Aventerra works without any extra hardware. The mesh is for the part of the day when the phones have no signal and you still want to know where everyone is. Each rider pairs a small LoRa radio to their phone. This is how we set one up.
Get a radio running Meshtastic
Meshtastic is an open project that turns inexpensive LoRa radios into a long range, off-grid communication platform, in the project's own words on its introduction page. Aventerra talks to any radio running Meshtastic firmware. The project keeps a list of supported devices by maker. The two we carry are the Elecrow ThinkNode M5 and the LilyGO T-Deck Plus, and our Hardware page explains why.
If your radio does not have Meshtastic on it yet, the project's getting started guide walks through flashing the firmware. Each rider needs their own radio, since a radio shows the position of the phone it is paired to.
Pair it in the app
Open Settings, then Mesh Radio, and turn on Enable mesh radio. The app asks for Bluetooth permission, then offers Scan for Radios. Radios you have paired before appear first, then anything the scan finds. Tap yours.
A radio with a screen generates a random pairing PIN for you to enter on the phone. A radio without a screen uses a fixed PIN, and the Meshtastic Bluetooth settings page strongly recommends changing the default.
If the scan comes up empty, the app shows the three checks we run ourselves. The radio is on and within a few metres. It is not connected to another phone or to the Meshtastic app, because a connected radio stops advertising over Bluetooth. And if nothing else works, restart the radio and scan again.
Set the region and keep the preset
Open Radio settings. The first thing to check is LoRa region. A radio with no region set does not transmit at all, and the app warns you when it finds one. The region depends on where you physically are, not where you live. The Meshtastic LoRa settings page says it plainly: you must set the region to stay within the legal limits for your area.
Then the preset. The same page states that devices in one mesh must have identical settings for region and modem preset to communicate fully. The simplest way to get a group talking is to leave every radio on the default preset. Node name follows your Aventerra handle, so a rider on the stock Meshtastic app sees a person instead of a hardware id.
Leave the role on Client. A client relays for everyone around it. Client, no relay saves your battery and extends nobody's range. Router is for a radio you leave somewhere high on purpose.
Decide who sees your position
The radio broadcasts a position every 30 seconds. Two settings decide how precise it is and who can read it.
On the public channel, Meshtastic rounds positions to about a kilometre by default, so strangers in range cannot pinpoint you. Switch on Broadcast my exact position and the people who can read your messages get your real position. Send on movement makes the radio wait until you have actually moved instead of transmitting on a timer, which is kinder to airtime and battery.
The app also configures a Private Aventerra channel on the radio. Meshtastic channels only talk to each other when names and keys match, so a stock Meshtastic app in range does not read this one, and it carries exact positions to the people who can read your messages. You do not exchange anything by hand. Two Aventerra users can talk the first time they meet.
Mesh chat is end-to-end encrypted with rotating group keys. Mesh positions are standard Meshtastic packets, protected only by the channel key. Internet chat is not encrypted.
Try it before you leave
Start a group activity, invite the crew by QR code or join link, then put the phones in airplane mode in the parking lot. Send a quick chat. Each message shows how far it got: Reached their radio, Relayed by the mesh, or Not confirmed with a resend button. A message too long for the radio goes out through the cloud instead, and the app tells you so.
Open Nodes heard to see which radios yours can hear. Then walk the group apart and watch who drops off. That test tells you more about your radios and your terrain than any range figure would, which is why we do not publish one.
Know what the mesh carries
Over the mesh, the app moves positions, chat, waypoints, community reports and SOS. It does not move photos or voice notes. SOS reaches your ride group, your friends or anyone nearby who runs the app, relayed over the radios. It does not reach emergency services. For a life-threatening emergency, use your phone's Emergency SOS or a dedicated satellite communicator.
Mesh is mobile only. The web app has no radio. The companion watch app can send a chat quick reply or an SOS through the phone it is paired to.
Once the radios talk, the rest of the group features come with them. The Group and mesh page has the full picture, including what the mesh does not do.