LoRa Mesh vs. LoRaWAN

Both use the same LoRa radio chips but operate completely differently. This is the most common source of newcomer confusion. 
 LoRaWAN 
 A hub-and-spoke network designed for IoT sensors reporting to the cloud. End devices transmit to fixed gateways; gateways forward over the internet to a server. No direct device-to-device communication. No gateway in range = no connectivity. Examples: The Things Network, Helium. 
 LoRa Mesh (Meshtastic, MeshCore) 
 A peer-to-peer network where nodes communicate directly and relay each other's messages. Works completely offline - no internet required. Messages hop: A → B (relay) → C → D. Adding nodes makes the network stronger. Examples: Meshtastic, MeshCore. 
 Comparison table 
 Feature LoRaWAN LoRa Mesh 
 
 Architecture Hub-and-spoke Peer-to-peer 
 Internet required Yes No 
 Direct messaging No Yes 
 Multi-hop relay No Yes 
 Works without infrastructure No Yes 
 Typical use case Sensor data to cloud Off-grid comms, group coordination 
 
 They cannot communicate with each other. Different packet formats, addressing, and network stacks - they share hardware but speak different protocols. 
 Important: LoRaWAN gateways won't build a mesh 
 LoRaWAN gateways ($100 - $300) are one-way forwarders to the internet, not mesh relays. To build a LoRa mesh network you need Meshtastic- or MeshCore-compatible devices, not LoRaWAN gateways.