We are just getting back from DEF CON 2025 in Las Vegas, and the burning (excuse us for that) question at the show was what is the best node for Burning Man?
We found DEF CON visitors were excited about the idea of Meshtastic technology for events like Burning Man because there is little or no cellular coverage, and Meshtastic allows communication by text off grid in exactly this type of situation.
To determine the answer, we polled our engineers and staff, and also asked ChatGPT. We were surprised that ChatGPT agreed with our people 100%. So, on to the results:
RAKwireless WisMesh Pocket
It was no surprise to see the Pocket at the top of both lists, as it is our flagship Meshtastic compatible node. Let's see the selling points for taking this node to Burning Man...
- 3000 mAh battery With a high capacity battery, you can be off grid for up to a week or more (depending frequency of GPS use). If you won't need GPS at Burning Man, you can disable it temporarily.
- OLED screen WisMesh Pocket, like most nodes, require a paired phone to send and receive messages (phone does not need service or signal, just a Bluetooth connection to the device so you can use the Meshtastic app to type). The beauty of WisMesh Pocket is its OLED screen- you can view incoming messages and other data on the screen without needing to pull your phone out
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External antenna While nodes with internal antennas can perform well, an external stubby antenna like the one that comes with WisMesh Pocket will generally give you greater transmit and receive range
LILYGO T-Echo
The T-Echo was our staff's second choice, and the second for ChatGPT also. Great minds think alike? The T-Echo features a smaller capacity battery than the WisMesh Pocket, so disabling GPS is also a good idea for extended battery life. Where the T-Echo excels...
- E-Ink screen this screen has two benefits- it is very low on power consumption (once a screen is written in ink, the screen consumes no more power until it is written again, unlike an OLED which always consumes power when on. E-Ink is also much easier to see in sunny conditions
- External antenna Like the WisMesh Pocket, T-Echo comes with an external antenna for better range
- Small form factor T-Echo is one of the smallest and lighest nodes on the market- coming in similar to the body size of Apple ear pods (not including the antenna part). For extended time off grid, you want to pack light. The T-Echo fits this need
If you are headed to Burning Man, be safe and have a great time. Don't rely on Meshtastic for emergencies, it is open source so you should always have a backup plan for emergencies. But Meshtastic will offer you an off grid way to stay connected to others at the event.
Don't take our word- see what ChatGPT said:
The header image is used with permission from WikiMedia commons with credit to photographer lightmatter.net (domain no longer in service) and Creative Commons license.
Military and First Responder 
