ScotMesh: Added after the move to MediaWiki

2026-09-11T14:49:50Z

Added after the move to MediaWiki

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:49, 11 September 2026
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	'''Install [https://meshchatx.com MeshChatX].''' It bundles Reticulum, configures itself, runs on everything, and does messaging, files and voice. If you are new, stop reading and install that.		'''Install [https://meshchatx.com MeshChatX].''' It bundles Reticulum, configures itself, runs on everything, and does messaging, files and voice. If you are new, stop reading and install that.

	The rest of this page is for when you want something different, or something more.		The rest of this page is for when you want something different, or something more. There are two kinds of client: '''out of the box''' apps that bundle Reticulum and configure themselves (MeshChatX, Sideband, the iPhone apps), and tools for a '''full installation''' where you have installed Reticulum yourself and want to use it from a terminal (Nomad Network, the command-line tools). You can mix them: a graphical app for daily use and the tools for when something breaks.

	== The options ==		== The options ==
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	\|-		\|-
	\| '''Sideband'''		\| '''Sideband'''
	\| Android, ~~Linux~~, macOS		\| Android, Windows, macOS, Linux
	\| Messaging on a phone, especially with a radio attached		\| Messaging on a phone, especially with a radio attached
			\| Yes
			\|-
			\| '''Retichat''', '''Columba'''
			\| iPhone
			\| Messaging on an iPhone
	\| Yes		\| Yes
	\|-		\|-
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	Written by the author of Reticulum itself, so it tracks the stack closely. Best on Android, particularly if you have an RNode paired over Bluetooth — that combination gives you a genuinely off-grid messenger in your pocket, with no phone network involved at all.		Written by the author of Reticulum itself, so it tracks the stack closely. Best on Android, particularly if you have an RNode paired over Bluetooth — that combination gives you a genuinely off-grid messenger in your pocket, with no phone network involved at all.

	Narrower than MeshChatX in scope: it is a messaging client rather than an everything client.		Narrower than MeshChatX in scope: it is a messaging client rather than an everything client. Windows, macOS and Linux builds are on the [https://github.com/markqvist/Sideband/releases releases page] as well as the Android one.

			=== iPhone: Retichat and Columba ===

			Until recently there was nothing for iPhone. [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/retichat/id6762225314 Retichat] (App Store) and [https://github.com/torlando-tech/Columba-iOS Columba] are LXMF messaging clients that bundle Reticulum, so they message MeshChatX and Sideband users directly and work with our [[Propagation node\|propagation node]]. Both are newer and less proven than the others, and we have not used them ourselves yet; reports welcome.

	=== Nomad Network ===		=== Nomad Network ===
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	* '''New, on a laptop or phone''' — MeshChatX.		* '''New, on a laptop or phone''' — MeshChatX.
	* '''Android with an RNode''' — Sideband.		* '''Android with an RNode''' — Sideband.
			* '''iPhone''' — Retichat or Columba.
	* '''You want to publish pages to the mesh''' — Nomad Network, alongside whatever else you run.		* '''You want to publish pages to the mesh''' — Nomad Network, alongside whatever else you run.
	* '''Running a node with no screen''' — the command line tools, and Nomad Network if you want it to serve something.		* '''Running a node with no screen''' — the command line tools, and Nomad Network if you want it to serve something.

ScotMesh: Imported from the BookStack wiki (backup 2026-09-11)

2026-09-11T14:49:09Z

Imported from the BookStack wiki (backup 2026-09-11)

New page

Reticulum is a stack, not an application. Once it is running you need something that actually does something with it. This page is opinionated: it says what we would recommend, and why.

== The short answer ==

'''Install [https://meshchatx.com MeshChatX].''' It bundles Reticulum, configures itself, runs on everything, and does messaging, files and voice. If you are new, stop reading and install that.

The rest of this page is for when you want something different, or something more.

== The options ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Client
! Runs on
! Good for
! Bundles Reticulum?
|-
| '''MeshChatX'''
| Windows, macOS, Linux, Android
| Everything, from a graphical app
| Yes
|-
| '''Sideband'''
| Android, Linux, macOS
| Messaging on a phone, especially with a radio attached
| Yes
|-
| '''Nomad Network'''
| Anywhere Python runs
| Terminal use, browsing and hosting pages
| No — uses your config
|-
| '''Command line tools'''
| Anywhere Python runs
| Diagnosing, scripting, file transfer
| No — ships with Reticulum
|}

=== MeshChatX ===

The most complete client, and the one under most active development. Messaging, file and image sharing, voice calls, pages, and an interface editor that means you never open a config file. Installers for Windows (installer and portable), macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon), Linux (deb, rpm, AppImage, Flatpak) and Android.

It is a fork of the original Reticulum MeshChat and has moved well ahead of it. If you find guides referring to plain “MeshChat”, the instructions usually still apply.

=== Sideband ===

Written by the author of Reticulum itself, so it tracks the stack closely. Best on Android, particularly if you have an RNode paired over Bluetooth — that combination gives you a genuinely off-grid messenger in your pocket, with no phone network involved at all.

Narrower than MeshChatX in scope: it is a messaging client rather than an everything client.

=== Nomad Network ===

A terminal application, and something slightly unusual: as well as messaging, it browses and ''hosts'' pages served entirely inside Reticulum, with no DNS, certificates or hosting provider involved. Our own node serves its pages this way.

Best on a machine you leave running. If you want to publish something to the mesh rather than only read it, this is the one. See [[Nomad Network]] for how to host.

=== The command line tools ===

These ship with Reticulum and are worth knowing even if you live in a graphical client, because they are how you find out what is actually happening.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Tool
! What it does
|-
| <code>rnstatus</code>
| Shows every interface, whether it is up, and its traffic. The first thing to run when something is wrong.
|-
| <code>rnpath</code>
| Shows or requests the path to a destination. Answers “can I even reach this?”
|-
| <code>rnprobe</code>
| Sends a probe to a destination and reports the round trip.
|-
| <code>rncp</code>
| Copies files over Reticulum.
|-
| <code>rnx</code>
| Runs a command on a remote node you have access to.
|-
| <code>rnodeconf</code>
| Flashes and configures RNode hardware.
|}

== Which should you actually use? ==

* '''New, on a laptop or phone''' — MeshChatX.
* '''Android with an RNode''' — Sideband.
* '''You want to publish pages to the mesh''' — Nomad Network, alongside whatever else you run.
* '''Running a node with no screen''' — the command line tools, and Nomad Network if you want it to serve something.

You can run several at once. They all talk to the same Reticulum instance, so there is no cost to having a graphical client for daily use and the tools available when something breaks.

[[Category:Getting Started]]

Choosing a client - Revision history

ScotMesh: Added after the move to MediaWiki

ScotMesh: Imported from the BookStack wiki (backup 2026-09-11)