# Popular Board Comparison Table

## Board Comparison Table

The table below covers the most widely deployed boards for LoRa mesh networking as of 2025 - 2026, across both Meshtastic and MeshCore platforms. All TX power figures are nominal maximum; actual radiated power depends on antenna gain and any regulatory caps applied in firmware.

<table id="bkmrk-board-mcu-radio-tx-p"> <thead> <tr> <th>Board</th> <th>MCU</th> <th>Radio</th> <th>TX Power</th> <th>RX Current</th> <th>Sleep</th> <th>Battery</th> <th>GPS</th> <th>Screen</th> <th>Platform</th> <th>Notes</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>T-Beam v1.1</td> <td>ESP32</td> <td>SX1262</td> <td>22 dBm</td> <td>~40 mA</td> <td>~10 mA</td> <td>18650 holder</td> <td>NEO-6M</td> <td>Optional OLED</td> <td>Meshtastic / MeshCore</td> <td>Classic all-in-one. AXP192 PMIC.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>T-Beam Supreme</td> <td>ESP32-S3</td> <td>SX1268</td> <td>22 dBm</td> <td>~45 mA</td> <td>~8 mA</td> <td>18650 holder</td> <td>NEO-M10S</td> <td>Optional OLED</td> <td>Meshtastic</td> <td>Newer variant; better GPS.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Heltec LoRa 32 V3</td> <td>ESP32-S3</td> <td>SX1262</td> <td>22 dBm</td> <td>~40 mA</td> <td>~800 µA</td> <td>JST LiPo</td> <td>No</td> <td>0.96" OLED</td> <td>Meshtastic / MeshCore</td> <td>Cheap, OLED display useful for debug. USB-C.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>RAK4631</td> <td>nRF52840</td> <td>SX1262</td> <td>22 dBm</td> <td>~8 mA</td> <td>~2 µA</td> <td>JST LiPo</td> <td>Optional RAK1910/1920</td> <td>No (separate module)</td> <td>Meshtastic / MeshCore</td> <td>Modular WisBlock system. Best power efficiency for ESP32-free builds.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>LilyGO T-Echo</td> <td>nRF52840</td> <td>SX1262</td> <td>22 dBm</td> <td>~8 mA</td> <td>~12 µA</td> <td>JST LiPo</td> <td>L76K GNSS</td> <td>1.54" ePaper</td> <td>Meshtastic</td> <td>Excellent battery life. ePaper shows info with no power draw. Popular for hiking.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Heltec T114</td> <td>nRF52840</td> <td>SX1262</td> <td>28 dBm</td> <td>~8 mA</td> <td>~12 µA</td> <td>JST LiPo</td> <td>Optional</td> <td>1.14" TFT</td> <td>MeshCore primary</td> <td>28 dBm (+6 dB vs standard boards). nRF52840 efficiency. Preferred MeshCore repeater platform.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Seeed XIAO S3 + LoRa</td> <td>ESP32-S3</td> <td>SX1262</td> <td>22 dBm</td> <td>~40 mA</td> <td>~14 µA</td> <td>JST LiPo</td> <td>No</td> <td>No</td> <td>Meshtastic / MeshCore</td> <td>Tiny form factor. Good for compact builds.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>ZebraHat 1W</td> <td>ESP32</td> <td>SX1262+PA</td> <td>30 dBm</td> <td>~45 mA active</td> <td>~10 mA</td> <td>External</td> <td>No</td> <td>No</td> <td>Meshtastic</td> <td>1W transmitter. For mountain-top infrastructure where extra power matters. Requires heat management.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Ikoka 2W Module</td> <td> - </td> <td>SX1262+PA</td> <td>33 dBm</td> <td>~80 mA TX</td> <td> - </td> <td>External</td> <td>No</td> <td>No</td> <td>Meshtastic / MeshCore</td> <td>External power amplifier add-on. 2W output. For long-distance point-to-point links.</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

## Per-Platform Notes

### ESP32 Boards (T-Beam, Heltec LoRa 32)

Easy to source, wide support, larger community. Higher power consumption limits battery life. Built-in USB serial is convenient for development. Not ideal for solar-only deployments where current draw matters.

### nRF52840 Boards (RAK4631, T-Echo, T114)

Dramatically lower power consumption. RAK4631 is modular - add sensors, GPS, cellular as needed. T-Echo has excellent all-in-one form factor with ePaper. Preferred for long-term battery or solar deployment.

### High-Power Options (ZebraHat, Ikoka)

Legal in the US under FCC Part 15.247 within EIRP limits. Higher TX power is not always better - increases interference with nearby nodes and requires more power. Use for specific long-range requirements after confirming EIRP compliance.