Spain's LoRa network: 1,700 nodes, 90% inactive

LoRa offers no sovereignty: 1,700 nodes in Spain with 90% powered down

LoRa is a radio technique using unlicensed sub-gigahertz bands —863-870/873 MHz (EU868) in Europe, 915-928 MHz in South America, US915 in North America, and 2.4 GHz worldwide— to send short messages between very cheap devices with minimal power consumption. A narrative has been built on this physical foundation: that of communication sovereignty, speaking without an operator, without coverage, and without asking permission. The hardware delivers what it promises. The network meant to sustain it does not, for now.

What is LoRa and how it differs from Meshtastic

It is worth separating two layers often mixed together. LoRa is the physical layer: radio modulation, short frames, and kilometers of range at the cost of negligible bandwidth. Meshtastic is the protocol layered on top to weave a mesh network between devices; MeshCore is a later alternative with similar goals. LoRaWAN also runs over LoRa, the standard that brought this technology to smart cities and industrial telemetry, described by those who worked with it years ago as "very basic but stable" communication for sensors and meters.

All of that exists and works. The problem is not the technology, but what is built on top of it.

The map of Spain: over 1,700 nodes and 90% deactivated

The public Meshtastic map in Spain shows more than 1,700 nodes scattered across the geography. The picture is misleading. More than 90% are deactivated: people who bought the gadget, turned it on, and left it because there was no one on the other end. The actual average range is around 4 kilometers.

There are notable exceptions: in large areas of Catalonia, links within a 100-kilometer radius are reported to work 95% of the time. These depend on a critical mass of enthusiasts in each province. In open terrain, and this is what undermines the prepper promise, there is nowhere near a node every four kilometers. A mesh network without nodes is a walkie-talkie with fresh batteries and no one to talk to.

The real advantage: repeaters with €10 solar panels

Where LoRa wins fruta is in power consumption. A node can be powered by a toy €10 solar panel and a €20 power bank, lasting months. Setting up six such repeaters is described as antiestéticasible "at negligible cost," something not sustainable with traditional walkie-talkies. Traditional amateur radio plays in another league: a 5-watt HF QRP rig reaches the world via Morse code, but requires more energy, more knowledge, and often a license.

APRS has been sending telemetry at 1,200 bauds for years. The ISS broadcasts SSTV images of 500,000 bytes in three minutes at 145.800 MHz. LoRa does not compete with that in throughput. It competes in working where there is no plug.

From 4 kilometers to 1,336: the record useless in daily life

The maximum distance cited under ideal conditions, with clear line-of-sight and no obstacles, exceeds 1,336 kilometers. The data is spectacular but practically useless. In real tests, with obstacles in the way, links stay at 10 kilometers, and commercial setups promise 5 in open field.

Some have established direct links from Palencia capital with a router south of Villamiel de la Sierra, in Burgos, while others sell all their gear after concluding it is "too cumbersome" for intended use. The record distance is a laboratory anecdote; useful distance is determined by the terrain.

Reticulum, MeshCore, and the business around free software

The ecosystem is moving. Reticulum proposes a network stack running over WiFi, internet, or LoRa radio without central servers or user accounts, with Nomad Network as a messaging app and its own tools for publishing content. It promises censorship resistance. It also accepts any binary, expanding possibilities and opening the door to uses its promoters do not advertise.

And there is noise in governance: projects born criticizing the appropriation of community brands end up registering their own and threatening to sue anyone who uses them. Free software, again, with owners.

The balance sheet nobody closes

As of this discussion, the result is uncomfortable. LoRa is cheap, legal, and saves energy like nothing else. And yet the network that should give it meaning —nodes, repeaters, people willing to maintain them— is not there. Sovereignty is not given by gadgets; it is given by the people who use them. There, the inventory remains short.