Demo site
Demo dataDemo Ridge Repeater
Grid power lost · Site online on backup
78% batteryDischarging
- Mains
- Off
- Runtime
- 8h 35m
MeshCore community network
When the internet goes down, the mesh stays up.
The Blinky MeshCore Community Network is an independent, low-bandwidth radio network designed to keep useful local information moving through storms, power failures and communications outages.
Operated by Blinky Lights · Technology by Linkify
Demo networkInformation moving
The NOC at a glance
See what stays online when conditions change.
Real photographs meet public-safe operational information. This preview uses fictional values to demonstrate the interface.
Open the interactive dashboard →Demo site
Demo dataDemo Valley Hub
Normal
99% batteryCharging
- Mains
- On
- Runtime
- 21h 40m
Demo site
Demo dataDemo Community Gateway
Degraded
91% batteryPower flow unavailable
- Mains
- On
- Runtime
- 18h 30m
Weather intelligence
ExampleSevere storm warning example
Southeast Coast demonstration area
Damaging winds and heavy rainfall. Not a current BOM warning.MeshCore community feed
DemoLatest radio messages
ROAD
Tomewin Rd closed — fallen tree. Avoid area.
NETWORK
Community gateway degraded. Monitoring.
Why we built it
Because we’ve seen what happens when everything goes offline.
During a major weather event, internet, mobile towers, grid power, social media, cloud services and normal messaging apps may all be affected at once.
You don’t need megabytes of data to tell somebody that a road is closed, a storm warning has been issued, or a communications site is running low on battery. Sometimes a few hundred characters are enough.
How the NOC works
From trusted source to useful radio message.
The state engine—not AI—owns every operational decision. AI may optionally summarise a small fact set, but it never declares an outage or controls equipment.
- 01Monitor
Selected network, power, weather and road sources.
- 02Filter
Relevance, confirmation, priority, expiry and duplicates.
- 03Format
Short, factual messages made for low bandwidth.
- 04Broadcast
Send through a configured MeshCore gateway/channel.
- 05Receive
Compatible companions receive where radio topology permits.
What gets broadcast
Small messages. Important context.
Weather
Important local warning information from authoritative sources, with BOM clearly identified.
Roads
Supported closures, fallen trees, flooding and significant access restrictions.
Blinky network
Public-safe communications availability, backup-power and recovery information.
Power & batteries
Selected battery state, runtime risk and grid-restoration information.
Recovery
Clear updates when warnings end, roads reopen and communications sites recover.
Backup-power intelligence
Keeping the network alive when the grid isn’t.
Selected communications sites can continue from backup batteries. The NOC watches meaningful changes, applies confirmation and hysteresis, then creates concise alerts when attention is actually required.
DeterministicNo AI outage decisions
PersistentState survives restarts
Public-safeSensitive detail stays private
Demonstration dataDemo Ridge Repeater · 18:05
Two hours earlier · 16:05
Online on backup power
61% battery7h 25m estimated runtime
Two hours earlier · 16:05
78% batterySite remained online · earlier snapshot
A different kind of network
A blackout doesn’t have to mean an information blackout.
Normal conditions
Internet
Mobile
NBN
Cloud services
MeshCore
Major communications outage
Internet may be unavailable
Mobile may be unreliable
NBN may be offline
Cloud services may be unreachable
Battery-powered MeshCore may keep moving small messages
MeshCore isn’t designed to carry Netflix, websites or video calls. That’s the point. It carries small amounts of important information extremely efficiently.
Example scenario · Not live event data
What could happen during a major storm?
Official warning detected
The NOC receives a warning relevant to the configured demonstration area.
Alert processed
Deterministic filters identify the category and create a short factual message.
Broadcast to MeshCore
The compact update enters the configured radio channel.
Grid power fails
A demonstration communications site begins running on backup power.
Road alert transmitted
A supported local access restriction is condensed and distributed.
Recovery posted
A later source update clears the road example and grid power returns.
Built locally
Local infrastructure. Local radio. Local information.
Blinky Lights already operates communications infrastructure throughout our local area. MeshCore gives us another way to use that experience to help keep useful information moving when the community needs it most.
Resilient community information
- Independent low-bandwidth radio
- Short, locally relevant updates
- A complement to internet and mobile
- Designed around MeshCore
An emergency-service replacement
- Not Triple Zero or an official authority
- Not guaranteed delivery or availability
- Not high-speed internet
- Not a substitute for official instructions
Expandable technical sectionFor the radio nerds+
Trusted sources→Normalise→Deterministic state→Dedupe & priority→Message formatter→MeshCore gateway→Radio mesh→Companions
Home Assistant/Victron evidence and uptime events are normalised into site evidence. Confirmation windows prevent brief data wobble becoming an outage. Battery hysteresis, deduplication, cooldowns, expiry, recovery notices and persistence keep messages useful without flooding the radio network.
Join the mesh
Want to be part of the mesh?
Compatible hardware can take part as a personal companion or help messages travel further as a repeater. Participation does not guarantee emergency communications.
Learn about MeshCoreCompanion
A personal compatible device used to send and receive messages through an app or interface.
Repeater
A radio node that helps messages travel further through the mesh where conditions allow.
Network concept
A mesh is many possible paths.
A radio does not need a direct path to every person. Where terrain and radio conditions allow, another node can pass a small message onwards. More useful paths can make the community network more resilient.
This concept image is not a coverage map, does not show real node locations and makes no delivery guarantee.
Concept image · Not a coverage mapSeparate public continuity status
What is sos.linkify.au?
sos.linkify.au is a separate, public check-in point for the Blinky MeshCore network. It receives a deliberately small authenticated summary from the network controllers, so people can see the most recent public-safe status without exposing controls, credentials or exact infrastructure locations.
The page can show when a controller last checked in, selected service reports, current community notices and a short history of recent check-ins. Its information is only as current as the last report it received.
Open the SOS status pageAnother place to check
The separate receiver provides a simple public view of whether an authenticated controller has reported recently.
Useful, limited information
Only a small public summary is shown: heartbeat freshness, selected service reports, notices and recent check-ins.
No recent contact is not proof of failure
A delayed or missing heartbeat means the receiver has not heard recently. It does not, by itself, prove that a tower, radio or site is offline.
The important questions
Three things to know first.
Start with the questions most people ask about internet outages, blackouts and emergency use. The complete beginner-friendly guide now has its own page.
Does MeshCore need the internet?
No — the radios can talk to each other without Telstra, NBN, Wi-Fi or a cloud service.
MeshCore creates its own small radio network. Your phone is mainly the screen and keyboard: it gives the message to a nearby companion radio using Bluetooth or USB. That radio then sends the message through the air using LoRa radio, not through a mobile tower.
If another radio is too far away to hear you directly, one or more repeaters may pass the message along. This is why it is called a mesh. The local radio path can keep working even when the normal internet path into the valley has failed.
Some extra services are different. A public web dashboard, a newly issued weather warning or information collected from an online source still needs an internet connection somewhere in the system. Losing that connection does not switch off the radio mesh; it only means new online information may not arrive until a connection returns.
The important bits
- Phone to companion: Bluetooth or USB.
- Companion to other radios: LoRa radio.
- Online information: needs a working internet connection somewhere to stay current.
A simple example
Imagine Telstra and the NBN are both down. Two neighbours with charged MeshCore radios may still exchange short local messages through a working repeater. They may not receive a brand-new online weather update until one of the connected systems gets back online.
Does it work during a blackout?
It can, because MeshCore equipment can run from batteries or solar power.
The radio signal does not need the electricity grid, but every physical device still needs energy. Your phone needs charge, your companion radio needs charge, and any repeater carrying the message needs a working battery, solar supply or other backup power.
A blackout may therefore shrink the network rather than stop everything at once. Battery-backed sites can remain available while unprotected or damaged sites disappear from the route. Messages may find another working path, but that depends on which radios can still hear one another.
Backup runtime is not unlimited. Long outages, storm damage, poor solar conditions and heavy use can eventually flatten batteries. The dashboard helps people understand which monitored sites are operating and what their reported power condition is, but it cannot make a failed site work.
The important bits
- The grid can be off while battery-backed radios continue operating.
- Every phone, companion and repeater still needs its own usable power source.
- The network changes as individual sites lose or regain power.
A simple example
Your house may be dark, but a charged companion could still reach a solar or battery-backed repeater. That repeater may pass your message onwards. If its battery later runs flat, a message will need another working path—or may need to be sent again after a path returns.
Is this an emergency service?
No. MeshCore is an extra community communication path, not an emergency service.
MeshCore may be useful when neighbours want to share a brief check-in, report a local problem or pass along a clearly sourced public update. That can be valuable during a communications outage, but it does not turn volunteers or radio owners into emergency operators.
There is no guaranteed delivery time, no guaranteed coverage and no promise that somebody is watching every channel. A message may be delayed, missed, misunderstood or based on old information. For that reason, the mesh must never be treated as a replacement for Triple Zero, emergency services or official warnings.
If you receive urgent information through MeshCore, check it against an official source whenever that is possible. If there is immediate danger, act on the instructions of emergency authorities rather than waiting for confirmation from the community network.
The important bits
- Use Triple Zero (000) for danger to life whenever a telephone service is available.
- Follow emergency services, official warning apps and ABC Local Radio.
- Treat community mesh messages as helpful extra information, not official directions.
A simple example
A neighbour might use MeshCore to say that a tree is across a local road. That warning may help somebody avoid the area, but it is not the same as a verified road closure or an instruction from police, council or emergency services.
Internet down.
Mobile down.
Power out.