serial debug unit (generic device) | 303a:1001 |
Most users assume the Meshtastic firmware is the "named" one and MeshCore is the generic one. It is the opposite. The MeshCore firmware initializes TinyUSB so the host sees the friendly board name. The Meshtastic firmware on this hardware does not initialize TinyUSB and falls back to the generic JTAG/serial endpoint.
If you have both a MeshCore companion and a Meshtastic node attached over
USB at the same time, pin the MeshCore serial port explicitly in
local.yaml to avoid auto-detect grabbing the wrong device:
capture:
meshcore_usb:
auto_detect: false
serial_port: "/dev/ttyACM0"Bundled antennas with RAK V2 and SenseCap M1 work fine for basic indoor or window-mounted deployments. For better coverage:
| Use case | Recommended | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor / window | 3-5 dBi omni (bundled is fine) | |
| Rooftop / pole, line of sight to neighborhood | 6-8 dBi omni | Sweet spot for most urban Meshpoints |
| Rooftop / tower, distant horizon coverage | 10-12 dBi omni | Flattened radiation pattern, loses very-close low-elevation nodes |
| Long feedline run (over 30 ft) | LMR-400 cable + the same antenna | Loss in cheap RG-58 dominates the link budget |
Always connect the antenna BEFORE powering on. Transmitting without an antenna damages the radio. RX-only without an antenna is safe but useless.
GPS antenna (u.FL to SMA pigtail) is optional. If your carrier board has a u-blox GPS module, plugging in a GPS antenna gives you automatic positioning during the setup wizard. Otherwise enter coordinates manually (right-click any spot in Google Maps to copy in decimal format).
| Component | Recommended |
|---|---|
| PSU | Official Raspberry Pi 4 USB-C PSU (5V 3A). Cheap PSUs cause SD card corruption. |
| SD card | 32 GB minimum, Class 10 or better. SanDisk High Endurance or Samsung Pro Endurance for 24/7 deployments. |
| UPS (optional) | PiSugar 3, USB battery with passthrough. Strongly recommended for RAK V2 deployments without reliable mains. |
| PoE (optional) | Pi 4 PoE+ HAT, or PoE injector + USB-C PD. Useful for rooftop installs. |
Bad PSUs and cheap SD cards are the most common silent failure mode. If
you see SyntaxError: source code string cannot contain null bytes or
fatal: loose object is corrupt in the logs after a power event, the SD
card took a bad write. See Troubleshooting > Recovering from a corrupted install.