2sets ESP32 OLED WiFi Lora with case

I originally reviewed this product poorly due to suspected failed screens. Come to find out, that was a bug in the meshtastic firmware version that I loaded. Once I updated to the latest firmware, the problem was resolved. These are great little boards that work very well when running meshtastic. I'll probably buy more.

Really easy to set up and use. Perfect for experimenting with Meshtastic off-grid communications. Get these, become familiar with the system, then graduate to a Meshtastic device with GPS for when you want to travel around and let people see your location. Also, you can add a GPS to this device if you know how.

These are HelTec Automation OLED WiFi Lora 32 V2 development boards which are sold by various different vendors on Amazon. I previously purchased three of these from another vendor. One malfunctioned such that it could only be used for non-WiFi applications (everything else worked fine) and the other two worked perfectly. The only material difference between those three and the two that I am reviewing here is that these two came with the pins assembled to the board whereas the three that I purchased previously I had to solder the pins on (not difficult except for the pins that are closest to the OLED flat cable). I much prefer these pre-assembled ones. As to the inconsistencies, I mentioned the WiFi malfunction on one of the previously purchased boards, and these two seem to have less sensitive LoRa receivers than the others. In my application, two of these transmit LoRa messages to a monitor application on the third. I can install any of the sketches on any of the three boards and everything works just fine; however, if I install the monitor sketch on either of the new ones, it only receives the messages from one of the remote boards (call it board A) until I bring it very close to the other remote board (call it board B). The RSSI that is reported by the monitor application running on the original boards is ~-85 for messages from board A and ~-112 for messages from board B. Interestingly, the RSSI indicated by the monitor application on the new boards is still ~-85 but the messages from board B don't show up until I get significantly closer to board B. (Sorry, I don't have an RSSI for when the messages start to show up.) Strange. If anyone reading this has any ideas, I'd be interested in feedback. Overall, I really like the feature set of these little boards and I do recommend them. I'm sure that by tweaking the LoRa spreading factor (I'm currently using the default 7) I'll be able to get all of them to receive everything.

Works great, I have comms with my whole neighborhood regardless of network capability.

These boards are great and having a case is nice, though it is nice to have because otherwise you only have the board. (Picture for comparison) You can make the antenna fit, but you need to force it. This will ultimately mean a hole will need to be made for an upgrade. Also there is no room for a decent battery Once again, if you don’t have a 3d printer of access to a case for the boards, it is nice to have. They are solid and feel quality, there are no ridges or course areas. If this is your first device and don’t want to put a load into LoRa 100% recommend this .

Simple and very useful. Works well though batteries voltage divider seems... off a bit(software correction in meshtastic firmware setting). Also not sure the charging is efficient seems to just always be charging very low Ah so as not to need a battery mgnt chip? Goes into boot loops when voltage is at the min. cutoff.

This kit is a cost effective way to get started with Meshtastic. While the antennas and cases aren't stellar, they at least help you get up and running to start playing with the network. Just know your range is very dependent on your antenna! Case wise these get the job done but the Heltec V3 has TONS of 3D printable cases too.

These things are solid little units to play with meshtastic because of their integrated wireless, other than that, if you have any "real" use-cases, use something else like Rak or Lilygo because these things are VERY power hungry. I have an 1100mah battery on it local client and the battery doesn't last a day. In router mode with MQTT with wifi it's wayyyy less than a day and sort of buggy - hangs and crashes often which is likely meshtastic's software more than the device if I had to guess. All in all, these would be superb to use as a mechanism to hack/mod/play or use as a mechanism to show students/kids. I would not use these for off-grid comms for camping or boating. If you're looking for that, see other options I listed above but Rak doesn't have supported wireless. I don't own any lilygo devices yet so I don't know if they have wifi, but I assume the t-beam supreme has wifi? I go camping every year where cell coverage is 30+ miles from where we camp, but we have functioning starlink so I can setup one at camp w/ router wifi+MQTT and be able to message my family at home who also have a wifi+MQTT router + client mode on our own channel.

My screen is already failing. Poor quality. The screen was cracked on the corner near the mounting screw. Check this when it arrives as has lines missing from the display. I bought 2 and the second one is fine. I have emailed heltec and asked them to check this issue. An expensive unit when faulty so soon.

Bit of a learning curve to use the Meshtastic FW but soooo simple to program. Amazing really. I remember the days of direct flashing ROM...now we do it from an online app. The case is flimsy and the antenna is just serviceable but if you are just dipping in your toe this is the set to get. I suggest you print a better case and get a 3000mAh LiPo to make a sweet little unit. Great build quality and perfect soldering. Just be careful and take your time attaching the antenna and battery. The polarity is + on the LEFT. Cheers!

Necesita ser técnico para entender como usarlos, pero funcionan bien.

The Amazon package arrived intact, but the inner package from DIYmall arrived cut open. One antenna was missing, also the protective film on one of cases had been removed. Not sure what happened, perhaps this was a previously returned item. The boards are both Heltec V3 (v3.1) and programmed easily with Meshtastic.