SenseCAP Card Tracker T1000-E for Meshtastic

This is by far my favorite Meshtastic (LoRa) radio to carry around on my person!Were those not familiar with these radios, this is a device you can keep near you. That will allow you to send text messages (using the Meshtastic app) to other people who have a similar device, even if there is no cellular service or Wi-Fi in the area.It’s small, compact, lightweight, looks pretty cool and has amazing range for not having an external antenna.The battery life only lasts a couple days days due to the thin footprint of this device but when we’re used to recharging smartphones and watches on the daily, it’s not a big deal to toss this little guy on the charger when I get home. Keep in mind, it does have a proprietary charging cable but this is due to keeping the device small and weatherproof.While I do really like some other radios for stationary or vehicle use, this is the advice that I would choose to carry on my person for daily use and also the device that I buy for family and friends.Highly recommend this device if you are new to Meshtastic radio or just getting into it for the first time!PS if it annoys you that the device makes a sound when you receive a message you can disable that sound notification in the Meshtastic app settings.

Being somewhat new to Meshtastic, my first purchase/foray into this project was 2x Heltec V3 LoRa's. No regrets with that purchase as an entry point in involvement. However, wanting something a little more discreetly portable, I found the T1000e Tracker and decided to make the purchase. The T1000e was easy to flash the Meshtastic firmware to from the Meshtastic website and easy to configure as s new node. The T1000e fits easily into a pocket and works surprisingly well with it's internal antenna inside the solidly built sealed case. I also picked up a lanyard for the tracker in order to hang from a rear-view mirror, grab handle, etc. when mobile and allow better LOS than carrying in my pocket. Battery life is excellent, typically lasting about 50hrs per charge.All said & done I am extremely happy with this purchase and would highly recommended the T1000e to anybody (new or experienced) on the Meshtastic journey.

I've been using meshtastic for various use cases for about 3 years and these are what I regularly recommend to newbies.For ~$40 you get legitimate GPS, legitmate temperature sensor, IP65 waterproofing, solid LoRa range for a built in antenna, and actual sound/light notification when a message is received. Solid battery life with the nRF52840 chipset. This is just if you use this for meshtastic.This puppy is also smart home ready, supports Zigbee and Thread, and 3 accelerometers (that might one day receive Meshtastic support).All in a fantastic compact package.Only downside is no swappable antenna, but that comprise is more than made up for with everything else crammed in this credit card size device.For meshtastic, I generally recommend using these in conjunction with a mobile or home base unit with better LOS placement and higher gain antenna(s), and setting these to CLIENT MUTE.Only accepting would be if you're hiking in a group and need these to retransmit messages.IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT MESHTASTIC IS.Head on over to meshtastic.org before buying. You might need to be a bit more tech savvy than most to get these setup, but it gets you decentralized, encrypted, texting and telemetry sharing. All for just a little bit more than an airtag or tile.Different use case than your typical device tracker, and realize these are designed to be paired with your smartphone as a means to transmit from the device, even where there is no cell service.

Still learning but seems to do as advertised. May buy another to mount on outside antenna pole with solar cell charger for maintenance free better coverage .

Probably the only Meshtastic device that looks like a polished commercial product and works right out of the box. If you're just getting started, this is the way to go. If you decide to go deeper into the hobby and buy something more powerful, you'll still use this as your daily carry and leave the larger device at home.

Neat Meshtastic device, it beeps when a new message arrives. I wear it on a lanyard arround my neck. Send & receive text, Position, Templateand & Lux data. One charge last a couple of days.Offten RF design takes a back seat to functionality and the internal antennas is one such design we all know 9f and use daily. Took it out of the box and it just worked.Out of the box and on air in a few minutes.There was a SW update on the Meshtastic flashing site, pushed that update with no problem.It really doesn't get any easier than this.Several friends have bought these and the only complaint is the Pogo pin USB cable to charge and program it. Induction charging would get arround the only valad complaint I know of.Battery save tip, set device to Tracker or Client Mute mode so the card doesn't participate in the mesh network rebroadcast zapping battery power.

Great device. Use it to keep track of my autistic kids when camping or off-grid, but would also make a nice EDC personal mesh node.

I was surprised at how well this compact node works! About the size of a couple of stacked credit cards complete with battery and GPS, the device was easy to hang around my neck and ignore. During an event a few weeks ago (Dayton Hamvention), I was seeing about 250 active nodes! Battery in this event lasted 2 days - longer for a less active area. Messaging worked well. Re-flashing for firmware updates is a bit tricky as it depends on a quick power on/off/on cycle done with the magnetic USB charging cable, however I got it after a few tries. This has quickly become my favorite EDC node (I own several others).