Different design goals
Blackout Comms vs Meshtastic
These are separate projects. Blackout Comms was built for a different interface, a different security model, and a different idea of what mesh should do.
- Meant to be usable without knowing LoRa settings or encryption terminology.
- Setup does not ask you to invent or type channel keys.
- No app store and no phone in the path.
- Asymmetric and symmetric encryption, ECDSA signatures, and frequency hopping are part of the protocol, not an optional extra.
If you already have a T-Deck, LilyGO pager, or another compatible device, firmware is on the download page.
| Blackout Comms | Meshtastic | |
|---|---|---|
| Membership | In-person onboarding by a root device. Chain of trust. | Anyone with the channel password is in. |
| Keys | Generated on device. Private keys are not shown or exported. | One symmetric channel key, entered by a person, often on a phone. |
| Direct messages | Asymmetric. Relays cannot read them. | Primarily channel-level symmetric encryption. |
| Radio | Cluster hops. Direct packets stripe across frequencies. | Sits on one frequency. |
| Client | Embedded firmware. No phone OS. | Phone app is the usual interface. |
Shorter comparisons of interface, mesh behavior, and storage are folded into the security and mesh pages. Demos of mesh delivery, cluster setup, and location live on the mesh playlist.