LoRa, short for long range, is a spread-spectrum way of sending a radio signal, and Meshtastic uses it for messages between radios.146 Meshtastic encryption scrambles each payload, but the default channel key is published, so a new radio is not a private conversation.4 You will know how to set a key only your group holds.
Last checked October 28, 2026.
Quick answer
- LoRa is the radio method.1 LoRaWAN encrypts the application payload with AES-128, and the gateway still passes on the time a frame arrived.23
- The default key is the published value
AQ==, so anyone on that channel can read it.4 The public internet bridge can be read too.7- Give your group a new random key, shared only with them. A direct message uses a key only the two radios can work out.64
- Headers stay readable so other radios can relay a message they cannot open.4 Messages on the public internet bridge are readable by subscribers, and a map report is unencrypted.7
- LoRa needs no cell network.4 Meshtastic is not the same as Signal.4
Why LoRa privacy matters
Semtech, the company behind LoRa, describes a spread-spectrum modulation technique and a long-range, low-power platform.1 Modulation is the pattern that places information on a radio wave.
LoRaWAN is an open, low-power network standard.2 Semtech says the specification uses three layers of AES-128, and that application encryption keeps the payload from the network operator.2 The gateway that hears the sensor does not need the device keys.3 It still forwards each valid frame with metadata, including signal strength and the time the frame arrived.3
Meshtastic is the setup people use for text. The radios relay packets for each other, with no cell network in the path.4 Meshtastic encrypts the payload of every packet.4 The header is never encrypted, because a relay needs it to pass on a packet it cannot open.4
A 16-byte channel key is AES-128, a 32-byte key is AES-256, and anyone with that key can read every message on the channel.4 The default primary channel uses AQ==, which is published.4 The Android guide describes a default channel named LongFast, and anyone on that same preset can read it.6 A new radio set to the US region for the first time starts on Long Turbo instead, and updating a radio you already use leaves its preset alone.8 A green closed lock means a 128-bit or 256-bit key. A yellow open lock means no key, or a well-known one-byte key, and the channel is not sending a precise location. A red open lock means that same weak key while a precise location is still sent.6
By default, position and telemetry go out on the primary channel.5 On a channel with no key, the default key, or any single-byte key, precision stops at 15 bits, which the table lists as 729 metres.5 The project’s 8 October 2026 note says 2.8.1 is an alpha most people should wait on: position and telemetry start off, a precise position is not sent on a public channel, and 2.8.0 was revoked.8
Uplink and downlink stay off until you enable them.5 Uplink sends mesh messages to the public internet through a gateway.5 Anyone subscribed to the public broker can read what is published there, and default-channel traffic is effectively unencrypted.7 A map report goes out unencrypted, with an approximate location, so leave it off.7
Your options
A private Meshtastic channel
This suits a family or a small group that wants short texts. Naming a new channel in the Android app generates a fresh 256-bit key, and radios with that key can read the channel.6 Other radios can still relay.4 Keep the private group on a secondary channel. Unless you set the frequency yourself, renaming the primary channel moves you off the frequency the rest of your area is using.5
Pros
- The group works with no cell network.4 You choose who holds the key.4
- A random key is what the project tells you to use for a private conversation.5
Cons
- A leaked key unlocks channel traffic recorded earlier, because Meshtastic does not provide forward secrecy.4
- AES-CTR does not show a message changed in transit.4 On firmware 2.8.1 and later, a channel can use AES-CCM instead.4 Every radio on the channel has to turn it on, or they cannot read each other.4
- Licensed amateur mode sends plaintext.4
A direct message to one radio
Use this for one person in the mesh. The two radios derive a key and encrypt with AES-256-CCM, so only they can read it.4 The app will not send until it holds the other public key.6
Pros
- Other people on your channel cannot open that note.6
Cons
- A radio trusts the first public key it hears for a node number, because nothing central vouches for keys, so confirm that key another way before anything sensitive.4
- Position and traceroute still use the channel key.4
LoRaWAN for a sensor, not a chat
Choose LoRaWAN when a device reports readings to a network, not when you want a conversation. The payload is encrypted, and the gateway does not need device keys.23
Pros
- Payload encryption is part of the LoRaWAN standard.2
Cons
- The gateway still forwards the time and the signal strength with each frame.3 A family chat is a poor fit.
A phone app, when you do not need a radio
If both people already have phones, skip the radio. When the normal network is the problem, use the Academy’s guide to Briar. When you are online and want a messenger on your own choice of device, Delta Chat is the simpler daily tool.
How to set up a private Meshtastic channel
These steps follow the Android app. The iOS, iPadOS, and macOS apps have a channel editor too.5 The composer stops at about 200 characters.6
- Connect the app to the radio. The Channels row stays greyed out until the app has a connection.6
- Open Settings, then Channels under Configuration.6
- Add a channel and name it. The app makes a fresh 256-bit key. Leave uplink and downlink off.6
- On the default channel, set position precision to 0 so it never sends a location.5
- Tap Save, then Send. The radio does not store the change until you tap Send.6
- Share the link or QR code only with your group. Anyone with the key can read the channel.4 If you must send the key as text, use an encrypted paste such as PrivateBin, then delete it.
- For one person, send a direct message only after their public key arrives, and confirm that key another way first.4
Change the channel key from time to time, and do not put it on a radio you leave unattended: a relay can pass packets it cannot read, so it does not need the key.4
Common mistakes to avoid
- Keeping the default key, or any simple key, on a channel you want private.5
- The primary channel can share a location, and precision 0 turns that off.5
- Turning MQTT encryption off, or uplinking the default channel, means the text can be read on the broker.7
- Turning map reporting on. The report is unencrypted and includes an approximate location.7
- Using licensed amateur mode for a private group. It sends plaintext.4
- Posting the channel QR code in public. The key is the whole lock.
- Trusting the name on an unsigned channel message.4
Frequently asked questions
Is LoRa encrypted?
LoRa itself is a modulation technique, a way of shaping the signal.1 LoRaWAN adds AES-128 for the payload.2 Meshtastic encrypts the payload and leaves the header readable.4
Is the default Meshtastic channel private?
No. It uses the published key AQ==, also written as hex 0x01, so anyone on the same preset can read it.456 Create a channel with a random key for anything you would not say out loud.
Can Meshtastic show where I am?
Yes, while position broadcasts are on. They use the primary channel.5 On a channel with no key, the default key, or any single-byte key, precision stops at 15 bits, about 729 metres.5 Set precision to 0 to stop that channel sending a location.5 Firmware 2.8, described in October 2026, starts with those broadcasts off.8 Map reporting, if enabled, publishes an approximate location in the clear.7
Is Meshtastic encryption as strong as Signal?
No. Signal adds protections that do not fit in these radio packets.4 A leaked channel key can unlock traffic recorded earlier.4
