@GMP I tested the SenseCAP T1000-E to see how long a single charge will last. I turned the external notifications off, and each morning and evening I would send a few messages. It lasted 2 days, 18 hours, and 20 minutes. I’d like to test it again with external notifications turned on and see how it compares.

The Meshtastic community is growing! The other day someone was flying out of DIA to Phoenix with a node on the plane. He sent his flight number and destination while airborne, and I was able to receive his message from the ground.

The SenseCAP T-1000E is a perfect node to have on you anytime you’re out and about. People who see it sometimes ask me what it is and I love sharing what this little device does.

A mesh network is a way for devices to communicate without depending on a single central hub. Instead of everything connecting to one router, tower, or server, each device can talk to nearby devices and pass messages along for others. Every node participates in keeping the network alive, not just in using it.

Because messages can travel through many possible paths, the network doesn’t fall apart if one device drops off. If a route disappears, the message simply finds another way through the remaining nodes. This makes mesh networks resilient in situations where infrastructure is unreliable, damaged, or intentionally restricted.

Communication usually starts locally. Devices talk to the closest peers first, and longer-distance messages move hop by hop until they reach their destination. This means mesh networks often trade speed and efficiency for durability and independence. They are rarely the fastest option, but they are hard to kill.

The important idea is that the network gets stronger as more people join. Each new node adds coverage and redundancy instead of becoming a bottleneck. Rather than consuming connectivity from a provider, participants collectively create it. That’s why mesh networks are attractive for off-grid communication, disaster response, community networks, and situations where control and resilience matter more than raw performance.