Find Your Squad at Electric Forest — Without Cell Service.
Meshtastic is a tiny radio that clips to your pack and lets you text your friends across the Forest even when cell service is dead. No subscription. No SIM card. No monthly fee. About $30–$90 to get on the mesh.
This is the community guide for using it at Electric Forest.
Heads up — this is unofficial. This site is run by Forest fam, not by Electric Forest, Insomniac, or Madison House Presents. It's just a friendly guide to help you and your squad stay connected on-grounds. Everything here is community knowledge, shared in good faith.
Join EF Meshtastic on Discord New here? Start with How to Connect
What is Meshtastic?
It's a little 915 MHz radio (about the size of a deck of cards or smaller) that:
- Pairs to your phone over Bluetooth so you can type messages on your phone screen
- Sends texts + GPS locations to your squad without any cell service or wifi
- Meshes — every node in the Forest extends the range for everyone else. The more of us, the better it works.
The little device connects via Bluetooth to your phone and lets you send messages and see each other's locations without cell service.
Get Started in 3 Steps
-
1. Get a radio
The easiest path is the RAK WisMesh Tag (~$30) or LILYGO T-Echo (~$60). See our full picks.
-
2. Configure it for the Forest
There are a few specific settings you need to use to be compatible with the EF mesh. Don't get creative — just follow the steps.
-
3. Find your squad
Scan the official EF channels QR, then set up your private squad channel. Then start texting.
The Official EF Meshtastic Channels
These are shared openly for the EF community. Scan or click below and your device will be loaded with the right primary settings and the public forest-chat channel.
Click here to add the EF channels to your device
Or, in the Meshtastic app on your phone, hit Settings → Channels → Scan QR and point it at the QR on your laptop. Full step-by-step is in How to Connect.
What this link does
Loads three things to your radio: the standard primary channel (so you can hear everyone), a placeholder squad channel for you to customize with your crew, and the forest-chat public chat channel.
Need Help?
The EF Meshtastic crew lives in the official Electric Forest Discord, in the dedicated Meshtastic thread. Setup questions, troubleshooting, "is my node working?" — drop in.
Ask in the EF Discord Meshtastic Thread
Don't have the EF Discord yet? Get the invite: https://discord.gg/electricforest
Why Bring Meshtastic to the Forest?
Bebop'n around the Forest solo (and a little lost) is part of the magic. But there are moments where you actually need to find your squad — and cell service in Sherwood is famously spotty.
We had real success bringing these little radios to Forest last year. Setup is easier than it looks. And once you have one, you have it for every festival, backpacking trip, and emergency for years.
These devices mesh — every additional radio in the Forest makes the whole network stronger for everyone. Bring one. Bring two. Get your squad on.