Elecrow ThinkNode M1 and M5 Deliver $76 LoRa Flexibility, Repurposing Into Base Stations
Updated
Updated · Notebookcheck.net · May 30
Elecrow ThinkNode M1 and M5 Deliver $76 LoRa Flexibility, Repurposing Into Base Stations
1 articles · Updated · Notebookcheck.net · May 30
$76 ThinkNode M1 and M5 units earned a positive review for solid build quality, simple operation and the ability to shift from off-grid messengers into long-range LoRa base stations.
Meshtastic ships preinstalled, but testing around Chesapeake, Virginia found no active local traffic, limiting immediate usefulness even though both radios paired and functioned as expected.
MeshCore flashing proved easy and unlocked a private channel between the two devices, reducing setup friction and making the hardware more practical outside an established Meshtastic community.
An Android tablet, MQTT broker, KiekR and Termux were then used to build a reliable mobile-to-mobile network, showing the radios can deliver telemetry and persistent shared access without cellular service.
Elecrow offers the pair in nearly identical shells but with different internals—an nRF52840-based M1 and ESP32-S3-based M5—giving buyers a choice between lower-power and higher-processing designs.
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