Nucleus / Version 3

Nucleus mesh radio

Nucleus is a portable mesh networking node. It carries ATAK, voice and messaging over a 2.4 GHz WiFi mesh, and position reports and text messages over a long-range LoRa radio.

Nodes form a mesh automatically when powered on. The network requires no base station, internet connection or cloud account. Phones connect to the access point on any node and reach every device on the mesh.

Buy Nucleus Full specifications Operator manual

2.4 GHz WiFi mesh: 500 mW
LoRa: 915 MHz · 1 W
Power: 5 V · 3 W typ.
Throughput: ~30 Mbps

Black Nucleus v3 radio standing upright with its WiFi and LoRa antennas fitted and port caps on — **FIG. 01**Nucleus node.

01Overview

Radio Networks

WiFi Mesh

A self-forming WiFi mesh in the 2.4 GHz band, encrypted with WPA3. It carries ATAK, video and push-to-talk voice, at approximately 30 Mbps between adjacent nodes.

LoRa

A 1 W LoRa radio running Meshtastic. It carries position reports and text messages over long distances, so devices beyond WiFi range remain on the network. It is compatible with standard Meshtastic devices.

Black Nucleus in an olive MOLLE pouch with the antennas above the flap — **FIG. 02**

Black Nucleus next to a USB power bank, connected by its M12 power cable — **FIG. 03**Powered by a 5 V USB power bank.

Black Nucleus next to a helmet and a power bank, with a hardware PTT connected to its USB-C port through an OpenVLM adapter — **FIG. 04**Hardware PTT on the USB-C port through an OpenVLM adapter.

FIG. 05

02Software

Software

Every Nucleus runs V3 OS, an open-source operating system based on Debian Linux. All settings are managed through a web interface served by the node.

Service	Function	Default
WiFi mesh	Carries ATAK and all other IP traffic between nodes.	On
Meshtastic	Runs the LoRa radio. Carries ATAK position reports and chat over LoRa.	On
Text messaging	A single inbox. Messages are sent over both WiFi and LoRa.	On
Push-to-talk voice	Voice over the WiFi mesh, from a phone browser or a hardware PTT.	On
Reticulum	Encrypted messaging and networking over the WiFi mesh and Ethernet. Extends over LoRa with an optional USB-C RNode module.	On
Internet gateway	Shares an internet connection with every device on the mesh.	On
Firewall	Blocks unused services.	On
Tailscale	Remote access to the node over the internet.	On
HaLow mesh	WiFi mesh in the 915 MHz band through an optional USB-C HaLow module.	Requires HaLow module
TAK server	TAK Server or OpenTAKServer running on the node. Installed separately.	Off

A dedicated TAK server for teams with an existing network is available separately as the ION TAK Server.

03Ports

Ports

Top panel of the black Nucleus with the caps off, showing the USB-C port, RJ45 Ethernet jack, M12 power connector and two antenna connectors — **FIG. 06**Top panel, caps off. USB-C, RJ45, M12 power, WiFi and LoRa antennas.

Port	Use
Antennas	Two RP-SMA connectors, WiFi and LoRa.
Ethernet	Internet connection or wired devices.
USB-C	Expansion modules: Reticulum RNode, HaLow radio, hardware PTT.
Power	5 V, M12 connector.

Each radio can be enabled or disabled from the web interface.

04Specifications

Specifications

Radios
2.4 GHz WiFi mesh	2.4 GHz ISM band (2.400–2.4835 GHz)
WiFi conducted power	500 mW
LoRa	915 MHz ISM band (902–928 MHz)
LoRa radio	SX1262 (RAK13302)
LoRa conducted power	1,000 mW
Access point	5 GHz band

Antennas
WiFi antenna	5 dBi
LoRa antenna	5 dBi
Connector	RP-SMA

Compute and I/O
Platform	Raspberry Pi 4
Operating system	V3 OS, Debian 13
Ethernet	10/100/1000 Mbps, RJ45
USB	USB-C, USB 2.0

Power and enclosure
Input	5 V DC, M12
Average current	0.6 A
Typical consumption	3 W
Battery	External, USB power bank
Enclosure	PCTG

05Range

Range

The coverage of a mesh network depends mainly on node count and placement, not on the transmit power of any single node. Coverage is extended by adding nodes. All figures below are single point-to-point links measured during field tests.

2.4 GHz WiFi mesh
Conditions	Measured
Line of sight, 50 m elevation difference	5 km
Ground level	1 km
Obstructed by buildings or dense foliage	100 m

LoRa
Conditions	Measured
Elevated, test 1	22 mi, link maintained
Elevated, test 2	8 mi, link maintained
Maximum range	Not determined

Untested configuration LoRa figures were measured with 159 mW radios. Version 3 uses a 1,000 mW LoRa radio, which has not yet been range-tested.

06Source Code

Source Code

V3 OS is published on GitHub under the MIT license. All software it depends on is open source.

V3 OSNode operating system. Nodes install updates from this repository through the web interface.
Operator manualConfiguration and operation of the node.
ReticulumNetworking stack used by Sideband, MeshChat and NomadNet.
MeshtasticFirmware for the LoRa radio.
OpenTAKServerOpen-source TAK server. Can be installed on a node.
ATAKAndroid TAK client. Free of charge; requires a tak.gov account.

07Ordering

Ordering

Each Nucleus ships with two antennas, a USB-C cable and an M12 power cable. A mesh network requires at least two nodes.

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