Real-world resilient group messaging that works when the internet doesn't. Self-healing radio mesh with persistent Room Servers. No central servers. No KYC.
PLSChat is a lightweight, secure LoRa mesh platform built for real-world off-grid use. It turns Heltec V4 boards and XIAO ESP32-S3 key fobs into a self-healing radio network where messages hop between nodes without any internet, mobile phone masts or central infrastructure.
Its standout feature is Room Servers — persistent group chat rooms that store the last ~32 messages. Participants can retrieve missed messages even after being offline for hours or days. It's decentralised, radio-powered group chat with store-and-forward resilience.
A keyring-sized PLSChat device we're building: LoRa radio, rechargeable battery, three buttons, and sound, light and vibration alerts in one snap-fit case. This is a prototype design and isn't on sale yet.
A two-minute tour: how a message hops across the mesh, how it heals itself when a relay goes down, how you add and verify a contact with six safety words, and how private group rooms keep outsiders out.
Devices automatically relay messages and reroute around offline nodes. The network stays alive even if individual devices drop out. True peer-to-peer radio communication.
Create or join named group rooms. Messages are stored and forwarded. Catch up on the last ~32 messages when you reconnect — even after long offline periods.
Messages are encrypted using Diffie-Hellman key exchange. Content stays private between participants. No central party can read your chats.
No internet, no mobile network, no ISPs, no data centres required. Works in remote wilderness, during blackouts, or under active censorship.
Firmware for the Heltec WiFi LoRa 32 V4 (recommended) and the XIAO ESP32-S3 key fob, flashed from your browser. An early build for the SenseCAP T1000-E tracker is also available.
Device-bound licences unlock premium features. Aligns with the PulseChain ecosystem. Open core protocol with optional paid enhancements.
We built PLSChat for resilience in adversarial or infrastructure-poor environments — not as a universal replacement for internet apps. Here's what you should know up front.
PLSChat has no central servers, relays, or cloud infrastructure that authorities can locate, serve with a court order, or remotely disable. Messages travel as radio signals between physical devices you control.
Key resilience properties:
This architecture was specifically designed for scenarios where traditional internet infrastructure is unavailable, monitored, or actively suppressed.
A walk-through of the device's own web page: unlocking with your PIN, changing it, binding the encrypted storage to the chip, the privacy and WiFi settings, rooms, and verifying every contact with six safety words.
Shown on firmware v2.65. The current release is v2.90 for the Heltec V4 and v2.88 for the XIAO fob.
Flash firmware from your browser, add a licence for private chats, and start talking off-grid.
The Heltec V4 is currently the best-supported and recommended board. It has a built-in OLED that beautifully displays PLSChat status, mesh info, and more.
Use the browser-based Web Flasher. Works directly in Chrome or Edge. Hold the BOOT button on your Heltec V4 when prompted.
Open Web Flasher20 PLSC a year unlocks private chats and private rooms. Pay on the Buy Licence page, then send the licence to your device from the Web Flasher.
Buy Licence