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