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Documentation

Welcome to the Tri-Cities Mesh documentation.
Here you’ll find guides and resources for getting started, setting up your own node, and connecting with the community.

This section contains everything you need to learn about and use Tri-Cities Mesh:

  • Overview: What Tri-Cities Mesh is and why it matters.
  • Getting Started: Step-by-step instructions for setting up your first radio.
  • Community: Find out how to connect with others and get involved.
  • Coverage Map: Explore current node locations and live coverage.

As the network grows, we’ll add more documentation about advanced topics like hosting nodes at high sites, integrating sensors, and connecting to gateways.

For community updates, events, and news, check out the Community page.

1 - Overview

Learn what Tri-Cities Mesh is all about.

Welcome to Tri-Cities Mesh — an open, community-built network for the Tri-Cities area.

What is Tri-Cities Mesh?

Tri-Cities Mesh is a community-driven, off-grid communication network powered by Meshtastic.
Using small LoRa radios, it enables long-range, low-power messaging without needing cell towers, internet, or traditional infrastructure.

Our mission is simple: connect people across Kingsport, Johnson City, and Bristol—for outdoor adventures, community events, emergency preparedness, or just experimenting with mesh networking technology.

Why it matters

  • Resilient: Works even when cell service or internet is down.
  • Community-powered: Coverage grows as more people add nodes.
  • Accessible: Low-cost radios make it easy to get started.
  • Educational: A hands-on way to explore wireless networking.

It’s not meant for high-bandwidth use like streaming or calls, but it’s excellent for reliable text communication and data sharing.

What’s next?

2 - Getting Started

First steps to join and use the Tri-Cities Mesh network.

Join the Tri-Cities Meshtastic Network

Meshtastic is a low-power, long-range communication system that lets you send text messages and data without cell service or Wi-Fi.
It’s easy to get started, and by setting up a node you’ll help expand coverage across Kingsport, Johnson City, and Bristol.

This guide will walk you through choosing the right hardware, setting up your node, and connecting to the network.

Step 1: Get Your Hardware

To join the network, you’ll need a LoRa radio device that runs the Meshtastic firmware. Popular options include:

  • LilyGO T-Echo – Small, all-in-one with built-in screen and battery. Great for portable use.
  • LilyGO T-Beam – Long battery life, built-in GPS, and great for mobile or stationary use.
  • Heltec V3 LoRa Boards – Compact, low-power, and great for DIY setups.
  • RAK Wireless Modules – Excellent for solar-powered or high-performance relay nodes.

👉 Where to buy: Amazon, AliExpress, or directly from RAK Wireless.

Step 2: Flash the Meshtastic Firmware

Your device must run the Meshtastic firmware:

  1. Use the Meshtastic Flasher – Flasher Tool
  2. Install the firmware – Connect your device to your computer via USB and run the flasher.
  3. Install the app – Download the Meshtastic app (Android, iOS, or Desktop) and connect to your device via Bluetooth or USB.

Step 3: Configure Your Node

Once your device is flashed, adjust a few settings:

  • LoRa Region → Select US 915 MHz (for United States).
  • Device Name → Helps others recognize your node.
  • Channels → Join the default chat or create a custom group channel.

Step 4: Deploy Your Node

Decide if your node will be mobile or fixed:

Mobile Node (personal use)

  • Charge the battery or use a USB power bank.
  • Carry your Meshtastic device in your backpack or vehicle.
  • Communicate with other users in range!

Fixed Node (network expansion)

  • Place your node at high elevation for maximum coverage.
  • Power with USB adapter, solar panel, or external battery.
  • Weatherproof with an outdoor case if mounted outside.

Step 5: Start Communicating!

Once online, you can:

  • Chat with others on the network.
  • Send/relay messages where cell coverage doesn’t reach.
  • Share GPS location (if enabled).
  • Help strengthen reliability for everyone.

Want to Do More?

  • Host a relay – A tower, tall building, or mountaintop node greatly boosts coverage.
  • Support expansion – Donate gear, host a site, or join field testing.
  • Connect with us – Join our community to share your setup, get help, and discuss improvements.

🚀 Ready to get started?
Set up your node today and help build the Tri-Cities Meshtastic Network!

3 - Contribution Guidelines

How to contribute to the docs

These basic sample guidelines assume that your Docsy site is deployed using Netlify and your files are stored in GitHub. You can use the guidelines “as is” or adapt them with your own instructions: for example, other deployment options, information about your doc project’s file structure, project-specific review guidelines, versioning guidelines, or any other information your users might find useful when updating your site. Kubeflow has a great example.

Don’t forget to link to your own doc repo rather than our example site! Also make sure users can find these guidelines from your doc repo README: either add them there and link to them from this page, add them here and link to them from the README, or include them in both locations.

We use Hugo to format and generate our website, the Docsy theme for styling and site structure, and Netlify to manage the deployment of the site. Hugo is an open-source static site generator that provides us with templates, content organisation in a standard directory structure, and a website generation engine. You write the pages in Markdown (or HTML if you want), and Hugo wraps them up into a website.

All submissions, including submissions by project members, require review. We use GitHub pull requests for this purpose. Consult GitHub Help for more information on using pull requests.

Updating a single page

If you’ve just spotted something you’d like to change while using the docs, Docsy has a shortcut for you:

  1. Click Edit this page in the top right hand corner of the page.
  2. If you don’t already have an up to date fork of the project repo, you are prompted to get one - click Fork this repository and propose changes or Update your Fork to get an up to date version of the project to edit. The appropriate page in your fork is displayed in edit mode.
  3. Follow the rest of the Quick start with Netlify process above to make, preview, and propose your changes.

Creating an issue

If you’ve found a problem in the docs, but you’re not sure how to fix it yourself, please create an issue in the Goldydocs repo. You can also create an issue about a specific page by clicking the Create Issue button in the top right hand corner of the page.

Useful resources