After testing 20 devices, I finally figured out the secret of Meshtastic's battery life

Community member Haruki Toreda recently conducted an important experiment , testing the battery life and power consumption of multiple devices while running Meshtastic firmware, and documented the data in detail. This research is a valuable reference for all Meshtastic device users.

On this basis, I reorganized and analyzed the data to make it more intuitive and easy to read, and added annotations to help readers better understand the test results.

In the first two experiments, the test equipment was mainly common Meshtastic development boards. Based on the MCU they carry, these development boards can be roughly divided into two categories: one using the ESP32/ESP32-S3 and the other using the nRF52.

Test equipment using ESP32 or ESP32-S3:

· Heltec ESP32 V2, V3.1, V3.2 (commonly referred to as Heltec LoRa32 V2/V3, or Heltec V2/V3 for short)

· Heltec Wireless Paper

· Heltec Wireless Stick Light

· Heltec Wireless Tracker

· Heltec Vision Master E213

· Heltec Vision Master E290

· Lilygo T-Deck

Test equipment using nRF52:

· Heltec T114

· RAK19007 (RAK4631)

· RAK19003 (RAK4631)

· Seeed Studio T1000E

In the final test, a standalone Meshtastic device was used. In the Meshtastic world, a standalone device is one that can independently run Meshtastic and perform functions such as sending and receiving messages and network management without relying on a smartphone or computer.

Such devices usually integrate LoRa communication modules, allowing users to communicate directly in the Meshtastic network. They are also equipped with input methods (such as physical buttons or full keyboards) and display screens (such as OLED, LCD or e-Ink electronic ink screens) for operation and viewing messages.

Standalone devices typically have built-in batteries to ensure long-term operation in outdoor or emergency environments. Additionally, some devices incorporate GPS modules for location sharing, or come with buzzers and vibration motors for notifications.

Common independent devices include Lilygo T-Deck, Hel-Txt, Nrf-Txt, and Meshenger. Their core feature is that they can be completely separated from the mobile phone and independently send, receive, and manage messages in the Meshtastic network. They are suitable for scenarios such as outdoor adventures, emergency communications, and tactical communications.

Experiment 1 - Battery life under default settings

Experimental conditions

· Firmware version: 2.5.7

· Working mode: Client mode

· Screen timeout: 60 seconds

· Power Savemode: Off

· Frequency: 906 MHz

· Bluetooth: Constant connection to Android phone

Applicable scenarios: mobile nodes/remote nodes

Battery life comparison table

Experiment 2 - Optimal Power Saving Mode for Mobile/Remote Nodes

Experimental conditions

· Firmware version: 2.3.17

· Working mode: Client mode

· Screen timeout: 60 seconds

· Energy Saving Mode [1] : On (ESP32 device will enter Light Sleep mode when there is no traffic)

· Bluetooth wait time [2] : 10 seconds

· Light Sleep duration [3] : 1800 seconds (30 minutes)

· Frequency: 906 MHz

· Bluetooth: Constant connection to Android phone

Applicable scenarios: mobile nodes/remote nodes

Battery life comparison table

Experiment 3 - Standalone Node Device - Optimal Power Saving Mode

The test device is a standalone Meshtastic device. In the Meshtastic field, a standalone device refers to a device that can independently run Meshtastic and complete functions such as message sending, receiving, and network management without relying on a smartphone or computer.

These devices typically feature input methods (such as physical buttons or a full keyboard) and displays (such as OLED, LCD, or e-Ink) for standalone messaging and message viewing. Standalone devices often have built-in batteries, ensuring extended operation in outdoor or emergency environments. Some devices also incorporate GPS modules for location sharing or include buzzers or vibration motors for notifications.

Common independent devices include Lilygo T-Deck, Hel-Txt, Nrf-Txt, and Meshenger. Their core feature is that they can be completely separated from the mobile phone and independently send, receive, and manage messages in the Meshtastic network. They are suitable for scenarios such as outdoor adventures, emergency communications, and tactical communications.

Experimental conditions

· Firmware version: 2.3.12

· Working mode: Client mode

· Screen timeout: 60 seconds

· Energy Saving Mode [1:1] : On (ESP32 device will enter Light Sleep mode when there is no traffic)

· Light Sleep [3:1] Duration: 1800 seconds (30 minutes)

· Frequency: 906 MHz

· Bluetooth: Constant connection to Android phone

· A CardKB I2C keyboard is already installed , while T-Deck comes with a Blackberry-style keyboard.

Applicable scenario: Run the node independently without the mobile phone

Battery life comparison table

in conclusion

From the above three sets of experiments, it can be found that the difference in chip platforms has the most significant impact on the battery life of Meshtastic devices.

nRF52 chip platforms (such as the Heltec T114, RAK19007, RAK19003, and Seeed T1000E) generally offer lower standby and active power consumption than ESP32/ESP32-S3 platforms (such as the Heltec V2/V3 series and Lilygo T-Deck). With the same default battery capacity, nRF52 platforms can easily achieve battery life of several days to over a week, while devices using ESP32/ESP32-S3 typically only maintain a battery life of several dozen hours.

If the device requires extended offline operation, or in emergency communication scenarios where the lifespan needs to be maximized, the nRF52 platform offers advantages. This demonstrates that choosing a low-power MCU is the most direct way to improve battery life when selecting hardware.

From the perspective of power management strategy, the tests in Experiments 2 and 3 further prove that the sleep mode has a critical impact on battery life.

For example, using Light Sleep mode, the runtime of an ESP32-based device jumps from just a dozen or so hours to over a hundred. The nRF52 platform already has low power consumption in its default mode, and with this power-saving mode, hundreds of hours of battery life can be achieved.

Therefore, properly setting power-saving parameters (such as Light Sleep duration, Bluetooth wait time, screen timeout, etc.) is the second key to improving battery life. Frequent wake-ups and unnecessary power consumption should be avoided as much as possible, keeping the device in a low-power state for as long as possible.

GPS functionality is a highlight of many Meshtastic devices, but experimental data shows that its power consumption should not be underestimated. Whether it's the Heltec T114 (which saw battery life increase from over 100 hours with GPS off to dozens of hours with GPS on) or the standalone devices Help-txt and Nrf-txt (which saw battery life drop from 264 or 276 hours to over 100 hours), continuous GPS operation significantly increases battery consumption.

Therefore, users need to decide whether to keep GPS always on based on their specific scenario. If location information is not a specific need, GPS can be turned off. If continuous location recording is essential, try reducing the refresh rate or using intermittent mode. This ensures a certain level of positioning while reducing power consumption.

To significantly improve the battery life of Meshtastic devices, one should first focus on selecting a lower-power MCU platform (such as the nRF52 series), then enable and optimize power-saving modes in the firmware, turning GPS, screens, Bluetooth connections, and other peripherals on and off as needed, and finally consider further amplifying the benefits of power-saving strategies by increasing battery capacity.

This combination of features has been repeatedly validated in experimental data, particularly in scenarios involving mobile nodes, remote nodes, and standalone nodes completely disconnected from a mobile phone, resulting in significant battery life improvements. In practice, by tailoring power-saving settings to specific application requirements and environmental constraints, most Meshtastic devices can achieve several times the battery life improvement compared to their default settings.

Thanks again to HarukiToreda for conducting this experiment, and everyone is welcome to visit his original article for more detailed reading: Battery Runtime Tests .

1. Please note that RAK devices cannot support this mode. The purpose of Power Saving Mode is to extend battery life, and it does this by enabling Light Sleep mode on ESP32 devices. When there is no traffic in the mesh network, the device will enter Light Sleep. The node will still forward any packets in the Light Sleep state and go back to sleep after processing is complete. The node wakes up from Light Sleep when there is activity in the mesh network, a key is pressed, or the set sleep time is reached. In Light Sleep mode, Bluetooth goes into sleep mode, giving the node extremely low current consumption. However, you will not be able to change settings using the app while in this mode. When the node wakes up, it will automatically reconnect to the app and notify the user if any new messages are received. At this time, you can change the settings. ↩︎ ↩︎

2. give the phone enough time to reconnect. HYPERLINK "https://meshcn.net/meshtastic-battery-runtime-tests/" \l "fnref2"

3. This setting determines the duration of Light Sleep mode, allowing you to schedule when to reconnect to the remote node in order to change device settings. ↩︎ ↩︎

Author: Hays Chan | Community blogger

Translator:Joe Tan | KEEPTEEN | meshtastic node repeater

Website: https//www.keepteen.com

Article link:https://www.keepteen.com/blog-Solar-Lora-12710/After-testing-20-devices-I-finally-figured-out-the-secret-of-Meshtastics-battery-life-11946561.html