Title: LoRa Meshtastic
Description: LoRa Meshtastic chat on GhostESP with BLE app link and stock radio interop
URL: /latest/lora/
Version: latest
Section: GhostESP: Revival
Keywords: LoRa, Meshtastic, SX1262, Heltec V3, LongFast, mesh
Search index: /search-index.json

# LoRa Meshtastic

> LoRa Meshtastic chat on GhostESP with BLE app link and stock radio interop

## On this page

- [Hardware](#hardware)
- [Regions and channel](#regions-and-channel)
- [What you can do](#what-you-can-do)
- [Chatting on a screen](#chatting-on-a-screen)
- [Quick links](#quick-links)

---

GhostESP implements a Meshtastic-compatible LoRa mesh on SX1262 radios. Chat with stock Meshtastic nodes, bridge the mesh to the official Meshtastic phone app over BLE, and use GhostESP as a field node or sniffer.
Stock radio interop is first-class: same sync word, channels, and wire encryption as Meshtastic firmware, so GhostESP joins existing meshes without flashing stock firmware.
## Hardware
- Heltec V3 / V3.2 — SX1262 + ESP32-S3 with built-in OLED, pre-wired. Use sdkconfig.heltecv3 (or the matching release build). Primary supported boards.
- Elecrow CrowPanel Advance 2.4 — SX1262 wireless module. Use sdkconfig.crowpanel_advance24; the display stays on SPI2 and the radio uses SPI3.
- Elecrow CrowPanel Advance 2.8 — SX1262 wireless module. Use sdkconfig.crowpanel_advance28; the display stays on SPI2 and the radio uses SPI3.
- Elecrow CrowPanel Advance 4.3 — SX1262 Meshtastic wireless module. Use sdkconfig.crowpanel_advance43 and set the rear switch to 01 (WM); SD/TF is unavailable in wireless-module mode.
- Generic SX1262 — any ESP32 with an SX1262 via SPI through custom board wiring; configure pins in Kconfig. See [Hardware Support](/latest/getting-started/supported-hardware/) for build matrix.
See [Hardware](/latest/lora/hardware/) for Vext power sequencing and SPI/SD conflicts.
## Regions and channel
- 24 regions — LongFast-legal presets such as anz, us915, eu868, eu433, jp, kr, and in. Each maps to the region’s frequency slot and radio settings.
- Default-key channel — LongFast primary channel with the well-known default PSK (AQ== base64, hash 0x08). GhostESP derives the same chash so stock nodes decrypt without rekeying.
- Duty guard — regional duty-cycle limiter throttles TX when airtime exceeds the legal window; lora status shows remaining budget.
## What you can do
- Chat on the mesh from the CLI (lora chat) or the official Meshtastic app over BLE.
- Send encrypted direct messages after the two nodes exchange NodeInfo public keys.
- On Heltec boards, the OLED shows live link, node, traffic, relay, signal, and error status. New messages briefly replace any selected animation with the sender and a three-line preview; press PRG to dismiss it.
- Track nodes, routing, and link health from NodeInfo and traceroute equivalents.
- Bridge to the companion app over Wi-Fi (companion wifi) or BLE (companion ble) when BLE radio sharing matters.
## Chatting on a screen
Open LoRa → Messages for public chat and direct conversations. Choose New direct message to pick a node. Select Write inside a conversation to open the keyboard.
- Touch: tap to open, drag to read, and select the Write or Back rows.
- Encoder: turn to move through messages and Back/Write; press to select.
- Joystick: up/down to move, centre to select, left to go back.
- Keyboard: arrows or Tab to move, Enter to select, Esc to go back; n opens Write inside a conversation.
DM status changes from Pending to Delivered or Failed when a routing result arrives. Sent means sent locally, not confirmed delivered. Recent messages use a compact 32-entry NVS-backed history: old entries expire as it fills, and normal reboot/reflash keeps them (an erase-flash/factory reset clears them). The built-in OLED uses its compact preview instead of this full chat screen.
## Quick links
- [Getting Started](/latest/lora/getting-started/) — first-run checklist from build flag to verified chat
- [Commands](/latest/lora/commands/) — full lora CLI reference
- [BLE App Link](/latest/lora/ble-app/) — pair the official Meshtastic app over Ghost-XXXX
- [Mesh Details](/latest/lora/mesh/) — wire format, sync word, flood, and NodeInfo
- [Hardware](/latest/lora/hardware/) — Vext power, SPI, and custom board Kconfig