Heltec WiFi LoRa 32 V3

ESP32-S3 and SX1262 LoRa board with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth LE and an OLED. Runs Meshtastic, MeshCore and RNode; 21 dBm max, within the UK 500 mW slot.

Specifications
Maker	Heltec Automation
MCU	ESP32-S3FN8
LoRa radio	SX1262
Max TX power	21 +/-1 dBm (Heltec)
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 5 LE
Memory	384 KB ROM, 512 KB SRAM, 8 MB flash (in the SiP)
Screen	0.96 inch 128x64 OLED
GPS	None onboard
Battery	SH1.25-2 connector with integrated charging
Vendor price (USD)	$17.90-$19.90 on heltec.org (read 2026-10-29); no UK price verified

What it is

The Heltec WiFi LoRa 32 V3 is a small development board with an ESP32-S3FN8 microcontroller, a Semtech SX1262 LoRa radio, a 0.96 inch OLED, a battery connector with a built-in charger, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5 LE. It has no GPS. It is one of the boards the hardware buyer's guide suggests as a cheap first node.

Who it suits

Best for: a first node on a desk or windowsill, where USB power is available and you want Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It is also a common board across Meshtastic, MeshCore and RNode, so it is easy to find instructions for.

Not for: a battery or solar repeater on a long timescale. nRF52 boards such as the Heltec Mesh Node T114 or the RAK WisBlock 4631 kit are the usual choice there because they have no Wi-Fi radio to power. Also not for anyone who needs onboard GPS.

UK 868 MHz notes

Heltec sells this board in 433, 470-510, 863-870 and 902-928 MHz versions. The 863-870 MHz version is the one for the UK. We did not capture Heltec's exact SKU wording for it, so check the listing says 863-870 MHz (or 868) before you buy, and never choose the 902-928 MHz (915) version. See Buy the right frequency.

The arithmetic (ours): e.r.p. = TX power in dBm + antenna gain in dBi - 2.15 - cable loss.

Antenna	e.r.p. at 21 dBm	Against 25 mW sub-bands	Against 500 mW slot (869.40-869.65 MHz)
0 dBi	18.85 dBm = 77 mW	Over	Within
2 dBi	20.85 dBm = 122 mW	Over	Within

Ofcom IR 2030 v1.16 (published 7 April 2026) allows 25 mW e.r.p. in most of the 868 MHz band but 500 mW e.r.p. at 869.40-869.65 MHz with a 10% duty cycle or listen-before-talk. So the board is fine only if your configured frequency stays in that slot. Meshtastic's EU_868 region does (869.4-869.65 MHz, 10% duty cycle).

Firmware

Meshtastic: supported. Meshtastic's Heltec LoRa32 page lists the V3.
MeshCore: supported. heltec_v3 is in the MeshCore repository's variants folder and "Heltec v3" is in the flasher's device catalog.
RNode / Reticulum: supported. The Reticulum manual lists the Heltec LoRa32 v3.0 and RNode_Firmware defines an 868 MHz model for it.

Flashing: Flash Meshtastic, Flash MeshCore, RNode and Reticulum setup.

Known quirks

Meshtastic's page says a USB-C to USB-C cable may fail to charge the battery; use a USB-A to USB-C cable.
Meshtastic's page notes there is no ESD protection on the CP2102 USB-serial bridge.
The CP2102 means some computers need a CP210x driver before the board shows up as a serial port. See the hardware buyer's guide.
Attach the antenna before powering the board. Powering the radio without one can damage it.

Power

Heltec does not publish a receive or idle current for this board that we could find. Third-party figures exist but are not reliable enough to plan around:

kaspars.net (2024-02-25) measured about 15 mA at 3.7 V with Meshtastic in router mode at 5% air utilisation. It describes the test as preliminary and one-off, and the measurement included an INA219 sensor.
A third-party MeshCore low-power firmware repository reports 7.8 mA idle on a V3 repeater with stock firmware, and 4.9 mA with receive duty cycling. This is not audited.

Treat both as anecdotes and measure your own node with a USB power meter. Power banks may cut off a low-draw node; see Power.

Guides: Flash Meshtastic, Flash MeshCore, RNode and Reticulum setup, Power, Antenna placement
Tools: Link budget calculator, Solar node sizing
Other boards: Heltec WiFi LoRa 32 V4, Heltec Wireless Tracker, Heltec Mesh Node T114
Comparison: Meshtastic vs MeshCore