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Low-bandwidth / off-grid meshes

Reticulum

Cryptography-based networking stack that runs over LoRa, Wi-Fi, TCP and other links

Depends active

Updated 29 Oct 2026

Internet trafficDepends on the carrier. Reticulum is its own network layer, not IP. It can use IP, Wi-Fi or LoRa as a carrier, but it does not give web browsing by itself. Typical uses are messaging and file transfer.
Node count975 interfaces seen in the last 24 h on rmap.world (voluntary auto-discovery map; no census exists) (as of 29 Oct 2026, source)
GeographyGlobal, with no central body. Reticulum is a software stack, not a single network.
RegionsGlobal
Tech
  • RNode LoRa, KISS/AX.25 packet radio, TCP, UDP, I2P, serial and pipe interfaces
  • AutoInterface over Wi-Fi and Ethernet (IPv6)
  • Mandatory encryption, forward secrecy on links (single packets need ratchets), no source addresses
  • Works over links as slow as 5 bit/s
Typical costThe software is free. LoRa hardware is optional; supported boards include the Heltec LoRa32 V3 and V4. We did not establish UK prices.
BandwidthDesigned to work down to 5 bit/s. Over LoRa it is kilobit-class. Over TCP or Wi-Fi it is limited only by the carrier.
LegalReticulum is software; legality follows the radio you use. Over LoRa, the licence-exempt band limits for your country apply (UK: the 868 MHz table in Ofcom IR 2030). Over amateur-radio links, amateur-service rules apply. Reticulum cannot establish unencrypted links (its manual mentions unencrypted packets only for local broadcast), so using it on licensed amateur bands may conflict with rules against obscuring the meaning of messages; check your licence conditions. On licence-exempt LoRa within the limits this does not arise.
GovernanceA single lead maintainer (Mark Qvist), funded by donations. Released under the Reticulum License, which is not a standard open-source licence; the protocol was dedicated to the public domain in 2016.
UK notesOn the rmap.world data for 29 October 2026, a box covering the UK and Ireland held 39 interfaces (32 seen in the last 24 h), 22 of them RNode LoRa (16 in the last 24 h). Only 686 of 7,801 map entries have a position, so these are lower bounds.
Links

How it works

Reticulum describes itself as a cryptography-based networking stack for building local and wide-area networks with readily available hardware. It is not one network and not a radio standard. It is software that sits on top of whatever link you have, and the manual says it can work over links with a capacity as low as 5 bits per second.

The supported interfaces include RNode LoRa, KISS/AX.25 packet radio, TCP, UDP, an AutoInterface for Wi-Fi and Ethernet, a backbone interface, I2P, serial and pipes. It replaces IP addresses with 16-byte destination hashes. Packets carry no source addresses. Encryption is mandatory: Ed25519 signatures, X25519 key exchange and AES-256 in CBC mode. Forward secrecy is on by default for links; for single packets the manual says it needs ratchets enabled per destination.

Announces propagate through transport nodes, up to 128 hops by default. No single node knows the complete path to a destination; each transport node knows only the most direct way to get a packet one hop closer.

How to start

  1. Install it: pip install rns --upgrade.
  2. Run Sideband for messaging. The manual's Android notes say the easiest way to get started on Android is an app like Sideband. Its README says the repository is no longer updated and development has moved, though packages still ship.
  3. Without hardware, add an interface that reaches other people over the internet. The manual does not hard-code public hubs. It points to the community directories at rmap.world and directory.rns.recipes for interface definitions. Old hub addresses seen in mirrors may be stale, so we do not list any.
  4. For radio, use an RNode. Run rnodeconf --autoinstall, or use a web flasher. The manual lists the Heltec LoRa32 V3 and V4, the T-Beam, RAK4631, T-Deck and others as supported boards.
  5. Use rncp for file transfer, rnsh for a remote shell or rnx for remote commands.

What it realistically gives you

Encrypted messaging and file transfer between people who can reach each other by any carrier. Over LoRa the speed is kilobit-class; over TCP or Wi-Fi it depends only on the carrier. Applications include Sideband (messaging, voice, telemetry, maps), NomadNet (messaging and text pages, described as beta) and LXMF propagation nodes for store-and-forward messages.

It is not an internet replacement. It is its own network layer, so it does not give you web browsing. Whether it "carries internet traffic" depends on the carrier: it can run over IP, but the traffic is Reticulum traffic. Video, browsing and large transfers do not work over LoRa.

The number on this site, 975, counts interfaces seen in 24 hours on the voluntary rmap.world discovery map. It excludes service entries such as NomadNet and propagation nodes. There is no census, addresses are not registered, and only 686 of 7,801 map entries have a position.

Caveats

  • One lead maintainer, donation-funded. The README warns about LLM-generated fake implementations; use the official repository.
  • The licence is the Reticulum License, which is not a standard open-source licence.
  • RMAP's data feed is undocumented.
  • In the UK, only a few dozen interfaces appear on the map: 39 in a box covering the UK and Ireland, 22 of them LoRa, on 29 October 2026.

Sources