Tell someone before you go. Even where there's no signal.
MeshSafe is a free check-in service for bushwalkers and boaters around the Illawarra. It runs over long-range mesh radio — no mobile coverage, no internet, no SIM card needed. Register a trip, check in as you go, and if you don't come back on time, the person you nominated gets an email with your last known position.
$0/month · no account · no app subscriptions · runs on a solar-friendly Raspberry Pi
What on earth is a "mesh radio"?
Your phone normally needs a tower to send a message. In the bush and offshore, there's often no tower. MeshCore is a community network of little battery-powered radios that pass messages along for each other — hilltop to hilltop — until they reach their destination.
You carry a card-sized radio (about $60, lasts days on a charge). It talks to your phone over Bluetooth.
Your message hops between volunteer relay stations on ridgelines and rooftops across the Illawarra and beyond — no towers, no internet, no fees.
Messages are encrypted, and your radio can attach your GPS position — which is how MeshSafe knows where you last were.
How MeshSafe works
Everything happens by short messages between your phone and the MeshSafe station — like texting a very reliable, slightly obsessive mate who never forgets you're out there.
Register
Message MeshSafe for the first time and it asks three questions: your name, your mobile, and who to email if you're overdue.
What's your name? KarlLog a trip
Tell it when you'll be back and (optionally) where you're headed. Choose reminder pings if you want them.
out 5pm Mt Keira loop Reminder pings? 30m, 1h, 2h or no.Check in
Tap one button (send an "advert") — that proves you're OK and logs your GPS position. Any message counts too.
Advert received ✓ Position logged.Escalation
Miss your return time and stay silent for 30 more minutes? Your contact gets an email with your last known position and a map link. Check back in and they get the all-clear.
back Glad you're back safe. Trip closed. 👍What you need
Three things. Two of them are free, and you probably own the third's charger already.
Your iPhone
Any reasonably recent iPhone (or Android). It talks to the radio over Bluetooth — it does not need mobile signal for MeshSafe to work.
You have thisThe MeshCore app
Free on the App Store. It's the messaging app you'll use to talk to MeshSafe (and to other people on the mesh).
Free — meshcore.ioA small LoRa radio
The card-sized gadget that does the long-range talking. Clips to your pack, weeks of standby battery, has its own GPS.
≈ AU$60 once, no ongoing costsOur pick: Seeed Studio SenseCAP Card Tracker T1000-E
Credit-card sized, built-in GPS, IP65 water resistance, USB-C charging, and it hangs off a lanyard. Search "SenseCAP T1000-E" at Seeed Studio or the usual Australian electronics resellers. Make sure you buy the 915 MHz version (that's the Australian frequency). Other MeshCore-compatible devices work fine too — this is just the easiest one to recommend.
Set-up guide (iPhone)
Allow about 30 minutes end to end. Steps 1–2 need a computer with Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge (the firmware installer runs in the browser). Everything after that is on your phone.
Put MeshCore software on your radio
Your T1000-E arrives with different software installed. You'll replace it with MeshCore — done in the browser, no technical skills needed.
- On a computer, open Chrome or Edge and go to meshcore.io/flasher.
- Plug the T1000-E into the computer with a USB-C data cable (the cable that came with it works).
- In the flasher, choose Seeed Studio SenseCAP T1000-E (under "Community Firmware").
- Choose the firmware called Companion Bluetooth — this is the one that talks to your phone.
- Click Enter DFU Mode and pick the serial port that appears (named "nRF…" or "TinyUSB").
- Click Flash, pick the port again, and wait for the progress bar to finish. The device reboots itself — done.
What the flasher asks, in order.
Install the MeshCore app & connect your radio
- On your iPhone, open the App Store and search MeshCore (or go to meshcore.io and tap the App Store link). Install the free app.
- Turn the T1000-E on (hold its button ~3 seconds until it beeps/flashes).
- Open the app, tap Connect, and choose your T1000-E from the Bluetooth list.
- Give yourself a name when asked — this is what MeshSafe and other mesh users will see. First name or nickname is perfect.
Pairing takes under a minute.
Turn on location sharing
This is the setting that lets MeshSafe log where you are when you check in. Without it the service still works — it just won't have a position to give your emergency contact.
- In the MeshCore app, open your device Settings.
- Find Share Location (location in adverts) and turn it on.
- Allow the app to use your phone's location if iOS asks.
One switch — that's the whole step.
Say hello to the mesh (send an advert)
An advert is your radio introducing itself to the network: "I'm Karl, here's my key, here's where I am." You must send one before your first message to MeshSafe — otherwise MeshSafe's radio doesn't know you yet and can't read your messages.
- In the app, find the Advert button (often under the ⚡/antenna menu).
- Choose Flood Advert — the kind that travels across the whole mesh, not just one hop.
- Wait ~30 seconds, then pull down to refresh your Contacts list. MeshSafe should appear.
Advert first, then MeshSafe appears.
Register with MeshSafe (three questions, once ever)
- Tap MeshSafe in your contacts and send it any message — hi works.
- It asks your name → reply with it.
- It asks your mobile number → this goes in the alert email so your contact can pass it to police or rescuers.
- It asks for your emergency contact's email → the person who should be told if you're ever overdue. Tell them you're nominating them!
The actual registration conversation.
Your first trip
- Before you set off: out 5pm Mt Keira loop — "out", your return time, and an optional note about where you're going.
- It asks about reminder pings: reply 30m, 1h, 2h, or no. Pings are it checking on you during the trip.
- While walking: when it pings you (or whenever you like), send an advert — that's your check-in, position included. You'll get "Position logged ✓" back.
- Running late? extend 7pm. Back safe? back — always close your trip!
A whole trip, start to finish.
Every command
Message these to MeshSafe anytime. They're not case-sensitive, and any other message during a trip simply counts as a check-in.
| You send | What happens |
|---|---|
| out 5pm | Start a trip — you expect to be back by 5pm today. Add a note: out 5pm Mt Keira loop. Same-day times only. |
| 30m / 1h / 2h / no | Answer the pings question, or change your reminder interval mid-trip. |
| (send an advert) | Best way to check in: proves you're OK when it has asked, and logs your GPS position every time. |
| ok (any message) | Also counts as a check-in — without a fresh position. |
| extend 7pm | Push your return time out. Do this the moment you know you're running late. |
| status | Where you stand: trip state, deadline, last check-in, last position. |
| back | Trip over, you're safe. Also: home or done. If your contact was alerted, they automatically get the all-clear. |
| sos | Immediate alert email to your contact with your last known position — no waiting. If you can reach 000 yourself, always do that first. |
| profile | Update your name, mobile or emergency contact (between trips). |
| help | A pocket version of this table. |
Know the limits — please read this once
MeshSafe is a nice-to-have — an extra layer on top of good trip planning, not a replacement for it. It's run by one volunteer on hobbyist radio equipment. It is genuinely useful, and it is genuinely not foolproof. Both are true.
It is not a distress beacon
A PLB (personal locator beacon) talks to satellites and alerts professional rescue services directly. MeshSafe emails a friend. For remote or solo trips, carry a PLB — around $300, no subscription, and it works anywhere on Earth.
Coverage has holes
Mesh radio needs a chain of relays between you and Port Kembla. Deep gullies, dense canopy and distance all break the chain. No coverage = your check-ins and SOS simply don't arrive. The escarpment and coast are decent; assume nothing further afield.
Nobody is watching a screen
Escalation is automatic software on a Raspberry Pi. If the power's out, the Pi's crashed, or the email service hiccups at the wrong moment, an alert can be late or lost. There is no staffed control room.
False alarms happen
If you forget to close your trip, your contact gets a scary email while you're eating chips on the couch. Brief the person you nominate: "overdue" usually means "out of coverage or forgot", and the email itself says so.
Also do the old-fashioned things: tell a person your route and return time face-to-face, check the weather, and log on with Marine Rescue NSW if you're heading out on the water — that's a professional service and it's also free.
FAQ
How much does it cost?
The service is free — no account, no subscription. Your only cost is the radio (≈ AU$60 once). It's run as a community project; if it ever gets busy enough to cost real money, that'll be a nice problem.
Does my phone need mobile signal?
No — that's the whole point. Your phone talks to your radio over Bluetooth, and the radio talks to the mesh. Mobile signal, wifi and SIM cards are not involved anywhere between you and MeshSafe.
The alert email to your contact is sent from the MeshSafe station in Port Kembla, which does have internet.
What exactly does my emergency contact receive?
When you register, they get one heads-up email so a future alert isn't mistaken for spam. If you go overdue: an email with your name, mobile number, trip note, expected return time, when you were last heard from, your last known position with a Google Maps link, your recent position trail, and an honest note about whether messages were reaching your radio. If you check in afterwards, they get an all-clear automatically.
How's my privacy?
Messages between you and MeshSafe are end-to-end encrypted by MeshCore. MeshSafe stores your name, mobile, contact email and — only during an active trip — the positions you broadcast. Adverts (including position, when you enable it) are visible to the mesh by design; that's how mesh networks work. Don't enable Share Location if that bothers you — the service still functions, just without positions.
What's the battery life like?
The T1000-E idles for days-to-weeks. For a day walk, charge it the night before and don't think about it again. Your phone's battery matters more — the app doesn't need to stay open, but the radio holds messages for when you reconnect.
Can I use it for multi-day or overnight trips?
Not yet — trips currently need a same-day return time. For an overnighter, log each day as its own trip in the morning ("out 6pm Kanangra day 2"). Proper multi-day trips are on the wish list.
I'm a boater — anything different for me?
Same service, same commands. But please also log on with Marine Rescue NSW (VHF 16 / their app) — that's the real system for boats, staffed by professionals. MeshSafe is a bonus layer, and land-based relays mean coverage drops off as you get further offshore.
MeshSafe isn't appearing in my contacts. Help?
1) Make sure you sent a Flood Advert (step 4) and wait a minute. 2) Use the "Ask MeshSafe to send an advert" button in step 4 — it makes the station broadcast its contact card to you. 3) Move somewhere with a view towards the escarpment or coast and advert again. 4) Check the app is on the AU 915 MHz preset. Still stuck? There's a friendly local mesh community — search "Illawarra MeshCore" — who love a coverage puzzle.
Who runs this?
A local volunteer, on a Raspberry Pi and a rooftop antenna in Port Kembla, because it seemed like it should exist. It sits on top of the wider volunteer-built MeshCore network across the Illawarra — the relay stations that carry your messages are other people's hobby projects too.